Mary's Photoblog
A meeting with the Station Master.
Posted by MaryB (Staffordshire, United Kingdom) on 17 April 2008 in Transportation and Portfolio.
Again this is from the Chasewater Railway. Taken out of the window of the train :) I was going to remove the ash from the smoke but decided to leave it in :)
Last night I was asked if I would take a portrait for someone at a class I go to, (for an anniversary present for her husband) I don't have a studio set up available to me, has anyone got any tips that would help me? Please if you can help me on this I would really appreciate it :)
If I missed commenting on your blog yesterday, please accept my apologies, the comp started to run slow. I will get around to doing so today :)
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Any tips or constructive criticism are welcome :)
I really appreciate all your comments, thank you so much. I'm only sorry I've not got time to respond. I do read all the comments and will try to answer any questions you have
Observing from Chester, United Kingdom
I see we are still in the 50's :) great shot Mary, good work.
17 Apr 2008 6:40am
Saeed from Tehran, Iran
very nice shot. good composition . i like your train series :)
17 Apr 2008 9:29am
Craig from Vacaville, California, United States
Great shot! I love it! As far as recommendations go, I'm not the best portrait photographer around either. But, I do my best when I drag people indoors and put them by a window with diffused light coming in. Make sure the light is hitting them on the side of the face. For better recommendations ask Laurie or Dawn Sutherland or Helen. I've seen great portrait work from them.
17 Apr 2008 10:01am
bronzebilly u.k. from Barry,Vale of Glamorgan, United Kingdom
Hey MaryB...this is a special series ,pal...superb quality on the images..leaving the ash on the shot is a bonus for authenticity..great work...
Can't give any advice on portrait work,as I'm crap at that game,sorry pal....Mandy Provan's got to be top dog...
http://provan.aminus3.com/
BillyB...
17 Apr 2008 10:12am
@bronzebilly u.k.: Cheers BillyB, I haven't took a portrait in years, and to top it off she wants a Gok style portrait, off HTLGN fame off channel 4, ask Mrs BillyB if your unsure of what I mean :D I have to watch the program myself now lol
Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States
What a nice photo. And what a great compliment! I'd do window settings as someone suggested, pick out of the way secluded places. If you do this indoors and don't have lots of lighting equipt. you can get clip-on spotlights at a hardware store, and buy special tungsten bulbs at a camera shop which can do in a pinch. Billy had a good suggestion -- Mandy is quite the portrait guru, and she might have the best advice.
17 Apr 2008 12:25pm
@Viewfinder: Cheers VF, great advice thank you :)
Melissa W. from Warsaw, Indiana, United States
Another great shot, Mary! For indoors, I agree with the window light...you can't go wrong with beautiful diffused window light. Ron has made the suggestion before of using a white poster board to help with fill light (if you don't have a reflector). If you're planning on being outside, I've found that the golden evening light makes for very beautiful portraits. Either way, I'm sure they'll turn out just fine. :)
17 Apr 2008 2:08pm
@Melissa W.: Thank you Melissa for the great advice :)
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
This is absolutely charming...don't worry with your talent you couldn't do wrong, trust yourself, trust your instinct, plus it's the beauty of digital you can see immediately if you like it or not ;)
17 Apr 2008 2:50pm
@Lorraine: Thanks so much Lorraine, I've got a few months to practice and plenty of friends that are going to pose for me, which will help build up my confidence, also I've some ideas already :)
Cheers hun.
Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa
Great shot, and good choice to leave the ash in.
17 Apr 2008 7:44pm
SPunkt from -, Germany
I like how he smiles while walking towards his collegue. :)
17 Apr 2008 7:52pm
DESPARADO from Delhi, India
B/W gives a dramatic old age look to dis photograph...luv d smile of d stationmaster:)
nice pic!
17 Apr 2008 8:16pm
Richard_Irwin from Belper, United Kingdom
Super shot Mary, a terrific composition and great use of the perspective in this shot.
With your forthcoming portrait photo shoot, just be aware of distracting backgrounds, and carefully check any lighting and any shadows on the subjects face for anything that might make the portrait less flattering.
17 Apr 2008 8:27pm
@Richard_Irwin: Thank you for the advice Richard, i really appreciate it :)
Mandy Provan from Johannesburg, South Africa
Hey There Mary, this shot is FANTASTIC!!! It really is so powerful - LOVE the perspective you've used...This one should be framed for sure.
As for the portrait tips - diffused natural light is best. If you need to be indoors use a bounce flash(if you have a hammerhead flash point it up at the roof so that the flash hits the white ceiling and bounces back down onto the subject which creates a nice natural feel to the light.) Do a few test shots to see the best angle for the flash. I like to do portraits outdoors too -use a large aperture to have ashallow DOF which highlights your subjects face. Make sure you have even lighting - as mentioned above afternoon light is really nice.
You will do an awesome job Mary - you have such an eye for a great picture and trust your instincts . I find the more comfortable the person I'm shooting is in front of the camera the better the pictures. So try and do the pictures in a setting that the person feels comfortable in, chat to her whilst you're taking the pictures, make her feel at ease and your pictures will be AWESOME!!! Can't wait to see the results. If you have any questions about anything you're more than welcome to mail me and I'l be happy to help with whatever I can.
17 Apr 2008 9:00pm
@Mandy Provan: Cheers Mandy I really appreciate the advice and encouragement thank you so much.
It all should be happening around July, so I've got time to practice.
danthro from Suburbia, United States
another cool street and train station shot. i like the facial expressions you captured too. i don't think it matters how much technology advances, there will always be something really cool about trains and train stations.
17 Apr 2008 9:26pm
standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France
Fantastic picture Mary. It could have been shot in the 50's. Well done.
My only advice would be: "Follow your instinct!"
17 Apr 2008 9:28pm
Tracey from White Hall, United States
I love the ash. I am glad you left it in. I also love how the man's head is sticking out of the window! Good luck with the shoot!
17 Apr 2008 10:09pm
Craig from Vacaville, California, United States
Oppps! I apologize for the double post but I thought of another good portrait tip: the Photoshop clone stamp tool is excellent when used with a small round soft tip to repair zits and other blemishes!!!
17 Apr 2008 10:57pm
@Craig: No probs Craig, thank you for your tips, they will come in very useful :)
bronzebilly u.k. from Barry,Vale of Glamorgan, United Kingdom
Hey MaryB....I've seen that program you mentioned,and I've seen the Gok bloke..he's never right(if you know what I mean)....this style of portrait has got to be a whole different ball game ,pal,..good luck *-))..
BillyB,...
17 Apr 2008 11:55pm
Gary from Cochise County, United States
Next to the sense of story, the part I like best are all those handles. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series Mary. I hope there is more.
Being in your boat, I have no tips, but if I was taking them I would go with the diffused window light. However I'm sure you'll do just fine, You have that magic camera, remember.
18 Apr 2008 1:03am
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
Beautiful picture. I like the angle you took the wagon with all those handles and the man's head beeing out. The station master who we see only the back is great too. A story picture...
18 Apr 2008 2:07am
Rags from Plano, United States
My advise is to try to make what you have work for you. Remember, the most important thing is the persons face. Capture it. Have fun, be creative, ask the people you photograph for ideas.
18 Apr 2008 3:41am
Earnest from Oklahoma, United States
This one makes me smile... and I can't explain why... Possibly it's the friendliness on everyone's faces.
18 Apr 2008 2:05pm
amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada
Mary this is so wonderful!! Wonderful capture (she echoes all those before her because they look at things more timely than I LOL!!) You know? I think with your eye and style that'll you do absolutely amazingly with the portrait shoot. Doing it the same as Gok (I watch that show too!!) really shouldn't be all that difficult to set up. I'm betting you have a window or two that you'll get some great afternoon light through to pose this person beside... yep, betcha it's going to be FABulous!! You go girl!!!!
19 Apr 2008 1:07am
stuart from Birmingham, United Kingdom
Very eye catching. This deserves to be framed very large. It looks wonderful
23 Apr 2008 5:23pm
Nikon D40X
1/160 second
F/7.1
ISO 100
82 mm (35mm equiv.)