I need your help to criticise my photos :P

Mar 25, 2011
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Mounting your flash on the camera is a big part of the issue. It does not provide flattering light. Bounce off the ceiling, or mount the flash to one side and use a remote cord or trigger. Multiple off camera flashes wre better.

There is a forum dedicated to lighting with flash, and you will be able to pickup a lot of information there.
http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/
 
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scottkinfw

Wildlife photography is my passion
CR Pro
Hi.

Don't get discouraged. This is a difficult type of photography in particular for many reasons, details are extremely important for beauty, in addition to the usual technical photo details.

That said, these are good learning pics, and I noted some trends in yours.

Be sure skin tones are correct.
Watch facial expressions- open mouths are usually not aesthetic, though they can be
Throw backgrounds out of focus- don't let objects come out of heads
Try not to let things overlap, where possible I think the first one- watch for threads coming off- see the headband- now we have Photoshop, not so good with slides!

Beyond that I see what you mean about making the pics dynamic appearing. This is so specialized I am not sure I could have done any better, so I will leave that to fashion shooters to give their recommendations.
I liked your use lighting for vignetting, and tangential lighting to show pock marked skin
This is one that frequently gets me, and got you in

mzhang said:
 
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DJL329

EOS R5
CR Pro
Aug 26, 2010
622
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www.flickr.com
mzhang said:
... i found it hard with the ambient light.

Yes, some of the shots do appear blurry. Did you try increasing your ISO?

As for composition, remember to "get closer." Let your subject dominate the frame. Don't worry about trying to "get it all in" or even cutting off parts. Get focus on the eyes.

Here are some quick crops I did to demonstrate.
 

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Rienzphotoz

Peace unto all ye Canon, Nikon & Sony shooters
Aug 22, 2012
3,303
0
mzhang said:
Hey guys, Iv been taking some events for my friends in a society in university. I have a feeling that my photos as a whole are very boring and really seek some good help in guiding me to better performance. I use 5DM3 with 580EXII and 24-105. Im clearly not fitting into the shoes i have. Nothing in the seminar was too "exciting" and i found it hard with the ambient light. It was a makeup demonstration. Thanks!
Saw all your photos and I think you need to study/understand the basics of photography ... no offense ... I strongly suggest that you take some online tutorials, try CREATIVE LIVE they are free LIVE online courses that you can participate in, ask question etc ... alternatively you can also sign up for Kelbrytraining.com or Lynda.com (both of them charge only $25 a month) and they have tonns of really good classes you can watch and learn. There are tonnes of tutorials on youtube which you can watch for free and download ... by the way I learned most of whatever little I know from the above sources including youtube. Peace
 
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Hi, good experience shooting these type of events. You get to learn to deal with random people and bad lighting scenarios so well done for coping so far.

The main thing that jumps out to me is colour balance first then the angles of shots together with the cropping and the frame dynamics, which also includes seeing whats happening in the background in relation to the main foreground subjects.

Colour balance and your processing can be learnt fairly quickly I would cool everything down a bit in CB and maybe a shift to counter the over yellow skin, more pinky can be nicer plus a but of desaturation. Also using contrast/ curves can help darken backgrounds that are a bit confusing or pull out the subject out more.

Learning to frame nicely, and especially in those environments can be tricky. Rule of thirds is a golden one to read up on. And the side on angle of people are not normally the best, coming round at 45- 70 deg can work although you would have the back on one head, but this placed off the edge of frame or just coming into frame so you are focusing in on only one person will simplify it.
On one shot I saw there was a door edge or something light and vertical cutting across a nose, this is distracting. So a shot from 45 deg would have been better. Also the flash would show some shaping to the face instead of looking flat.

Mainly a bit more dynamic ness is needed. learning to see can take a while though. You'll get there.

The flash looks a bit harsh can you use a stoffen diffuser or a mini Soft box?

I see you've included some ambient light but it's probably the quality of whats there thats difficult to make any better. I would process this in B&W or do something interesting with the processing to as another dimension into it and give it more of a look and feel. But do understand some of the make up closeup shots would have to be more normal. try some with less flash & longer exposure and catching some movement for a more feeling shot.

oh and one more thing.. dont shoot someone side one unless you can light it from the front of their face, and dont shoot from above for a portrait .. unless its a cute kid , cat or a cool sexy goth model!

And watch for things in the background especially coming out of heads and noses .. again once you've framed the foreground. :)
 
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Firstly I would like to say Thank you to everybody who responded! Please dont feel like you're offending me =) I am very open minded.

klickflip said:
Hi, good experience shooting these type of events. You get to learn to deal with random people and bad lighting scenarios so well done for coping so far.

The main thing that jumps out to me is colour balance first then the angles of shots together with the cropping and the frame dynamics, which also includes seeing whats happening in the background in relation to the main foreground subjects.

Colour balance and your processing can be learnt fairly quickly I would cool everything down a bit in CB and maybe a shift to counter the over yellow skin, more pinky can be nicer plus a but of desaturation. Also using contrast/ curves can help darken backgrounds that are a bit confusing or pull out the subject out more.

Learning to frame nicely, and especially in those environments can be tricky. Rule of thirds is a golden one to read up on. And the side on angle of people are not normally the best, coming round at 45- 70 deg can work although you would have the back on one head, but this placed off the edge of frame or just coming into frame so you are focusing in on only one person will simplify it.
On one shot I saw there was a door edge or something light and vertical cutting across a nose, this is distracting. So a shot from 45 deg would have been better. Also the flash would show some shaping to the face instead of looking flat.

Mainly a bit more dynamic ness is needed. learning to see can take a while though. You'll get there.

The flash looks a bit harsh can you use a stoffen diffuser or a mini Soft box?

I see you've included some ambient light but it's probably the quality of whats there thats difficult to make any better. I would process this in B&W or do something interesting with the processing to as another dimension into it and give it more of a look and feel. But do understand some of the make up closeup shots would have to be more normal. try some with less flash & longer exposure and catching some movement for a more feeling shot.

oh and one more thing.. dont shoot someone side one unless you can light it from the front of their face, and dont shoot from above for a portrait .. unless its a cute kid , cat or a cool sexy goth model!

And watch for things in the background especially coming out of heads and noses .. again once you've framed the foreground. :)

The lighting was very bad =( and lucky im a very approachable person =) (to my belief). When you state the 45 degree, did you mean to tilt the camera? Thanks =)

Rienzphotoz said:
mzhang said:
Hey guys, Iv been taking some events for my friends in a society in university. I have a feeling that my photos as a whole are very boring and really seek some good help in guiding me to better performance. I use 5DM3 with 580EXII and 24-105. Im clearly not fitting into the shoes i have. Nothing in the seminar was too "exciting" and i found it hard with the ambient light. It was a makeup demonstration. Thanks!
Saw all your photos and I think you need to study/understand the basics of photography ... no offense ... I strongly suggest that you take some online tutorials, try CREATIVE LIVE they are free LIVE online courses that you can participate in, ask question etc ... alternatively you can also sign up for Kelbrytraining.com or Lynda.com (both of them charge only $25 a month) and they have tonns of really good classes you can watch and learn. There are tonnes of tutorials on youtube which you can watch for free and download ... by the way I learned most of whatever little I know from the above sources including youtube. Peace

Hi thanks =) no offence taken. Yah i just learnt all about histograms and how to read them, looking at the shots i posted, THEY WERE HORRID. Iv been trying to learn every night at home =) its a shame that I have only recently become very serious about my photography (wanting to be the best in my country, big ambitions i know) I will always want to learn as It is a very complicated expertise.

bornshooter said:
Watch this from start to finish Direction of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography you will learn a lot on camera flash can look good.

Watching the video and still watching =) very long video haha. Thanks

DJL329 said:
mzhang said:
... i found it hard with the ambient light.

Yes, some of the shots do appear blurry. Did you try increasing your ISO?

As for composition, remember to "get closer." Let your subject dominate the frame. Don't worry about trying to "get it all in" or even cutting off parts. Get focus on the eyes.

Here are some quick crops I did to demonstrate.

Some shots i did rip off my flash in frustration =( I didnt know what to do. I clearly need more practice, thanks for the examples i see what you are saying and have noted =)

scottkinfw said:
Hi.

Don't get discouraged. This is a difficult type of photography in particular for many reasons, details are extremely important for beauty, in addition to the usual technical photo details.

That said, these are good learning pics, and I noted some trends in yours.

Be sure skin tones are correct.
Watch facial expressions- open mouths are usually not aesthetic, though they can be
Throw backgrounds out of focus- don't let objects come out of heads
Try not to let things overlap, where possible I think the first one- watch for threads coming off- see the headband- now we have Photoshop, not so good with slides!

Beyond that I see what you mean about making the pics dynamic appearing. This is so specialized I am not sure I could have done any better, so I will leave that to fashion shooters to give their recommendations.
I liked your use lighting for vignetting, and tangential lighting to show pock marked skin
This is one that frequently gets me, and got you in

mzhang said:

Thanks for the reply. I did find it a very difficult experience, i use to take photos of Clubbing shots and they came out SOO much better, this I swear is relied 100% on my creativity levels where clubs have nice lights to make photos interesting. When you say throw the background out, Is that by moving the people further away from the wall to allow better distance ratios? Yeah I just looked at the photo with a straight face and was like.... theres no feeling. Hopefully Ill nail it in the next few shoots!

Mt Spokane Photography said:
Mounting your flash on the camera is a big part of the issue. It does not provide flattering light. Bounce off the ceiling, or mount the flash to one side and use a remote cord or trigger. Multiple off camera flashes wre better.

There is a forum dedicated to lighting with flash, and you will be able to pickup a lot of information there.
http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/

Hi =) i did a scout of the Lecture room, They....Are...So....Boring =( its not nice at all, The banner was not even there, I asked the company if they had banners and thats what they gave me, the fact it was black... not too good. I can say I tried but, I think I could do better.... Can you believe iv been into photography for three years? this shoot upset me as this is what i suspected in my first year. Im comfortable in Clubbing, outdoor.. etc, just not dark boring halls. I need techniques =(. I will hopefully have external flashes soon as they are SOOOOOO essential! imitating a sun, etc. Thanks for the reply =)

Ewinter said:
I'd say the background is too plain and dark (for my tastes) position them in front of some busier scene with at f4, drag the shutter with the flash on second curtain and maybe shoot a little wider. It''ll add a lot more vibrance and a sense of scenery

The whole place was dark and boring =( it was a University lecture room. Sorry i dont understand dragging the shutter with flash =(. I should have approached shooting wide and crop later. Thanks =)

____________________________________________________________________________________
Thank You everybody for your response, It has made me think twice =) and I will put it into practice! Talk soon yaaaaaa. Thanks from your Australian Friend Michael.
 
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Rienzphotoz

Peace unto all ye Canon, Nikon & Sony shooters
Aug 22, 2012
3,303
0
mzhang said:
Rienzphotoz said:
mzhang said:
Hey guys, Iv been taking some events for my friends in a society in university. I have a feeling that my photos as a whole are very boring and really seek some good help in guiding me to better performance. I use 5DM3 with 580EXII and 24-105. Im clearly not fitting into the shoes i have. Nothing in the seminar was too "exciting" and i found it hard with the ambient light. It was a makeup demonstration. Thanks!
Saw all your photos and I think you need to study/understand the basics of photography ... no offense ... I strongly suggest that you take some online tutorials, try CREATIVE LIVE they are free LIVE online courses that you can participate in, ask question etc ... alternatively you can also sign up for Kelbrytraining.com or Lynda.com (both of them charge only $25 a month) and they have tonns of really good classes you can watch and learn. There are tonnes of tutorials on youtube which you can watch for free and download ... by the way I learned most of whatever little I know from the above sources including youtube. Peace

Hi thanks =) no offence taken. Yah i just learnt all about histograms and how to read them, looking at the shots i posted, THEY WERE HORRID. Iv been trying to learn every night at home =) its a shame that I have only recently become very serious about my photography (wanting to be the best in my country, big ambitions i know) I will always want to learn as It is a very complicated expertise.
Yes, it can be a complicated ... photography (which I'm sure you already know) is a long never ending journey ... but I take comfort in the fact that it gives me the opportunity to learn something new everyday ... I think photography helps us stay positive in wanting to look at the beauty all around us, it has helped me to take interest and learn about lighting, birds, flowers, plants, trees, weather, high/low tides, moon cycles etc etc (I know we learn about all this when we are kids but as we grow older we tend not to pay attention as we become increasingly cynical in a world full of negative stuff ... so photography helps me stay positive and I'm happy to be photographer even if it is just a hobby) ... wish you all the best.
 
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Are these shot with ambient light? I'm noticing a mix of color tones, greens and orange and what not. One way to keep lighting consistent is to use a single light source, make sure it has direction. For this type of situation I'd go with a small softbox with a 1/4 CTO gelled speedlite. Make sure the shutter speed is fast enough to shut out any ambient. If you do want to include sone ambient make sure the ambient light matches the color of the speedlite.

Also move the subject away from distracting backgrounds or zoom in tight enough that there is only the subjects face in the frame.

Also you'll need to bring a reflector to fill in the shadows under the chin and eye sockets. Are you familiar with clamshell lighting? Quick and easy for beauty style shots. You need softer lighting, I can see too many skin imperfections. Also post process the image to soften the skin and bring the skin tone back to normal.

Takes a few years to get the hang of this kinda thing. I highly recommend Phil Steele's site for tutorials on portrait photography with speedlites and his photoshop for beginners. Scott Kelby's books are pretty good too.
 
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Rienzphotoz said:
mzhang said:
Rienzphotoz said:
mzhang said:
Hey guys, Iv been taking some events for my friends in a society in university. I have a feeling that my photos as a whole are very boring and really seek some good help in guiding me to better performance. I use 5DM3 with 580EXII and 24-105. Im clearly not fitting into the shoes i have. Nothing in the seminar was too "exciting" and i found it hard with the ambient light. It was a makeup demonstration. Thanks!
Yes, it can be a complicated ... photography (which I'm sure you already know) is a long never ending journey ... but I take comfort in the fact that it gives me the opportunity to learn something new everyday ... I think photography helps us stay positive in wanting to look at the beauty all around us, it has helped me to take interest and learn about lighting, birds, flowers, plants, trees, weather, high/low tides, moon cycles etc etc (I know we learn about all this when we are kids but as we grow older we tend not to pay attention as we become increasingly cynical in a world full of negative stuff ... so photography helps me stay positive and I'm happy to be photographer even if it is just a hobby) ... wish you all the best.

Thank you for your words =) Photography is truly mysterious, so many methods, some that don't seem to work can work wonders when observed different. That is true art.

Zv said:
Are these shot with ambient light? I'm noticing a mix of color tones, greens and orange and what not. One way to keep lighting consistent is to use a single light source, make sure it has direction. For this type of situation I'd go with a small softbox with a 1/4 CTO gelled speedlite. Make sure the shutter speed is fast enough to shut out any ambient. If you do want to include sone ambient make sure the ambient light matches the color of the speedlite.

Also move the subject away from distracting backgrounds or zoom in tight enough that there is only the subjects face in the frame.

Also you'll need to bring a reflector to fill in the shadows under the chin and eye sockets. Are you familiar with clamshell lighting? Quick and easy for beauty style shots. You need softer lighting, I can see too many skin imperfections. Also post process the image to soften the skin and bring the skin tone back to normal.

Takes a few years to get the hang of this kinda thing. I highly recommend Phil Steele's site for tutorials on portrait photography with speedlites and his photoshop for beginners. Scott Kelby's books are pretty good too.

Hi, thanks for the reply =). ya there were heaps of different light sources, ill be looking to invest in gels also getting a reflector (big white thing right?) I do see some experienced people using this with a single light source. Hopefully in the future I can afford more flashes and umbrellas. Ill check out scott kelby's book =) thanks!
 
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I think you have had some great advices from the others already - from taking the flash off the camera, having adequate shutter speed, or improving the composition by cropping out irrelevant variables.

Another thing I would add is planning. Basically I would suggest you to get to know about the event as much as you can. From where the people of interest would sit, the position where you can mount/bounce your flash, timing, etc. This way you can be better prepared and know where you should be for a given scene. During your planning phase, I found it useful to survey the location by having the lights both on and then off.

Many people have their own approach, but for me, planning process is key.

Hope this helps.

cheers,
r.
 
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