Objective : Taking one person as a subject. Create between between 5 and 7 portraits (portraits 1 -7) which differ in type and style.
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I have also included images that I liked but didn’t submit for the assignment(portraits 8 – 12).
Portrait 1: The simple portrait. I wanted to create a very simple portrait of my subject(Mikki). The subject is standing in front of a plain background lit by one studio flash fitted with a soft box. I had asked the subject not to show much emotion. On a technical level I feel the overall result is good showing lots of detail in the skin tones, though possibly the catch lights in the eyes should have been smaller. I could have probably improved this by moving the model and light further away from each other. While the facial expression is what I asked the model for, in hindsight it is quite cold. Perhaps I should have experimented with more expressions.
Portrait 2: I took this photograph while Mikki was getting ready in the mirror. The light reflecting in her hair is what attracted me to taking this picture. I feel the lighting and the colours used added a warmth to the composition. While the back of the head being out focus, has added an extra interest. It is not obvious as first glance that Mikki is getting ready in front of a mirror as not enough of mirror surround is visible; unfortunately I was unable to change that due space constraints or having a wider angle lens to hand.
Portrait 3: The action portrait. Taken while the subject was performing, a synchronized swimming routine. A number of photographs where taken in rapid succession, the best of the sequence was then chosen. I feel the graceful movements in the subject’s routine have been successfully captured. Even though Mikki is captured side on, the concentration in her face is still very evident. The hand and arm on the left side of the frame seem to guide the viewer to the models face. To make this photograph more successful, it probably requires to show even more of Mikki’s facial expressions. This could have been achieved, by repositioning myself or the model slightly, so more of Mikki’s face would then become visible.
Portrait 4: The lifeguard. Mikki works as lifeguard, at her local pool. The photograph was taken to reflect the environment where the subject works as much as the subject herself. I used a wide-angle lens and positioned the camera so that the converging lines created by the strong perspective, pointed towards the main subject. The horizontal, diagonal lines and muted shades of the pool create a pleasing composition in their own right. The lifeguard, the clocks on the wall and the lane floats create additional interest for the viewer. Ultimately the picture is supposed to be a portrait, possibly the main subject is too small in the frame and may not be apparent that it is supposed to be focal point.
Portrait 5: Reading on the bed. The subject was reading a book in her bedroom when I took this impromptu portrait in available light. What I like about this photograph is the cheeky smirk on the models face and the low lit lighting especially the light patterns in the top left corner of the frame. I shot this photograph handheld at 6400 ISO, while this contributes to some of the atmosphere of this picture it leads the photograph to be a bit softer than it should be through grain and slight camera shake. Having said that, if I had used a studio flash a lot of the atmosphere, would have been lost. Also the blue picture frame should have been removed first, as this I feel may be bit distracting.
Portrait 6: Dressing up. The Photograph was taken with on board camera flash. This unfortunately gives contrasted lighting. However this snapshot/grab shot successfully conveys Mikki’s character, her sense of fun (especially dressing up). While it would have been nice to take the photograph using proper studio lighting and a nicer back drop, it would have lost the spontaneity which contributes towards the fun element of this picture.
Portrait 7: Relaxing on the sofa. I was bit disappointed with the technical quality of portrait 5: So I tried something similar. This time I used artificial lighting to backlight the model and a lower ISO setting on my camera. Technically this photograph is superior to portrait 5. However it lacks atmosphere or the facial expression of number 5. Experimenting with pose could have produced a stronger image.
Portrait 9 (not selected). The other lifeguard shot. I really like this image, especially the strong perspective and converging lines. Unfortunatley there was not enough detail in the lifeguard so I decided against selecting this image.
Portrait 10 (not selected). The syncronised swimmer, though I had shot from a different angle. I felt the image I have already selected is stronger than this one. I hope my tutor agrees with my decision.
Portrait 11 (not selected). An alternate version of the mirror photograph. Though I managed to show more of the mirror, I still could n’t get into the ideal position to take the photograph. The lighting is not as nice as the the selected image and the image is slighty soft.
Portait 12 (not selected). The lights were too distracting, and the grain in the image was too obtrusive, though I liked the overall composition.
