I think that it is a great capture, but disagree about the horizon 'issue'. Sometimes 'rules' can be broken and this is a perfect example. Making the horizon straight would be at the detriment of the dynamics within the shot.

The composition, mood and clarity work for me.

I would suggest making the colours and tones more naturalistic for this shot.

I have produced a modification where I have recropped slightly, adjusted the tones and hues to become more naturalistic, cloned a little of the right hand side and also a little selective sharpening.

I hope that helps.

Nick

A well captured image, lovely natural light, and a relaxed and lovely expression. The diagonal expression also works well. I have simple offered another option in my modification.

Nick

Firstly, the composition, style, pose and authenticity of the image is good.

I can see what you were attempting with the post-production, but perhaps the distressed effect is not suited to this one.

The style would suit a more vibrant colourisation, and perhaps a processing more suited to cheesy 50s posters (cheesy in a good way ).

I would love to see the original, and perhaps offer some processing suggestions. Perhaps load the original as a version?

Nick

I like the composition, mood and detail in the image.

A few things that I have done in my mod to suggest further improvement of the image.

1) remove shadow below chin

2) softened skin in areas

3) added a little glow in places to the hair

4) sharpened some of the facial features

5) slight recrop

6) adjusted the colour balance to remove the yellow cast and brought in more purple cast

I hope that helps

Nick

I have produced a modification that seems to solve the crop problem. I rotated the image, cloned out the foreground, added a little curved adjustment to the edges and also applied a little texture to the background to 'tie' the image together.

Nick

I would say that for a first portrait it is far better than many first attempts.

Lets look at the positives:

1) You have a good tonal range throughout the image
2) You have chosen a characterful face as your subject
3) The use of black and white is a good one

A few pointers for improvement:

1) The image lacks a little sharpness in places. A little selective sharpening in post-production will help this.
2) It is a good study of a head, but does it show the real character of the sitter? Portraits, the best portraits, show something of the character of the sitter. Try to capture this next time.
3) The background could be darkened or smoothed, as it does detract a little.
4) Experiment with more dramatic lighting. Possibly try getting what is know as chiaroscuro, which will add 'punch' to the image. This can be done by moving around your light source, using reflectors or masking the light.

As for the logo comment above, it is not constructive. It is not a case of protecting the copyright, it is more about putting your name on your image, as if signing it. Something which is fine IMHO.

Nick

Backlighting doesn't necessarily need to be directly at the back of the model. Having 2 lights to the side will work also. The key is not to make the model sillhoutted. To avoid this experiment with a reflector (even one of those car shades with a shiny surface on one side), use the reflector to bounce light back to the models rear from the side where the camera is.

Nick

I do like the image, and the poses. I have uploaded a mod that has a few things done to it that I think will give it a little more 'punch' and realism.

I blurred the edges around the guys so that the 'cut out' wasn't so obvious. I then selectively sharpened them to bring our a little 'grit'. I also overlayed a little ray of light to the left of the image to 'tie' the background and the foreground together. Also adjusted the levels to bring more contrast.

Nick

I have uploaded a mod with the lady removed from the image. I think that it works much better (as Carabosse has mentioned). Again, noise isn't an issue necessarily with the shot.

I do actually like the image, and it has painterly qualities. Reminds me of Hopper's paintings.

Nick

I think a few of these points have been raised above but:

1) the sitter has a rounded face, therefore the crop isn't going to be flattering for the shape of face (in my mod I have shown that a landscape crop is more suitable)

2) The colour balance is out. Therefore I recommend the following adjustments in photoshop/image editor:
Colour balance : Shadows +5, +4, +5 ; Midtones -22, +6, -7 ; Highlights -13, 0, -7

3) Level adjustment: 0, 1.18, 255

4) The chair is an obvious distraction.

Nick

A great capture. I have produced a modification that has the following:

1) Warmer tones, just to bring out the colours of the deer.

2) A little sharpening in places.

3) A slight 'Orton' effect to the overall image.

Nick

I have produced a modification that shows what I would do with the image:

1) A little selective sharpening on the gentleman's face and medals

2) A different crop, that lifts the gentleman higher into frame, and hence allows for a more 'proud' figure within the shot.

Nick

The pose and eye contact or spot on.

A few points that I have covered in the MOD:

1) Did a little work on the eyes as the reflection seemed to spoil her gaze.

2) Brought her lips out a little with a bit of dodging and burning

3) Selectively sharpened around the eyes.

4) Softened the hair around the edges.

5) Did a tighter crop.

Nick

You have captured the spirit of the occassion, yet I feel that the lens has done no favours to the lady on the right of the image. The distortion created by the lens makes her body shape (and head) look rather unflattering.

I agree totally with what Dave has said. I produced a series for an exhibition of Sadhus whilst I was in India (examples are in my portfolio).

This shot would be hard to rescue from the shot you have taken.

My advice is to use the natural light in the first place to get the correct lighting on the face. You can even use something simple like a tin lid to reflect light back into the man's face.

Don't use any flash is my advice also. Use natural sunlight wherever possible, and use the suggested reflector technique (or a bought reflector) to add some light to your subject.

I would also be inclined to focus on the eyes, as these are key to a good portrait. The image also lacks sharpness, which can, in part, be rescued in post-processing.

examples of images I took are here :
Album

Nick

Ian is right in what he has said. If you go for a landscape format dont be afraid to go close in with your crop; even cropping across the top of the hair - this will also lift the person higher into the frame, and therefore having more impact (at the moment she is slumped in the lower half).

It is always important to have pin sharp eyes. You should focus on the eyes initially when taking the shot.

The background with an image such as this can play a part; I often use the background as part of the shot. In this case I think the background detracts from the portrait.

I think that the suggested one light + reflector would suit this type of shot. Often simplicity is best.

Another possibility is to have the reflector on her lap, and light her from 45 degrees above. This can be a good effect.

I hope this helps.

Nick

A fun shot that looks more spontainious than staged, which adds to the overall feel of the image.

Colours, tones and composition work for me, as well as all the little shapes created through the image by the candy and food.

Guest Editor Award given

Nick

Im not too sure about the shot. The title refers to the wet paint, yet the image doesn't show much of this within the shot (it is there, but is lost within the shot); possibly if the image had been in colour then it may have worked better.

The crop also looks awkward, and unflattering. There is nothing wrong with a close crop, I do it often, but feel that she needs a little 'breathing space'. The bottom right of the shot in particular. The squat pose also doesn't flatter the model in this instance.

Don't get me wrong, the image does have merit, but feel that more could be done with the concept.

Nick

Produced a quick mod to show how I would present the image.

1) increased the tonal variations (more darks, but keeping some midtones)

2) Repositioned the lady to the right as the image flows better that way. Left the child bottom left.

3) Just cloned bits to tidy things up.

4) Recropped

5) selective sharpening

Done

Nick