Sample portrait of older son
 

As suggested, I took out my camera, set it to portrait, and took some pictures. Here is a picture of my oldest son. I like the mix of warm and cool colors on his face and thought this would be interesting to tackle. Comments, suggestions? Mike, Marvin, Chris, and anyone else who is interested?

Thanks in advance!
Renee Price

I would make a couple of suggestions. First, I would try to change the angle from shooting down onto the subject to shooting at his eye level or slightly below. This is, of course, an easy mistake to make; kids are usually below our line of sight. It can make a big difference. Secondly, when you pose him, check these three things: direct his nose to a point; next direct his eyes from that point; then direct his chin up or down. As you do this (looking through the camera) something will attract your eye. Something will grab you. I prefer the controlled indoor light myself.

Thank you, Mike, our Prince of Controlled Light! ;)

I have another picture of him in this light with his chin cocked up a little more. I think that picture shows his personality a little more, but I didn't like the position of his body. I may try to combine the two or I may take another roll of him. Both boys are getting tired of being guinea pigs for these sample portraits!

Thanks again,
Renee Price

I know what you mean about the boys getting tired of the pictures. My daughter has had more pictures taken of her than Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

Try another roll. If you're looking for a head and shoulder pose, I think the body language is enhanced if they can rest their arms on a table or bench. If they are too short you can place a phone book under their bottom. Play around with their hands either folded in front of them or one hand up to the side of the face.

The main thing is the light. I think you'll find that if the light is good you will like everything else.

I wouldn't minimize the benefits of the table or bench or an arm rest on a chair. It brings about compositional possibilities that you just can't achieve without it.

Here is a photo I took of this young lady a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes the slightest angle of the head and chin up or down can add excitement. Even with yucky old boys! Of course little boys don't need to look glamourous. Check out some of Marvin's paintings of young boys.

I hope you don't mind my including this photo in your post. Sometimes it's easier to demonstrate with a picture, dontyaknow.

Renee,

You have a nice looking boy! You may be anxious to confront the challenge of working on those two colors on the face. I'm not so sure that I would try it. The first thought that came to my mind as I viewed the picture was of those clowns at the football game that paint their faces with one color on one side and another color on the other side. I don't believe that it would be very flattering to your son. You may want to use the pose. But, I would consider unifying the colors on the face.

Hi Renee,

I agree with the foregoing posts, but only sort of. If you need to build a portfolio with samples, I would put this aside and shoot more film. Even when people are standing, and you plan only a head and shoulders piece, have them stand with most of their weight on one leg. This will create a contrapposto body language, where there will be natural interest in the uneven shoulder line and balance of the head on the neck. Building your portfolio, if you don't have one that meets your needs, should be a business priority.

As to the photo at hand, I am untroubled by the viewpoint. The most difficult thing about this photo is that you have very little value differentiation, so it will be very challenging to show volume. However, you can do a lot with just temperature change, and I think that it would be a fun exercise to try, when you have (LOL) time on your hands.

Mike, fantastic photo, as always!

Thank you Mike, Tom, and Chris!

Although I am biased, I think my son is very handsome. Unfortunately the girls notice this, too!

Chris, I did notice the similarity in values on both sides which would make this photo more difficult. I am trying to build up my portfolio and I'm also scheduled to have a solo show in January - my first, YAY! Nothing like a deadline to put you to work.

Excellent photo as always, Mike. I bow to your expertise!

Thanks again!
Renee

Some suggestions
 

Renee,

I agree that your son is very handsome. There are several things you should be aware of if you want others to appreciate how handsome he really is.

When you move in close to your subject with a normal or wide angle lens in order to fill the frame, you will exaggerate the perspective. If you shoot up or down, the perspective seems even more exaggerated. In your photo, the top of your son's head looks disproportionately large. If you are using a 35 mm camera you should use a lens of about 100 mm to avoid this problem.

In order to achieve three-dimensional form, you should have a range of values which includes an average shadow value that is darker than the overall value of the light. In your photo, the cool light is filling in your shadows, which in turn flattens the form. The effect is one of a double light source, a form flattening no-no. Form is 80% value and 20% color. Even if a photo looks good as a photo, it may not be adequate as a reference for a painting.

Oft times natural light may not be the most flattering or informative. There is a reason that portrait painters have traditionally used the controlled environment of their studios to manage their natural light. On top of this, you need to have a value ratio between light and shadow that allows for the tonal detail in both to be registered on the film. Finally, you need to have the film properly exposed.

Once you have these aspects mastered, then you can concentrate on pose and expression. Is this easy? Hardly. If you want to be an expert painter, then you need to be an expert at every process you rely on to support your painting.

As that obnoxious English woman on TV says,

Thank you very much for your reply, Marvin. I will try to use your suggestions when I take more pictures this weekend. I am new at photography and appreciate all of the advice I've received!

Thanks again,
Renee Price