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Out of my comfort zone. Trying to find my own style in portraiture. Don't know where I'm going or what I actually want. I know I don't want cute, or passport accuracy.
Please don't hold back on your opinions. I value every point of view. Not looking for votes, looking for opinions if you could indulge me?
Thanks for reading this far
| Camera: | canon EOS-1D mk11 |
| Title: | - Comfort Zone 1 |
| Username: | 
Patricia Fenn |
| Uploaded: | 28 Jan 2010 - 3:14 PM |
| Tags: | Digitally manipulated, General, Portraits / people |
| VS Mode Rating |
98 (0% won) These stats show the percentage of wins and the rating score that your photo has achieved. You can go to the VS Mode by clicking on this icon. Signup to e2Signup to e2 to see which photo this has won or lost against in the vs mode |
| Votes: | 19 |
| Modifications Welcome (Upload a Modification) |
Comments
Gave it a vote.. but not sure why. I want to hate it, but can't if that makes any sense. It certainly has a quality that makes you want to have a closer look. Not the greatest feed back you'll get I am sure. Great experimentation though ;0)
Neal
OK, I know it's slightly off focus (hand held poor light) but the overall effect... any comment at all...
Please...
Oh great! thanks
agree with above Patricia, its a little children of the corn but you gotta keep looking at it, which in turn makes me like it I guess, love to know what you did too process this way and what you used. the eyes are mesmerising.
gets my vote
Adrian
When it come to portraiture its a hard find your own style as its one of these areas that is open to so much personal input and stylistically wide open to interpretation.
Then you have child portraits notoriously one of the hardest areas. I am going to be a little blunt here but I am just going to say what comes into my mind on a first viewing. It looks harrowing and I could easily see this photo as a poster for child abuse. As it happens I will be uploading an image on this very subject next week but I did not have the honesty or courage to use a life child shot. Now I know that this was not your likely intention and minutes after I'm sure you got a big happy smile but photography is all about that moment and how the viewer perceives it.
The eyes have such an intensity it haunts you and the brows been down just adds to the overall effect of anguish... a child longing for love, or help.
The child in the bath is one one of these classic shots we have all taken at one time, but the fun and lightheartedness is missing altogether, the slight green cast and mottled flesh tones just add to the overall effect of gloom and despair.
Now Patricia I know this is not the effect you were after while in search of a style or a personal touch effect on portraiture. Children are such an emotive subject today and people do tend to read so much into photos of them that its unfortunate that in doing so a lot of the innocence is now gone and like you say we do not always want to fall back on the "cute tag". If I may add have a look at Annalises gallery of her kid, she has been photographed happy, grumpy, serious, sad but never cute. This to me is the best in child photography you can aim for.
Your portraiture should be an extension of you and your likes, don't go looking for a style as in due course the style will find you as it has done with so many of your other photographic wonders were your own stamp is seen all over them. Focus wise is another debatable side, many fashion and portrait photographers have lost the art of focusing in light of the Arty excuse, which may work sometimes but something not to make a career out off. So in my own opinion if its not in focus don't use it. This particular shot is borderline and due to the intensity of the eyes I would have plaid to its strength and knocked everything else out of focus even more except the eyes.
You really have jumped right in at the deep end Pat so do not take this to heart you are a true pro and capable of developing into any area you should choose to go to its just such an emotive take on a child and perhaps its this slight shock value that makes it stand out for better or worse, the viewer will have their own opinion but ultimately its you that you have to please first.
luv Victor x
Thanks.
Was trying to bring out his personality. Like most kids he's slightly unsure/apprehensive about anything unusual (like a ruddy big camera at bath time).
I desaturated, used contrasts rather than curves, cleaned, dodged and burned, sharpened in smart sharpen 50/3. saturated the eyes.
Victor, thank you so much! You hit the nail on the head in so many points. Really appreciate you taking the time out. Thank you, X.
Thanks Ron. Yes, it's not comfortable, but it's real and that's (perhaps) what I'm after. Not sure where I'm going..
Well i have to say i like the gritty style. Try this again on an adult, im sure you will bring out the wrinkles and character. Ian
Thanks for the mod Derek. Honestly I can't say I like it inasmuch as it gives me a good feeling (I mean my version), it concerns me, and that's the rub.
Thanks Ian. Yes, it works well on adults, especialy older folk. Not sure why we presume they don't mind being Dragonized, tried it on myself, OMG!
LOL!
Thanks Jo. I see where you're coming from and apreciate your view. That's a beautiful baby you have there
i thought i'd give it a play i agree that the eyes have it, but i wasn't sure about the choice of colors...since it's a child i would have tried a softer approach and warmer colors, but that might not be what you wanted. just for a difference, i would have perceived it rather like in the mod above
Ptitcendrier, thanks so much. I have to say I really like the mod and actually hadn't thought of taking it in that direction.
Eviscera, thanks, I'm also a big admirer of Dave Hill, and it's the same feeling of slightly surreal reality (if you get what I mean) that I would like to find; but more intense on capturing the emotion than the pretty-pretty.
It's the post processing I'm investigating.
Thanks for the mod (and the great critique) Victor. That 's certainly warmed it up and given an entirely different feel.
Thanks Ty.
Will catch up with everyone in the morning.
Good night from Crete, X
I admire anyone striving to find their own style 
The subject is out of my comfort too but I applied my style of post processing.
Tim
Thanks Tim, apreciate the mod, very much your style too
I'm beginning to realise that people don't want to see the vulnerable side of kids. But it's very much part of who they are at this early age.
I've done several portraits in my own experimental style to try to bring out various aspects of the personality and I'll consider all the comments at the end of the series.
Thanks everyone!
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