Tip for head shot w/ wide or round face

[Vidau]

Thank you very much for your wise counsel, Kweide.

Best regards.

 

[Vidau]

Thank you very much for your professional advice Irina. Best regards.

 

[Brev00]

Brev00:

An apology for having mistranslated your valuable opinion, Stephen Knox, cleared my damaged brain, you have always been very kind to me and you have given me great advice.

Best regards

Vidau

No problem. Sometimes I use slang to vary my expression not considering how some might not understand it. In this case, the habit bit me in the butt--which means it led me to a bad result. I always open your threads knowing there will be something new and different inside.

 

[FriscoRon]

I haven't really followed your work before, been away from this forum for a couple years. I really like your lighting. It looks you do a lot of low key lighting. Would that be correct, or I just happen to be seeing some of your low-key shots?

 

[Stephen Knox]

Brev00:

An apology for having mistranslated your valuable opinion, Stephen Knox, cleared my damaged brain, you have always been very kind to me and you have given me great advice.

Best regards

Vidau

No problem. Sometimes I use slang to vary my expression not considering how some might not understand it. In this case, the habit bit me in the butt--which means it led me to a bad result. I always open your threads knowing there will be something new and different inside.

;-)

 

[lumigraphics]

No. Chin down looks awful. Change the lighting, makeup, and/or hairstyle to widen her face. I would have her turned slightly and have makeup to sculpt her cheekbones giving more definition.

 

[Vidau]

I haven't really followed your work before, been away from this forum for a couple years. I really like your lighting. It looks you do a lot of low key lighting. Would that be correct, or I just happen to be seeing some of your low-key shots?

 

[DuaneV]

She has a pretty face but something wide and round:

The low, straight on angle, tight crop, bad lighting and the hair pulled back over her ears REALLY exaggerates the shape of her face. A lot of "no-no's" in this picture makes a beautiful woman not look her best.

 

[Vidau]

No. Chin down looks awful.

:-(

Change the lighting, makeup, and/or hairstyle to widen her face.

sorry I was proud to take the picture of her without any makeup or hairstyle, is not a formal portrait and do not charge for it. but your advice is very good and I will improve with it.

I would have her turned slightly and have makeup to sculpt her cheekbones giving more definition.

David, thank you very much, your advice are appreciated to come from a successful professional.

Best regards.

Vidau

 

[Vidau]

She has a pretty face but something wide and round:

The low, straight on angle, tight crop, bad lighting and the hair pulled back over her ears REALLY exaggerates the shape of her face. A lot of "no-no's" in this picture makes a beautiful woman not look her best.

I agree with everything but not the "bad lighting", the photo is so to see the difference with the following.

Thanks Duane. Best regards

 

[canonagain123]

Entirely controllable, just like lighting. If you learn lighting for portrait photography, you should also learn how different focal lengths and different camera positions affect the shape of the face. Distortion can be manipulated with 1) the placement of the camera and the distance from the subject (with wide angles you'll want to make your subject as 2d as possible and KEEP. THE. HANDS. BACK.) The further away your wide angle is from the subject, the less distortion. Distortion is very much dependent on the distance between the lens and the subject. Keep the subject directly in front of the lens, in other words in the middle of the frame. Moving the subject to the sides creates distortion.

All distortion from a wide-angle can be corrected, but if your subject occupies a significant length of the vertical axis, that's going to leave in some distortion.

Get a lens distortion correction profile for the wide angle you're using, take some shots of a person (yourself, if you don't have anyone else around), use the lens distortion correction profile and see what kind of results you get from different setups. That's the easiest way to learn how you can take advantage of a wide-angle in portrait shooting.

Wide angles indeed slim the face. They actually slim the whole head, depending on how well you control the distortion it can be used for the exact purpose you want to use it for.

Also learn not to use too long focal lengths, unless you want to flatten the subject's face.

 

[canonagain123]

Actually, I think your key light was set too low, you should have set it higher up. The shadows on the broad side of her face don't look right. Maybe someone else can expand on that. You can never learn enough about lighting and you shouldn't delude yourself into thinking it's something that you just pick up easily and then there's nothing more to learn about the subject.

 

[Irina Sh]

this picture from the Internet as an example...

 

[canonagain123]

Wide angle makes the body look bigger (especially from close up) and the face look longer (wide when you go closer). If the distortion (from further) gets bad, it elongates the nose, giving a "dog" look, which obviously isn't flattering. Wide angle in a downwards angle from slightly above can be done with children, of course it shouldn't be overdone. It's been done many times, but if you want to include that kind of a photo you can do that too. Wide angles are great, if used sparingly.

 

[antoineb]

She has a pretty face but something wide and round:



The pose and the hair helps to thin the face:

The first shot is very genuine and shows her pretty features and her positive facial expression.

The second shot, to me, feels like someone was trying to cheat, to hide some of the features, and looks very artificial, at the same time without looking particularly pretty or artsy.

But that's just me

 

[Vidau]

Thank you very much for such good advice.

 

[Vidau]

Actually, I think your key light was set too low, you should have set it higher up.

How can I do that with natural light? if I remember correctly, photo was taken in the afternoon.

The shadows on the broad side of her face don't look right. Maybe someone else can expand on that. You can never learn enough about lighting and you shouldn't delude yourself into thinking it's something that you just pick up easily and then there's nothing more to learn about the subject.

You are right.

Once again thank you very much. Best regards.

 

[Vidau]

Thank you very much AntoineB.

It seems to me as if they were different girls with only two simple things: lower the head and hair mode.

Best regards.

 

[JDittlen]

She's absolutely beautiful. And I don't mean that in a polite way, I'm just plainly honest. I imagine she's the one worrying about her own face. Well for god's sake tell to stop worrying, and just shoot away.

 

[Vidau]

She's absolutely beautiful. And I don't mean that in a polite way, I'm just plainly honest.

agree

I imagine she's the one worrying about her own face.

no she is not, she is a professional painter and designer and the last thing worries her is her beauty.

Well for god's sake tell to stop worrying, and just shoot away.

no one is worried, we're just doing a photo exercise without disturbing her or anyone.

thank you very much for your interest JDittlen.