Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/04/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Phong, > http://www.phongdoan.com/Photography/PortraitPortfolio/ 1 (4243) is my preferred. Lots of emotional mystery - and interest - here. She may be 18 or 28, hard to tell. She is not smiling but her eyes seem to be smiling - are they really? She is not saying anything but looks as if she is about to say something. Looking at you on a way only a long time friend can. Lovely portrait. As another lugger said, lots of interaction. A mountain photographer told me that the best pictures are taken when the moutain's teperature is changing: same here, she is just on the edge between several meanings, you got it just right. The longer I look at it the more I like it. Like with great paintings. EXCELLENT. 2 (4698) is good on a strictly photographic point of view (nice lighting, overall balance etc.), but for a musician (I am not a violinist though) it is shocking. Any classical musician would be shocked I think. The left hand and fingers' position is absurd (it's unplayable, even a first day beginner won't do this),the right arm's position is very awkward,the bow is not at a right angle w. the strings - the sound produced must have been terrible. Obviously not a natural portrait. I am conscious this will not shock a majority of people, but you might lose musicians as potential customers. I would reject. 3 (4754) nice and simple portrait. Not the amount of suggestion and romance of #1, but this may well be the style of portrait most NA ladies would like to get of themselves. Very good. 4 (4424) technically excellent, but I feel indifferent to her expression. She looks as admiring herself in a mirror, period. However a lady customer may rate this portrait higher than me??? Ask a lady's opinion. 5 (6466) just excellent. If he is a novel writer, this is the picture to sell his book. If he is the big boss, this is the portrait to include into the company's prospect. Excellent. 6 (6577) good, 7 (6932) very good, although a bit impersonal. 8 (0881) I don't like it. Having got everything very soft except the eyes and the lips doesn't add much to the story - which may not have been very intellectual. Not my glass of beer. 9 (8155) good but, again, ask a woman. 10 (8580) another charming portrait. Not as much loaded in mystery as #1 but very, very nice. 11 (8182) a bit surprising at first glance, but remarkable pose and use (and rendering) of the velours. Excellent in a portfolio. 12 (4833) unconvincing, conventional and not very natural. 13 (6593) very good. Technically perfect. 14 (8559) acceptable, although a bit too "flashy" - this being said I think many AF-press-button photographers are disappointed when they don't have the pop-out flash glare on a picture. 15 (0912) good - but again this is not my cup of tea. 16 (7249) good - would be even better if less contrasty (that may be my screen) and less bright. Beautiful light into the hair. A nice, ``interactive'' picture. 17 (4425) Very fine lighting, beautiful technique, but I don't like. To summarise, imho best: 1,3,4,5,10,11,13,16 worst: 2,8,12,14. Concerning portraiting two people, it may become more complex in terms of (triangular) interaction. As an example (of interaction, not of pictorial technique) I think of a picture of my daughters I took long ago (CLE,rokkor2/40,HP5+diafine, coarse scan): http://fractales.inria.fr/~louchet/C+A-C.jpg Take my opinions above with caution as I am totally novice in studio portrait. Looking closely at all these beautiful pictures was a real lesson of photography! Thanks! Jean (Paris, France)