Portraits of Children Series by Charlotte Thompson

[Charlotte Thompson]

Jim
thank you for coming by! I did nothing to this shot- and I don't see any difference in color tone to the picture that you did-and belive me I Looked-

"never question that you never went there at all"

I am working for that in toto-
and excellent advise!!!!!

thank you again-

Charlotte-

 

[Jim Galli]

Jim
thank you for coming by! I did nothing to this shot- and I don't see any difference in color tone to the picture that you did-and belive me I Looked-

"never question that you never went there at all"

I am working for that in toto-
and excellent advise!!!!!

thank you again-

Charlotte-

The only difference is in the depths of the pinks around the eyes and perhaps the cheeks if you look close. jg

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Yes!!!!

Oh, Charlotte - this is perfect. I knew you had it in you!

Love it - I wish the web wasn't so flat with expression - I am smiling from ear to ear. You ROCK!

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Jim
I didnt do any ps work on these but the child has a natural pink to her skin-it's a baby skin color-
taken in low west light- thanks for coming back and even though I have re-looked "your eyes are better than mine" I dont see the tiny extra pink like you do-

Kathy
thank you-she is an exceptional child to study and photograph isnt she-I have done other children as well but for now and the art of photography she and her brother who also is exceptional which I have posted in riskit- I did a profile of her the same evening and I am going to post it- would love coments/crits as well

no ps work-low west evening light which I always prefer if I am around at the time-

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Doug

that's exactly what I want to always achieve! thanks for coming by and adding your thoughts-much appreciate that!

Charlotte-

 

[Himesh]

There is something speacial in those ice they making me feel pure and awesome.A best part is a natural beauty which making soft impression on everyone including me.

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Himesh
thank you! that is a great compliment to the photographer
she most always makes me feel what you have described-but it is exactly what I wanted to show-

Charlotte-

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Peyton's Profile

would love some feedback on this profile-natural west light- early evening-no ps work-

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Charlotte

I think this is exquisite. You've managed to give her a halo and light in her face. I wondered if she wanted a litle more room in front of her, but actually she's not looking into the distance so much as inward, so I'm not sure it's needed. The white balance is good too - nice skin tone

Mike

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Mike
thank you-that halo is fading sun West evening early light-it is my favorite natural light because of the halo effect so when I can I use it! she was thinking about Halloween I am always asking her questions to be able to try to catch those beautiful expressions of hers-

Charlotte-

 

[Dave McAllister]

I'm surprised there's no post processing on here. This photo looks great. DOF is nice and the lighting worked great.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I'm surprised there's no post processing on here. This photo looks great. DOF is nice and the lighting worked great.

Dave,

Doesn't this seem like Fuji color? I would have thought this was taken with a Fuji digital camera.

Yes, it's surprising if this is totally untouched.

Charlotte,

The color is exquisite! The crop here unfairly robs us of more backlit wisps of hair. She would still be in character with less cropping. Could you describe the set up? She is by the window at what time of day? What camera details (camera, lens, any special setting in the camera to color temp, white balance and so forth. What file RAW or jpg and how processed?

Asher

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Dave
yes but it seems with this child natural light brings out all of her beauty-that is why I try for it when I can-it works so well-low light evening setting west sun- inside a covered patio- thank you-

Charlotte-


Asher
well I use a d40 vr micro 105mm and sb 600 speed light after I shoot I put all of the shots in Picasa and take a look to see if any work and what I shall do in crop-color etc.files are jpg.
the time was early evening inside a covered patio where the sun sets in the west side of that patio-this place and time is the very best for her natural colorings also Parker when I can catch him away from his skateboard and friends-I didn't do a thing except crop- the natural light loves her-hope this helps-its a secret light I love for her but as the seasons change so will my west light leave far too soon-thank you-

Charlotte-

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher
well I use a d40 vr micro 105mm and sb 600 speed light after I shoot I put all of the shots in Picasa and take a look to see if any work and what I shall do in crop-color etc.files are jpg.
the time was early evening inside a covered patio where the sun sets in the west side of that patio-this place and time is the very best for her natural colorings also Parker when I can catch him away from his skateboard and friends-I didn't do a thing except crop- the natural light loves her-hope this helps-its a secret light I love for her but as the seasons change so will my west light leave far too soon-thank you-

Charlotte-

Hi Chalotte,

The evening light and Nikon's skin rendition are key factors in how your picture looks. If you used a Fuji, you might even be happier. I have no experience with Picasa. Are these RAW shots? How was your camera set to deal with color referencing? Do you have it set for "Auto" or daylight or perhaps color temperature? Tell us your setting in the Nikon when you take the picture. Is anything different from the defaults as set by Nikon?

Do you have a friend with a Canon camera? It would be great to do the same shot with two cameras and process the same way in Picasa and see if the look is much different. My guess is that you would find a significant difference in character of your portraits. I'm a Canon user but know that Nikon renders skin such that some portrait photographers prefer the results over Canon.

Again, thanks Charlotte for sharing.

Asher

BTW, post images at the size needed to get the idea across and show important details. These portraits could easily be 600-700 pixels wide with no loss at all. If there's a detail you want to demonstrate like a special problem or novel treatment of the lips or earrings, then add a 100% crop of that region say 400 pixels wide. This way the pages in OPF load faster and people will get instant pleasure from your photography!

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Asher

iso 400 auto
white balance auto
raw file
the settings were for child" icon on camera

Pretty much all auto. I really like the nikon and dont have any friends with Canon they all use Nikon,
but you bring up an interesting idea to change and see what the difference would be if I find a friend with one I will try it.

Charlotte

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Boy Interrupted

all auto d40- west light-some ps not much at all-just shadow to add to the drama-
he was very cool- and I think you can see that

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher

iso 400 auto
white balance auto
raw file
the settings were for child" icon on camera

Pretty much all auto. I really like the nikon and dont have any friends with Canon they all use Nikon,
but you bring up an interesting idea to change and see what the difference would be if I find a friend with one I will try it.

Charlotte

Not only should you try Canon, but also you should see if you can visit the camera store and take a picture with a Fuji DSLR. The color might please you even more!

Asher

 

[Ron Morse]

That is very nice. It looks natural and like she is deep in thought.

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Asher

I am going to do that maybe the Fuji-a friend who knows me and my work and all about cameras
is going with me- he is much more knowledgeable-

Charlotte-


Ron

yes she was thinking of Halloween as I engage her with conversation when I shoot her
thank you!

Charlotte-

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Sugar Glow

after halloween- inside light- all raw- d40
sb600

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

President Bean

"The Readings" of an up and coming president the new youth intell- using a new NX2 ps
we call him Bean because his freckles look like pork n beans- watching the boy read deep in thought made me think of who he would become. I saw a young President of USA- he is bright funny savy and full of good energy much like Jack Kennedy and Obama-it seemed to me "like spirits" thats my series and thoughts on my subject-

 

[John Angulat]

Re: the Bean

Hi Charlotte,
You've a good eye for composition and I really like the series. I think the images could benefit from a bit of tweaking in their tonal range. They tend to be too flat and "muddy". Try working on the brightness and contrast. I'm a Photoshop user so I can't point you specifically where to go in NX, but I'm sure the s/w has the capability.
Here's an example of what I mean. Your original image, and the same image after I played with the levels just a bit. It's subtle, but makes a big difference.
I hope this helps!

Before:

After:

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

John
thank you yes I might have an eye for composition yes-but that darn black and white gets me goin'!! I did try the lighter shade/light contrast but I thought it might have been too light
dunno but yours does make its point! This nx is new for me so I am working on getting it right
I have just now used the system on these shots- I think as I go along I will do better with it- its such a good ps- and very user friendly
appreciate your crit so very much-thanks-

Charlotte-

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

another contrast try-

 

[John Angulat]

By golly - I believe you got it! Good job!
See how the subtle details come out? You now have detail in his eyelashes that wasn't there before. There's substance to his lips and you've caught the fine detail at the ends of his hair.
All that with a little brightness and contrast. Amazing, isn't it?

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

John

yes that is way better- still learning all the tricks of the NX and of course light conditions night and day- thank you so so much for the help-I do appreciate that!

Charlotte-

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Expression

My ongoing attempt at expression capture and battle with black and white- also with cropping to have the max effect of the shot I'm trying to capture- basic a learning leap to crit- any suggestions on this shot are welcomed for my weary brain-

 

[Asher Kelman]

Composing B&W pictures and when to crop? Only if one already has one's final vision!

Hi Charlotte,

I like your enterprise in focussing your energy to mastering one thing, the expressive portrait in B&W. Recently you showed a 2 men, a young woman and now a child again.

I like the continuous progress I see. You have not damaged the rich potential of your photograph. This is so much better. I like the eyes and the tilt of the head. However, I do believe that there is more. Try repeating this using her neck too. Cutting off the neck removes some notes in the symphony. The neck has the capability of moving so sinuously and that's not here. The flow of the hair is also a resource that's not used here.

The B&W image is fundamentally a physical expression that should light a fire in us. So when we crop more and more tightly, there better be something else to get us into into the picture.

Composing tightly is an advanced technic that can damage our work when used before one is a sufficient "visionary". I'm not saying one always needs to go wider. Yes, to get needed context that works. I just believe that first we must succeed with the best physical array of texture, shading and form. Only then might we crop more to exclude what's not needed!​

Thanks for sharing,

Asher

I'll eventually group together your closely related B&W realistic portrait work in one thread in "Riskit!" so people can follow your path.

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Asher
I am lucky I have some time to work so closely with you now-
I have the uncropped version I will leave with you-and yes I was unsure about the close crop but I dared to do it I see the fault immeditaely-thank you so much!

uncropped-

 

[Asher Kelman]

So much better when a bird is freed from prison!