Girl in wicker chair

[Virginia Branch]

This is the reference photo my client selected for their child's portrait. I really like the pose and expression of the subject but am thinking that the chair and lighting are going to be real challenges!

Would love your thoughts on this photo. They want full length but does the chair become too much for her? Is the angle of the photographer bothersome - the viewer is looking slightly up at the subject and the chair needs a little straightening. Please advise!!!

[Mike McCarty]

They want full length but does the chair become too much for her? Is the angle of the photographer bothersome - the viewer is looking slightly up at the subject and the chair needs a little straightening.

Virginia:

Here are my thoughts:

I think the first thing I would do is bring the image into photoshop, or the like, and try rotating it slightly to the counter clockwise. I'd play with this some and see if I could make the image read a bit better in this regard. You might get a much more confident feel for the image if you do this. I'd do it for you but I'm without my program for the time being.

As to the chair being "too much for her?" I don't think it would have to be. I think you would have to pay close attention to controlling the values of the chair in relation to the subject. You can always fudge the color of her dress to differentiate it from the chair.

As far as the photographers angle, this doesn't bother me.

I hope you have a good high res. image, or better yet, some details of her face, feet and hands. There's a lot of sameness in that lighting. This would be the thing that scared me the most.

[Virginia Branch]

Thanks, Mike, for your input. I do have Photoshop and will try to rotate etc. My knowledge of that program is fairly limited.

Right now, it all scares me especially since I am tired and ready to go to bed.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Sharon Knettell]

Virginia,

From my point of view this picture, though charming, is not really suitable for a portrait. Often pictures that work as photos often don't work as portraits. This is an example.

A: The skin tones are all the same value, very difficult to paint even by the most experienced painter. I have one on my site, but I back-lit her so there would be some contrast and sparkle. The photo is a bit flat.

B: The angle IS a problem because of the foreshortening. If you are to shoot a figure straight on like this, it is best to shoot at a higher angle so there is some lap showing, and the knees do not look like they are coming out of her waist.

C: Lack of color, the chair and the dress are all one color. A pink chair would be a better choice and would be a complementary to the green. A pink or red dress would set her off better too against the white wicker. I have both an example of a white dress against a pink chair and a pink floral against a white chair in my site. I think they may help you.

[Virginia Branch]

Thanks, Sharon, for your input. I think I've gone about this backwards (live and learn). I should have posted my possible portrait photos before I let the client decide. They pondered for quite awhile on which one so if I were to go back at this point and tell them find another, I wouldn't look very professional.

I am going to take what you and Mike have suggested and go from there. I think it will be paintable but I will have to make some adjustments. Wish me luck as I will need it!!

[Monique McFarland]

I took the liberty to play with your ref. photo in Photoshop...I love tinkering with the program....truly hope you don't mind this...Here is your original and a lightened/straightened and cropped version of it also. What do you think?

Monique

[Alexandra Tyng]

The lack of light-shadow contrast is definitely the most obvious problem. I'm assuming that, by now, this commission is completed. But I wanted to talk in general about a situation in which the artist takes reference photos, the client chooses the best one, and then later the artist has second thoughts about using the reference.

Originally Posted by Virginia Branch

if I were to go back at this point and tell them find another, I wouldn't look very professional.

I'm not so sure. Of course it is embarrassing to go back and say you've changed your mind, or you had second thoughts. But if the portrait isn't as good as it might have been because of the poor lighting, then that also could be seen as "unprofessional." I'm speaking in general here, not about you in particular, Virginia, or about your clients. I've been in a couple of situations where the client started out wanting a certain thing, and I even painted the entire portrait, then I felt dissatisfied with it. I told the clients, who then decided they had been too intrusive in the process (they hadn't been, really, and I assured them they hadn't) and gave me absolute freedom to compose a new portrait, which I did. I didn't charge any more, just took a whole new set of reference photos. The second portrait made us all happy.

Many clients are fine if you explain that you strive for excellence and, you would like to re-take the reference photos. I think most people would respect a solid work ethic and in most cases would not see this as "unprofessional" if you explained it this way.

[Chris Saper]

PS You also seem to have qute a bit of photo disortion in the front of the arms of the chair - stand back further and zoom in. The distortion I think contributes to the feeling that she is dwarfed by the chair.

[Eric Braks]

I love a tinker too, I hope you dont mind. I came up with this for what its worth .
By controlling your values you could make this wonderful I think.
Good luck with whatever course you take!