What is the photo of - Kate and I
When was the photo taken - Christmas 2004
Where was the photo taken - Our (then) living room
Why was the photo taken - wanted to try to produce an intimate shot, with a studio feel
Why was this composition chosen - wanted something close-in and with a warm personal feel
How was the photo taken - taken at arms-length, settings not sure
How was the photo processed - original image was converted to black and white. Selected a black from my hair (eyedropper tool) and painted in a black background that we could merge into. Dodged the highlights (eyes, shirt) and Burned the mid and shadow tones, to get a more dynamic black and white image. Both original and final are shown to allow assessment.
Original Image
Manipulated Image
4 comments:
Here is my rating:
Impact - 7
It has good impact. Ivan's face really jumps out at you and that it is followed by the black and white which is nice, clean and bright. The reasons why it does not score higher are listed below
Composition - 6.5
Well composed. Ivan's head is very much in the foreground and Kate's head nicely fits alongside. But I have some issues. Kate's hand in the foreground is somewhat distracting after the eyes have settled. And it becomes annoying. I think it is Kate's hair, but it is hanging down her face close to her right eye and competes with the eye for attention. Again, this becomes a distraction. Everything else is good. Nicely cropped and tight.
Light/Colour - 6.5
The light on the faces is wonderful; nice and bright and really brings out the faces. However, the black background has changed Kate's face. Because you cannot see her hair outline, and it has made her face look narrow and long. Rather odd looking. The back background I think needed to be a little lighter. You also cannnot see her shoulder and I think that changes her look too. I really don't like that and it lowers the impact of the photo.
Technical skill - 8
Good technical skill here, particularly with the bright light.
Originality - 6
This is a similar approach to the cat portrait so not that original for me. The composure is good however.
Overall - 6.8
This is not Ivan's best work. The dark background does not work for me, the composition slightly off, and a lack of an original approach. However, the light on the faces is wonderful.
Damian
I accept any comment with thanks. Doesn't mean I agree with all of it, though!
I think this is a good shot. The black background takes away any distractions, focusses attention on the face. The arm around my neck, and the nice relaxed smiles, work well and create a happy, relaxed atmosphere.
Kate's face is in no way distorted by the black background, either actually or by optical illusion. Look again, closely, and you'll see that the integrity of her facial outline compared to other parts of the image are exactly as before. I will agree that her face "stands out", since she is wearing darker clothing. I think seeing a shoulder would do nothing for impact. It's all in the faces.
One eye is slightly obscured, but not (in my opinion) to the real detriment of the photo.
Originality - same as one other image I've done before doesn't mean it's not original. Can't think where I've seen many other images with such a dark background. I think it's quite and original treatment.
However, with no colour and no abstract shapes, it's clearly not "Miksang" enough for some people...!!! ;-)
Thanks for an interesting comment, D.
Hi there,
Well we have always said that our opinions will differ and in this case they do.
I agree that the black background removes the distracting elements of the background and that both you and Kate have happy smiles, and so on. The photo does speak to me. For me, it is the light that really brings this photo out, and the black background does help that.
But I do find the hand distracting, perhaps it would be less so if I could see more of the hand.
And when I look at the photo I see Kate's face differently to that above. To me, it just looks more narrow, long whereas in the original image she looks more, i don't know, different: wholesome. The chin for example is much more pronounced in the manipulated image. I agree that seeing the shoulder would not add much, but for me, along with the outline of the hair (and it only needs to be subtle), it would allow me to see more of the margins which I think would remove that distorted appearence. Oddly, this hasn't happened with your face.
As for the originality, I have seen portraits like this before. To be honest I was expecting a different approach to that taken in the cat portrait. I agree that this should not affect the originality of the score, but it added a degree of disappointment for me.
Anyway, I am not saying that this is a bad photo, just that I would have treated it differently. But we are different photographers.
Damian
Vive la difference!!!
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