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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\nFor the image above I asked the girls to change their tops to include a variety of tones and patterns. Notice how the patterns become distracting and can often take your attention away from the girl’s faces. The portrait no longer looks intentional and my eyes continually travel around the image rather than resting on the main point of the image, which in a portrait should usually be their faces.<\/p>\n
This issue becomes even stronger with a dark background as the large patches of brightness among all the darkness stand out like a sore thumb. Its impossible not to see these highlights as anything other than distractions. Even the bare arms of the girls are too pale in comparison to the rest of the image which again takes away from the effectiveness of the portrait. The image directly below is far more appealling than the one that follows. <\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\nI’ve included a second example with the dark background to emphasise the importance of clothing appropriate to the type of portrait we wish to create. The patterned top and bare arm are much too distracting. The same image made with black tops that have long sleeves is much more attractive and creates a portrait that shows it was intentional and not merely a snap taken without planning or effort.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\nNow the following image includes tops of all sorts of colours however it was still clearly well thought out and again makes the portrait appear intentional. Incidentally, this was the idea of the birthday girl which I was thrilled to see. This is a very effective use of clothing which made for a pleasing and interesting group portrait. Whereas the image that follows does not look well planned. Those in white look washed out and the patterns throughout are distracting.<\/p>\n
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