Assignment 1 – A Portrait Part Two
As I said in part one of this assignment this was the hardest I have done so far. As you can see I have chosen approx. 4 images from each session, from these I will pick one from each session for submission. I have asked a friend to have a look at the images to see what he thinks. Dave will give an honest review and his opinion is valued.
One of the first issues that I identified when I got home was that I had failed to shoot both raw images and Jpegs. This is a very basic mistake and there is really no excuse for it.
A great deal of time and money could have been wasted, but I hope that the resulting images are of a sufficient quality to meet the standard required.
I will now look at each of the images and assess how they look.
Shoot One
Made up of four images, a country theme taken by the River Mole, with an old bridge in the background. Wide aperture used to throw the background out of focus on the initial images.
Image 1
I like this image although I think there is too much reflection from the water, there is also a circular sun spot on the image. Head and shoulders shot, with hair reflected from the rear.
Image 2
Three quarters shot taken at the same location as above. It’s a shame that there is a glare mark over the coat. Liz looks great with her hands in her pockets.
Image 3
Liz sitting on the steps that lead to the river. I should have checked the background. The black corner from the footbridge is a great distraction. I like the picture though.
Image 4
Liz about to sit down, not a conventional shot but I think it’s interesting. Her face is not in shadow however the label of the coat is showing. Attention to detail! I really like this image though.
Shoot Two
The next series of images were taken in a garden. I wanted to take a series of images of Liz sitting down. Four images chosen. Liz did not wear a hat and her hair was down. The red scarf was chose by her and it really stands out.
Image 1
A nice image but I think I chose the wrong chair. It’s a bit to big. Hands are slightly blown out. Hair looks nice
Image 2
Taken from a slightly elevated position. Reducing the amount of chair on show really helps. I should have asked Liz to pull the hair from her face.
Image 3
This is my favourite. Head slightly tilted The scarf contrast well against the dark top. Face nice and clear and no hairs out-of-place!
Image 4
This is also a favourite shot of mine, I like the position in the frame, the background and the lighting.
Shoot Three
For this next series of images I wanted to use a lovely house as a background. Liz changed into jeans , a new top and changed her hair style. Spectacles and a neckless were also added as a props.
Image 1
A close up shot taken with the door, light and the climber in the background. The specs on the models head add a degree of interest. Shot on the third with Liz looking out into the space.
Image 2
I took this image as a full length. I ended up cropping it as I did as the door frame on the right of the image just didn’t look right. Looking at the image now I think I should have also moved the doormat.
Image 3
I like this shot, there is interest in the detail around Liz and I like her position in the shot. I also managed to get the door to look right.
Image 4
I also like this shot as Liz is well positioned between the doorbell and the door knocker. Her jacket and jeans stand out against the door. The bottom right corner has interest from the red flowers.
Shoot Four
These images were taken with a corn field as a background. Liz had to wear her “Hunters” again as there was a risk of snakes! This time Liz wanted to wear a hat, she matched the colour to the scarf. The cream stands out well against the dress.
Image 1
Liz looked great and the image was framed by the trees. There is light coming through the trees hitting the bottom of her dress I don’t know if this is a distraction. I like the
Image 2 , 3 and 4
Three similar shots taken from different angles. The corn looks good in the background. In image 4 the top bit of the plant gets in the way.
Image 5
This is the image that I like the best. The trees add to the background although the sky is a little too white. The stance is good and I like the way Liz is captured in thought.
Shoot Five
Four similar images taken on a tractor. Another change of outfit today but due to the poor weather the Wellington’s had to stay! A rather fetching flat cap and a new scarf added to the look.
Images 1-4
All very similar just the direction of shooting. My favourite is a choice between 2 and 3. I just wish that I had seen the hair band on her right hand. It’s the attention to detail bit again.
The sky seems a bit odd in a couple of the images, I will see what they are like after they have been printed.
I don’t know if the house in image 1 adds interest or if it’s a distraction.
Shoot 6
A simple set of images shot in a church yard with Liz again sitting down. No coat, hat or jacket, even though it was getting cold.
Image 1
With Liz sat on the wall of the church I took a shot. After reviewing the result we decided that we should move. We were too close to the road and I was in danger of getting run over.
Images 2-4
Again a similar set of images shot against the white wall of the church. I like the detail in the stone bench in image 4. The dreaded hair band appears again.
The third shot is my favourite although I should have moved position to get both eyes in shot.
Shoot 7
Six images taken in a garden this time with two props a bike and a dog, that was all over the place!
Too many of these images have blown out highlight in the top right hand corner – a basic mistake. Images 2 and 3 do not have this error in them. Although I like image 6 I could not get the right corner toned down, this was a shame. I would have to choose image three.
Final thoughts for this second part of the exercise.
I think I have produced some nice images, a few have been spoilt due to very basic errors.
I will do a final review in part three of the assignment after I have seen the printed images and had a bit of feedback from friends.