My first Studio shots

[mlooman]

I have only been taking pictures for about a month now. This was my first indoor shoot. I had never used artificial lighting or backdrops before. I wish I had a backlight to give her hair a bit more separation from the backdrop but I like do like the effect of the hair blending into the darkness as well. I have a really hard time with creative composition and feel this is a bit simple, but I guess its not always bad to be simple. I would LOVE advice on improving this shot. Thanks!

[craigpauli]

You've managed to do a great shot with this. As you already said a backlight would have been a nice bonus, I'm no expert so can only say what I think personally.
I think if the shoulders were at more of a 45 degree angle so that the head wasn't turned so far, so that there wasn't the crease line on neck.?
Keep up the good work, you are off to a fantastic start.

[mlooman]

Thank you! I never gave the crease line a thought. Great point. There is so much to take into consideration in the beginning, its so easy to miss things like that. I appreciate your reply :)

[mrdoug]

mlooman... Great job! Listen, go to your local Home Depot, Lowe's, etc... and you can get a 20watt work light for $5 or less. They usually
come with a clap so you can suspend it on a pole or some other sturdy anchor. You can then bend/direct the light on your subject's head for a
hair light and usually spills onto the rest of the back side of your subject. You can see the result of using such a simple light in the image I posted
at http://www.proudphotography.com/forum/showthread.php/10662-Valentine-s-Day... That's what was used for the image.

Keep on shooting!

[jerryph]

Some of the most beautiful light is actually free. Anyone with a large window has the world's best softbox at their beck and call.

The shot is nice, but I think it could be improved if it was about a stop brighter. Also, her back is to the brighter source of light... why? I would have her face the other way and then play with the angles of her body so that I would not have as much underexposure.

Posing... that is a long and arduous process to learn and then in the end, it is an art and as such we are free to follow or break as many of the rules we want, but some poses are more conducive to better results based on our subjects. Things like leaving some breathing room around the body and not cropping at the joints. Seeing the eyes for me is very important in portraiture... it's all about the eyes and if those are not exposed and lit properly, I feel I have failed the goal.

[reval8r]

You're off to a good start. Something that works great and easy on the budget is white foam board. You can pick up a couple large pieces at any arts and crafts store for just a few bucks. Excellent source of fill light.

[sverdloff]

Nice first shot mlooman.
Keep going with it.

Doug.
Great advice!!!