Portrait

Last week I took this photo of my friend as he worked on a script for a short film he's trying to produce. I think it is probably my best portrait or still life photo yet. I really like the feel of black and white photos as as such I edit most of my photos (Photo shop cs5) to be black and white, and sometimes I'll put filters to tint them different colours. I'm really interested in continuing with this sort of digitally manipulated photography, so I would just like to know what other people think of this photo.





Please don't hesitate to be negative, I just want to continue to improve in my photographic experience, so i don't mind constructive criticise.

Burke Symon said:

Last week I took this photo of my friend as he worked on a script for a short film he's trying to produce. I think it is probably my best portrait or still life photo yet. I really like the feel of black and white photos as as such I edit most of my photos (Photo shop cs5) to be black and white, and sometimes I'll put filters to tint them different colours. I'm really interested in continuing with this sort of digitally manipulated photography, so I would just like to know what other people think of this photo.

Please don't hesitate to be negative, I just want to continue to improve in my photographic experience, so i don't mind constructive criticise.

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Hi Burke. A warm ( ! ) welcome to OPF.

I am biased in favor of the type of image you have posted. And to b&w. So it might not be as negative

as you might like.

This is what the photo tells me. It could be, but I know it is not a model at the computer, because

you have said so. It shows a person during an activity that needs concentration. You have

done that here. Even the Toblerone ( I love them ) speaks of long work needing concentration.

In such situations, I generally introduce a bit of grain into the image. Selective, or right

across. Let's say Tri-X, maybe pushed 1 stop. That would, for me, really make this sing.

It is singing now, but let's hear it a little louder. Underexposing the comp in relation to the

others is what I would do next. Your friend I would specifically put some grain over him.

To make his concentration more concentrated!!

Thanks for sharing and hope you continue with your theme. I like it.

Regards.

p.s if you could clone out the bright spot on your friend's left back near the edge, it would
keep my eye wandering off the frame to my right.

Burke Symon said:

Last week I took this photo of my friend as he worked on a script for a short film he's trying to produce. I think it is probably my best portrait or still life photo yet. I really like the feel of black and white photos as as such I edit most of my photos (Photo shop cs5) to be black and white, and sometimes I'll put filters to tint them different colours. I'm really interested in continuing with this sort of digitally manipulated photography, so I would just like to know what other people think of this photo.

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Burke,

This picture gives us a rich experience. With the title, "The Writer" all elements work well together, the pose, cigarette butts, chocolate and the blur at the fingers. I'd have accepted everything you have composed as your style and allowed my mind to work within those constraints.


Having said that, I really wonder about the balance of the composition. It's heavily weighted towards the writers head and it's a stretch of the eyes to reach the keyboard and all the accoutrements he has to endure the long creative session. Part of this is the care you have taken for precise focus and clarity of the head. But the action is at the finger tips. So, for me at least, I'd soften the head and body a tad and then bring out more of the wonderful realistic background in the shadows on the left as show so well on the right.

Hope this is of help,

Asher

BTW, did you place the dice or any other objects in the picture?

I actually didn't place that stuff there, my friend actually just keeps all of that stuff around just because he likes to play with it when he writes, I like it too. Thank you for all of the advice, I will defiantly take all of it into account the next time I take a portrait picture. I'm really trying to get into black and white, I like the richness in emotion it can bring out in a person's face or actions. Just out of curiosity, is there well known photographers you can refer me too that shoot in this style?