White Dress

[Matthew Severson]

I can't make up my mind about this one. I don't think the lighting on the face is right, the white dress might be a little too much, and the hidden hands might present some confusion about what is holding her dress up.

I'm tempted to make this into a drawing instead of a painting, or perhaps a pastel -- Chris Saper style.

Matt

P.S. The image is a bit cropped because I had to adjust it to fit the size requirements.

[Michele Rushworth]

Matt, I think you already hit on the major issues I also see with this photo.

The lighting on the face, the confusion the viewer will have trying to "read" what's going on with the dress and hands, etc.

I wouldn't spend much time painting this one, or even making a drawing from it. Interesting snapshot, but not a great portrait, in my opinion.

[Matthew Severson]

I completely agree, although I'm not giving up trying to get a good reference of this little girl. Do most professional artists have such a difficult time getting their hands on good reference photos? I have so many people wanting me to do portraits of their children, then taking out a 4" x 3" Sears Studio photo from their purse/wallet. *What are these people trying to do to me*

Matthew

[Mike McCarty]

Matthew,

Remember when you are photographing little people, bend your knees and get down there with them. It's easy to forget and take a picture of the top of their head.

She looks like a real cute girl and might make a fine model for you. See if you can coax her indoors where the light is more predictable. And remember to watch your shooting angle.

Do you have a barn on that farm of yours? You can find some great light in a barn.

[Matthew Severson]

Thanks for the help,

Actually there is a barn on our property, but it isnt very pleasant..... How did you know I lived on a farm?... Anyway, I don't think this particular barn is a good place for a photo shoot.

Lighting-
Is this a bad place to discuss this?

How do you set up your model exactly, is there any natural sunlight involved? When using lamps, my photos tend to come out with a yellow, not so beautiful look. The reason I am forced to use lamps most of the time is because most of our visitors come in the evening.



Matt

[Matthew Severson]

I just realized that there is a lighting and photography board. I don't think i'll ever get use to all these topic areas.