Melissa's Photoblog
M. (last one)
Posted by Melissa W. (Warsaw, Indiana, United States) on 1 March 2008 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.
I was over at my sister's house, while her husband was putting up Christmas lights outside their home back in November. My niece and nephew were outside waiting to see the sparkling lights. I thought this was a perfect photo opportunity.
My only light source was a lighted reindeer which you can see the reflection of in her eyes.
*One note: I would've preferred her right eye to be in focus, like in the first photo of her...but what can I say, I'm still learning. :) However, this is still one of my favorites.
Man With 101 Names from Hamburg, United States
another beautiful shot of a very pretty little young lady ... super job once again !
1 Mar 2008 5:15am
@Man With 101 Names: Thank you. :)
Melissa from Layton, UT, United States
I love this shot. The look on her face is fantastic. Try closing your aperture a bit to get her whole face in focus. I personally kinda like her right eye a bit out of focus.
1 Mar 2008 5:24am
@Melissa: Thank you, Melissa. :)
Sujit Sudhi from Hyderabad, India
Absolutely stunning portrait. Those eyes are stunning.
1 Mar 2008 7:10am
@Sujit Sudhi: Thank you.
@Ana Lúcia: Thank you very much.
Ron from Saint Louis, United States
Such a beautiful, soft glow to the shot, Melissa. You really hit the jackpot with that reindeer lighting!
1 Mar 2008 11:14am
Jan from Bruges, Belgium
In the photography class I'm following, it was mentioned that one should create depth in a picture. This can e.g. be done via lighting, DOF and POV. You have all here. So to me this is a VERY nice picture.
1 Mar 2008 1:14pm
@Jan: Thank you for the boost of confidence and for the very kind comment. Both are very much appreciated.
And thanks for stopping by. :)
shahab from Qazvin, Iran
Brilliant portrait!Bravo!!!Beautiful lighting!Great colors!Love it!
1 Mar 2008 2:07pm
@shahab: Thank you. I'm glad you like it. :)
jd from toulouse, France
c'est beau un regard d'enfant surtout quand il est bien photographié
! Bravo !
1 Mar 2008 8:10pm
Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa
I like this one, and the out of focus eye doesn't matter that much. There is enough detail in that eye to add some selective sharpness in photoshop. Beautiful photo, keep up the great work.
1 Mar 2008 8:48pm
@Graham Russon: Thank you so much, Graham, for the kind words. They are very much appreciated. :)
Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States
So very sweet. The two of her and the one of her brother are about as perfect a Christmas children's photo as I have ever seen anywhere.
1 Mar 2008 11:52pm
@Viewfinder: Wow! Didn't expect that. Thank you for the very nice compliment, VF. Very, very much appreciated. :)
Aaron Schmidt from Auckland, New Zealand
Really just a gorgeous photo. You wouldn't be able to get both eyes in focus unless you increased the F-stop and I think the left eye in focus works better than the right (in this case). Either way, it's a great shot.
2 Mar 2008 2:58am
@Aaron Schmidt: Thank you for the kind comment and advice. I've only recently gotten into photography, so I've been trying to read and learn as much as I can. A bit overwhelming at times...
Thanks again for stopping by and commenting. Very much appreciated.
Will from Gainesville, United States
another great portrait...I like the shallow dof with her right eye out of focus...wouldn't change a thing:)
2 Mar 2008 5:27pm
@Will: Thank you, Will. :)
danthro from Suburbia, United States
beautiful shot. i think i liked her other one a bit better but it's still a great shot. the reindeer is more distinguishable in this one than the others too. still love the magical light.
3 Mar 2008 10:34pm
@Kimono: Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it.
drphoto from Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
This is my favourite from this series Melissa. You have made excellent use of that reindeer lol!
I like the shallow DOF and don't mind that only one eye is in focus. IF you meant you'd rather have the right eye than the left in focus, you could alwyas cheat and flip (mirror image) the picture in photoshop ha ha!
Dan
5 Mar 2008 7:07am
@drphoto: Thanks, Dan!
Yeah, I sometimes go back and forth on this image. There are days that I love it the way it is, then there are days I wished I had both eyes in focus. But regardless, I love the skin tones and the contrast.
Thanks again! :)
Alexandros from Kefalonia, Greece
Superb portrait!
Great dof! Such a big aperture can make wonders!
6 Mar 2008 7:50pm
@Alexandros: Thank you so much, Alexandros.
GJC from Kyoto, Japan
I think this is marvelous. I wouldn't change the DOF at all. I think the growing softness adds great warmth and depth to the photo. Very well done.
7 Mar 2008 11:56pm
@GJC: Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate your kind words and encouragement. :)
James from Rice Lake, United States
I love all your "reindeer" shots! I never would have thought such a great portrait could come from light like that. You are right about the eye, but still my favorite as well. The composition is absolutely perfect.
24 Mar 2008 6:49pm
Canon EOS 30D
1/160 second
F/1.4
ISO 400
50 mm