In my first shoot of my mum the reflection was too bright and therefore was too distracting from the main subject. Also since then I decided to make sure people did not smile in the photo. As it is someone I live with, I have been able to reshoot to improve this.
To begin with I shot a bit too early and the sun shined right on the window, making it too bright. The person squinted as it was just too bright. I took a few but decided to go back a bit later when the sun had gone down a bit more. I maybe left it too late as these images feel a lot darker than my other images, there is less warm tones. I am going to compare them to see which is the most effective.
The left image was taken a few hours before the second and third ones. I like the reflection in the first one as you can see the cloud more clearly, which creates more tones and texture. I also like that it is broken up with lines of the washing lines. Also the light on her face is effective at highlighting her features. But I think it is just too bright, I do not like that she is squinting. Also in other images, the subject begins to blend in with the reflection whereas in this one she really stands out.
It is interesting how just a few hours can really change the colour and light. The warm tones have disappeared leaving a cooler image. This could be corrected in post production. Although I do prefer the reflection in the first one, the reflection in the second two would fit better with the others in the series. It is more similar by showing a building with a bit of sky.
With a bit of editing to add more warm tones, this is the most successful from this reshoot. The expression looks more natural than in the other two. Getting closer to the subject also makes her expression the focus of the image but I have still managed to include a bit of the window frame.
Lucy Davis 