Raven

http://cherokeebydesign.wordpress.com/

I agree that making your subject feel comfortable is indeed very important, especially when working with people who aren’t comfortable getting their picture taken. What’s also very important is understanding the fundamentals of composition, which is helpful not only for portrait photography but all forms of photography; you can learn more about composition in the Photobird Daily article “Composition Is Key“.

Identifying and discussing these characteristics helps us become better photographers. Offering an unpopular opinion and being critical in writing may sometimes be perceived with an unintended negative tone.

I appreciate your feedback, Jessica. Please continue to send it.

Also, please sign up for the Photobird newsletter, which will have some fun things in it when it starts up soon. The Photobird newsletter will also keep you informed about more opportunities to learn more from “How to…” articles in the Photobird Learning Center and the Photobird Daily.

Thanks!

– Ed

Too bad you felt the need to criticize so negatively. One of my favorite things about DPS is the welcoming, inclusive atmosphere. The feeling given in your comment there and your post here is absolutely the opposite.

Whether you are a good photographer or a bad photographer, I would never hire someone with such a terrible attitude to take my portrait. Maybe the most important tip to being a good portrait photographer is ‘make your subject comfortable.’ Are you doing that here?

Just a few of my thoughts.

Creio que para min representa a liberdade do fim de um dia coroado com magnifica visão de um por de sol o qual eternisa o momento, momentos os quais não mais parecem serem tão breves.

Este por de sol me faz lembrar em especifico de um por de sol magnifico o qual tive o praser de poder contempla-lo em todo seu explendor até o crepusculo, a ums 3 anos atrás aqui em São Paulo, Brasil.

Penso que perdemos muitas oportunidades de apresiar o que realmente é belo na naturesa, porque nos encontramos imbuidos de coisas mil.

Nesta ocasião em que pude contemplar o por de sol o qual vos relatei, a propria “naturaza´´ havia me dado um “tempo´´.

Neste paragrafo anterio até poderia parafrazear o caetano veloso, Quando me ….., foi ai que via as tais fotografias, ……. terra……o mais distante navegante, quem jamais ……, terra.

Que possamos ter mais tempo para apresiar as belas coisas que realmente importam em nosas vidas e que a felicidade reine em nossos corações.

Um grade abraço, Paulo e parabens pala espetacular foto.

Vagner b. Rabelo (vagner2069@hotmail.com )

It’s really great to have someone write about your work without being prompted.

I hope all that read it gain from it. It has 35 years of my photography experience, 9 months of my life writing it and c400 of my images inside of it.

Bon Lumier

Bruce Smith

First, great photo and congrats on getting Alain to review your photo. Thanks for your follow-up.

Agave Muerte is starting to grow on me, but perhaps not enough.

I like color in general and the top is very colorful, but the bottom is quite monotone and lacks the color that the top of the image has. Perhaps this combination works for you, which I must say is a very clever approach to a single image, but it’s just not something I go for.

For me, a live agave would have been better at the bottom, or a colorful flower. The dead agave might have been good with a barren desert floor in the background, in my opinion.

Overall, the quality of the photo is excellent and I’m very impressed with it. I just don’t like the agave. Be sure to get feedback from many more people though, especially people who don’t know you. Don’t take my word for the photo. More people may like the agave than I do. I might be the only one.

Here’s a few of your photos that I really like: Baja Pelican Sunset is a fantastic photo, and I usually don’t like black and white photos, but this one is very well done. Butterfly in backyard is a beautiful photo with stunning color. Yard ornament is cool, and I like Lafayette-105 too. Actually, if you ask me, I think Baja Pelican Sunset is the best photo in your portfolio. There’s a lot of things I like in it.

Cheers,

– Ed

Thanks for the great post. I think everyone’s sense of what is right for their walls is a good measure for what is a great photo (for that person).

I think you’ve shown great restraint by not going after the violators of your copyright. The costs to them could be very high.

I have quite a few of my photos on my walls. One can be found at the top of my online magazine site, http://www.imagingbuffet.com (top right, second from left-Yellow Flower). I printed it on an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 on Epson Textured Fine Art Paper by Crane.

All the best!

Andrew
—————————————————
Andrew Darlow
Editor, The Imaging Buffet
http://www.imagingbuffet.com
Author, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques:
An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers – http://www.inkjettips.com

– Ed

The second photo has way to much head space, the black and white photo has a backround that is far to busy with lines that dominate the composition more than the subject, which is the model.

I think a key to portraits is when shooting a female, the least amount of force or muscle strain, yields the best natural look.

Camera angle and lighting may have the greatest impact in a portait, clothing and make-up, along with proper backround adds a image dynamic for subject focus.

I think a shallow DoF works well for close-up head shots.

Thanks for your comment and your link. Please let us know when your article is ready. I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks!

– Ed

My name is Max and I am the owner of http://www.BorrowLenses.com. Thanks for the mention and for putting our pic up. Let me know if you have any questions.

Max

Olivier

In addition, they don’t force you into set rental periods like a week or 2 weeks. Their system allows you rent by the day, with a low 4-day minimum.

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