Stuart Ord
January 2020 - In the Shade
Original
About the Image(s)
I’ve been re-organising my libraries of photos whilst looking for an original to convert to mono. My main aim was to find something with interesting texture, and I happened across this portrait taken last summer. The model had had a parasol and it was a rather sunny day. The patterns on her face weren’t prominent enough with a straight mono conversion, so I cropped in heavily. A small amount of retouching was needed to remove the featureless sky.
Olympus OM-D-EM1ii, Olympus 12-40 mm Pro lens at 31mm. The central exposure was 1/190sec, f9, ISO 200.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
18 comments posted
This scene as made for black and white. I like the shadow patterns on the model's face very much. It took me a while to understand that the parasol was black. My brain was trying to make sense of a white umbrella until I looked at the original. Posted: 01/08/2020 12:29:04
Yes, it is odd! However it doesn't compete with her face for attention, being black. However, see below..... Posted: 01/09/2020 04:31:25
I'm far from an expert on portraits, but I would like to see her eyes brightened. Yes, the pattern on her face is interesting, but if your aim is to show detail, I see loads in the parasol. Perhaps the parasol could be made white to better show its detail. Posted: 01/08/2020 20:21:35
An interesting idea, Jerry! My first reaction was "but the white would be distracting" and I'm sure a conventional judge would dislike it, but I often find conventional a bit boring, so I'll have a go at that. I'll need to re-crop the original so that it's not on the edge. Thanks. Posted: 01/09/2020 04:30:09
I said white but what I really meant was light enough to show much more detail. It might also require opening the shadows on her face slightly? Lots of possibilities for you.
Who cares about judges? When I judge a competition, I asssume the maker made "mistakes" deliberately , for a reason that needs to be interpreted. Sometimes, it's effective but always judgmental. We need to please ourselves and be pleased when others interpret our work as we intend. Posted: 01/09/2020 05:20:29
Who cares about judges? When I judge a competition, I asssume the maker made "mistakes" deliberately , for a reason that needs to be interpreted. Sometimes, it's effective but always judgmental. We need to please ourselves and be pleased when others interpret our work as we intend. Posted: 01/09/2020 05:20:29
Yes, OK, a nice cream might work. I need to find some time to do it! I'll post the result if I manage. Posted: 01/09/2020 06:16:30
Well, I failed miserably at that. The "black" parasol actually has many shades of grey in it and my colour replacement skills weren't up to it.However I found pics of the other model who had a white parasol - hope you like this one! Posted: 01/09/2020 15:21:48
For some reason your new image disappeared after once appearing on my screen. I would tone down the white a bit and would prefer this image if she didn't appear to have a black eye. I much prefer the shadow detail on her face. Posted: 01/09/2020 15:30:18
Or this! Posted: 01/09/2020 15:28:02
I think it would be great if she was looking you in the eye. Of course, the feeling is much different without the shadows. Posted: 01/09/2020 16:13:53
Or this! Posted: 01/10/2020 03:09:14
Sorry, I can't see a difference. Please point it out to me. Posted: 01/10/2020 04:30:46
Neither can I! I did upload it and then soon after deleted it again as I'd remembered your comment about dark eyes. I lightened the eyes and uploaded it again. However both pctures are identical here. Puzzled! I can only think that a human or computer glitch has been at work (more likely the former). Posted: 01/10/2020 06:00:35
I did notice the eye area was good. Posted: 01/10/2020 09:10:28
I like the facial expression and am not distracted by the shadow patterns on her face. Posted: 01/09/2020 13:53:04
I am glad to see so much discussion. I don't have a lot to say except my initial reaction which was prompted by what my instructor at a Photography School taught me, "Never allow dappled shadows in a portrait." Having done a fair amount of senior pictures, I believe that true based on what clients want to see. Nonetheless, I find the image pleasing. It depends solely on the intent of the image. Posted: 01/09/2020 20:11:24
I liked the mono conversion, a head shot crop and the shadow patterns on the models face. Good overall tonality. Processing is good and you are able to isolate the model from the background. Posted: 01/19/2020 07:18:29
The parasol results in the kind of light that we normally try to avoid, but the light patterns become part of the reason you took the image in the first place. Well done. Posted: 01/29/2020 22:30:30