In my natural lighting portait, I wanted to capture my subject's profile. I used backlighting to make the silhouette more striking and defined. I took the picture while she was sitting in a casual position because I wanted to capture her at ease. I also took the photo from a low perspective to draw interest by making the subject seem larger.
In photoshop, I specifically used the dodge tool to lighten the pixels in deep shadow because I felt some of the light/dark contrast was too dramatic. I wanted the image to be softer. I used dodge on the subject's face, neck, and arms particularly.
I enjoy looking at this picture. There is a warmth and softness in the photo that I don't often capture in my images. I am very pleased that I was able to capture my subjects profile without having too dramatic a line.
My studio lighting portrait was taken from the front perspective. I wanted the non-diffused light to strike half of her face to capture a very dramatic light/dark contrast. I like this shot because while we were shooting we were laughing, and this represents a moment where the subject slipped out of the stiffness of a posed photo and let loose. Her silly smile captures more of who she is.
In photoshop, I employed both the dodge and burn tools to balance the image more. While I was looking for high contrast, some of it was too dramatic for me. I used dodge to lighten the darker half of the subject, making the hair and colors of her jacket more visible. I also touched up the other side of her face with a little burn.
I like this photo. As I stated earlier, her embarrassed little smile adds a playfulness that cannot always be caputed in an image. However, I wish the image would have been in a little more focus. The picture seems a little grainy.
