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JaundiceDave posted:I love this, but I wanted to see it in black and white, so I did a quick conversion in cs4. Jesus Christ, you just made zombie grandma.
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Feb 24, 2010 05:40
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Yeah, the original in colour was a lot niceer.
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Feb 24, 2010 07:49
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I did say quick conversion. I'm sure with a little effort that horrible black pit of despair that is her mouth could be lightened, for instance.
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Feb 24, 2010 11:57
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JaundiceDave posted:I did say quick conversion. I'm sure with a little effort that horrible black pit of despair that is her mouth could be lightened, for instance. Black and white makes any freckling or age spots 10x worse...I think she's better off in color. It's not so much the conversion as the nature of the black and white.
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Feb 24, 2010 14:19
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Most of my stuff is black and white, but i knew as soon as i saw it it would be better in colour.
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Feb 24, 2010 15:10
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fronkpies posted:The color is definitely much better. Awesome shot. This is Harold. I just met him at Walgreens while picking up a few things becasue I have a cold. He approached me and asked if I had any change. I told him if he would let me take his portrait I would give him 2 dollars. He agreed but said he needed to comb his hair first. Harlod and I chatted for a bit and I found out he is from Hobbs, New Mexico.  
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Feb 24, 2010 23:49
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Whitezombi posted:
I like the second image more. The split tone background of brick and sky works well compositionally. His hair is so crunchy looking. It's almost like one of those faces you pull the magnetic dots onto. Also really good exposure. I took these real quick when I got asked on the spot for a resume headshots. Ugh, I'm still having a bitch of a time getting even exposure and really wrinkly faces make shadows appear everywhere.   
AIIAZNSK8ER fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Feb 27, 2010 |
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Feb 27, 2010 20:29
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Whitezombi posted:
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Feb 28, 2010 13:52
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'How to shoot people and make them like it' - or not. I've just started earning money from photography, or to be exact, this was my first paying gig. A friend of the family asked me to photograph her grandchildren. If it hadn't been such a 'favour' it would've ended differently. The children were a two year old girl and a five year old boy. Due to their age I thought it would be better if I photographed them somewhere they were comfortable and that I should have everything ready for when they arrived. The grandmother had some amount of crap in her (tiny) living room, but I got it moved away and by the time the children arrived I was ready to go. I used a softbox (actually, an octobox) and the background was a roll of grey paper on a stand. All cables were tied away/taped down. A small beanbag was placed in the foreground for them to sit on. Then they arrived. The little girl was all smiles, but I know how moods can quickly change at that age and so I wasn't expecting it to last. The boy? - he walked in and said "I'm not doing this" and then ran out. His grandmother went after him, literally dragged him back and told him to sit on the beanbag. He said "No" and picked up the beanbag and threw it into the background paper. Then he laughed and ran into the paper, punching it. His grandmother called his mother who was there in about ten minutes. In turn she called his father, then she put him on the phone. Apparently his father promised him a Wii if he'd behave. It made no difference. All the while the little girl was smiling and in a great mood. The spoiled little brat then ran away again, only to be brought back by his mother. He wasn't even upset or anything, as he was laughing and enjoying being the centre of attention. By this time I was ready for gaffa taping the little poo poo to the beanbag. I started to shoot his sister. She was one of those kids who are naturally photogenic and I got the shot within the first few frames. Then the little bastard was asked to sit behind her. Surprisingly he sat there but started sticking his tongue out. By shooting far more quickly than usual I managed to get a few shots. Then I couldn't wait to get out of there. The grandmother came round when the prints were ready to be collected. I know she liked them because after viewing them she ordered far more than I expected. But as she was leaving she said "...and you were so good with the children. It's just a pity he was so shy. He was starting to come around when you were leaving." That's it, really. I just wanted a rant. Any similar experiences?
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Mar 2, 2010 23:29
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From my experience children should be wheeled in Hannibal Lector style until the photographer is ready.
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Mar 3, 2010 00:33
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oncearoundaltair posted:That's it, really. I just wanted a rant. Any similar experiences? Paging ConfusedUs. He does lots and lots of paid children photogigs. I do lots, too, but A) I know all the kids, B) I almost always get them in unposed, fun locations and C) it can still suck. One of the kids in my son's class is autistic. Highly functioning, but it manifests in his wanting to basically play by himself. He does NOT like to be photographed, and now seeing me makes him shy away, sometimes in almost a panic. Breaks my heart, he's a great kid, very photogenic too. I make a point to never ever have my camera around him if I can help it. Group photos for his class, he had to leave.
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Mar 3, 2010 16:20
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oncearoundaltair posted:(kids) My brother in law does lots of photography with kids of all ages. School portraits to santa pics (he has an awesome looking santa he hires every year). I have assisted him a few times when I was in town. The trick to dealing with those kinds of kids is really to treat them like a dog. They are acting like a poo poo for attention, so just ignore 'em. You need to be confident enough to tell the parents to just sit down, stay calm, and let you handle everything.
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Mar 3, 2010 17:55
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I did one Christmas sitting with a 3,4, and 8 year old girls. It was insane, I was lucky that the grandmother was there to coral them a bit, but really the trick was to cause pain someone else to get the kids to stop, stare, and laugh. I had my wife hit me in the head with the bell on the end of an elf hat. The kids loved it and sat still long enough for me to spray and pray. Then the mother turned a hairspray can on the dad and the kids just laughed it up. Kids are freaking sadistic. After I was done, I couldn't believe how well some of them turned out. The parents loved it, and were glad that they paid me to do it.
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Mar 3, 2010 21:44
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I posted this one in the Feb PAD thread. Shot this about 3 years back, but printed it for the first time last week.
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Mar 3, 2010 22:22
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McMadCow posted:I posted this one in the Feb PAD thread. Shot this about 3 years back, but printed it for the first time last week. That's pretty sweet. It almost has an "Ophelia" kind of feel to it.
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Mar 3, 2010 22:27
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McMadCow posted:I posted this one in the Feb PAD thread. Shot this about 3 years back, but printed it for the first time last week. All of your shots are really nice and your style is very distinct. Cut/paste crosspost from the Photo-a-Day thread: From a few hours ago, a friend of mine who is usually very apprehensive about having her picture taken.  Pleased with how they came out, probably will xpost in the portrait thread. My hosting.   Kind of bummed her other eye is so out of focus, but oh well.
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Mar 4, 2010 06:49
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Thanks for the insight(s) regards photographing children. Yes, I should've told the parents to keep out of it. I'd normally have done that (spent years teaching guitar to 'spoiled little darlings' and always ushered their parents into the next room) but this one was way out of control. Almost like when a cat goes crazy and runs around the walls... torgeaux mentioned unposed scenarios - I'll keep that more in mind. Hannibal Lector method sounds excellent though.
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Mar 4, 2010 11:05
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Oprah Haza posted:
Look at how light her skin is in the last shot. For me, that's a negative, as she as a nice color to her skin but it's washed out.
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Mar 4, 2010 15:18
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torgeaux posted:Look at how light her skin is in the last shot. For me, that's a negative, as she as a nice color to her skin but it's washed out. The lightness isn't the issue so much as the color cast. It's a bit blueish-greenish. The only thing I'd watch out for is the wrinkle in the forehead in the shots where she kind of looking upwards. HPL fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Mar 4, 2010 |
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Mar 4, 2010 16:47
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The first two are great, your friend is very photogenic.
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Mar 4, 2010 16:49
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Third one's definitely blue, look at her eyes; overall I'm not crazy at all about the turquoise background, but other than that she looks good. Also, in the third one it looks like she's naked in bed, with the sheets pulled up over her, which is great if that's the look she was going for I guess.
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Mar 4, 2010 17:01
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Looking at it now, the third is a little cold (she wanted a "clean" bed shot). The turquoise background was actually the paint on her wall which she really liked.
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Mar 4, 2010 18:06
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oncearoundaltair posted:"It's just a pity he was so shy. He was starting to come around when you were leaving." What would coming around would be my open backhand in the general direction of his face. You don't promise loot to kids who misbehave, it's just encouragement.
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Mar 4, 2010 20:08
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   Got to hand it to you portrait photographers, its hard. Any feedback on these? went for a walk in the woods, light was nice so tried to get something nice of my girlfriend, then realised i cant direct at all, then got home and tree after loving tree was sticking out of her head haha, amateur mistakes, and alot of them.
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Mar 7, 2010 20:01
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:This is my favorite of the three. The other two tend to make him look like a little sinister. I can see what you're saying about the shadows. It looks like you had lights at 5 and 7 o'clock? The only thing I'd change about this would be to light the background a little bit to get rid of the shadow.
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Mar 7, 2010 20:14
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fronkpies posted:
I can spot a few things you can try and avoid. Her glasses cut through her eyes and cast a hard shadow on her face. You are pointing the camera down at her, which doesn't help that. I mostly think it's her expression though, she really doesn't look pleased to have her picture taken.
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Mar 7, 2010 20:24
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TomR posted:I can spot a few things you can try and avoid. Her glasses cut through her eyes and cast a hard shadow on her face. You are pointing the camera down at her, which doesn't help that. I picked up on the glasses thing as soon as i got home, something i'll have to try and avoid for next time.
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Mar 7, 2010 21:01
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fronkpies posted:
Positive critique incoming - you absolutely nailed the processing. I wouldn't worry too much about head trees if you're shooting with a wide aperture. It's only bad when everything when everything is in razor sharp focus. Even then the human brain tends to assume the thing sticking out of the head is in the background. It's the same when you crop off a hand or a foot - it's only natural to assume the person isn't an amputee. Although in the case of the latter there is a good reason not to from a holistic pov.
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Mar 7, 2010 21:12
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Paragon8 posted:Positive critique incoming - you absolutely nailed the processing. I wouldn't worry too much about head trees if you're shooting with a wide aperture. It's only bad when everything when everything is in razor sharp focus. Meh, to each his own, but I definitely notice poo poo growing out of heads and it very often bothers me. I often throw out quite a few sports action photos for the same reason, when there's very little control. That being said, I only notice poo poo like that after becoming more serious about photography myself, so who knows what the general public would think. Case by case, I suppose.
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Mar 7, 2010 22:23
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BobTheCow posted:Meh, to each his own, but I definitely notice poo poo growing out of heads and it very often bothers me. I often throw out quite a few sports action photos for the same reason, when there's very little control. That being said, I only notice poo poo like that after becoming more serious about photography myself, so who knows what the general public would think. Case by case, I suppose. Yeah, once you start noticing it you can't see anything but that. If I do, I trash the photo ... even though 80% of people (people not photographers!) wouldn't notice.
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Mar 7, 2010 22:26
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:You said this was done on the spot, what equipment did you use to light? I agree that you could've improved the shots with a dedicated background light and maybe a reflector to camera left, but if you only had a speedlite to work with then there's not much you can do. fronkpies posted:What time were you shooting? The light is pretty harsh on this - maybe next time you go out you can take a makeshift reflector deal and have her in the shade and just bounce the light in. The same comments as others - the glasses through the eyes, etc. Few more from yesterday, buddy wanted a few shots so I went over and shot for about 20 minutes. Guy pretty much refused to smile!  The shadow on the right side of his face (our right) is a bit distracting.  I'll prob re-crop to not cut off his hand. Oprah Haza fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Mar 8, 2010 |
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Mar 8, 2010 03:09
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fronkpies posted:
Yeah, as others have said, your use of the available light leaves a lot to be desired. You need to watch for shadow lines and reflections that come from your subject wearing glasses. Also, if you don't have a reflector to counter harsh direct sunlight, don't use it at all. Get the sun behind your subject and expose for their indirectly-lit face. The result is a naturally dramatic rimlit shot that doesn't have bad shadows everywhere. I shot this downtown a while ago under the same circumstances. 
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Mar 8, 2010 04:27
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fronkpies posted:
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Mar 8, 2010 10:51
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Kids, in their natural habitat, are a joy to shoot. Kids in a forced, smile-for-the-camera-while-wearing-nice-clothes-and-keep-your-hair-neat suck.
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Mar 8, 2010 14:48
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Hop Pocket posted:This is my favorite of the three. The other two tend to make him look like a little sinister. I can see what you're saying about the shadows. It looks like you had lights at 5 and 7 o'clock? The only thing I'd change about this would be to light the background a little bit to get rid of the shadow. Oprah Haza posted:You said this was done on the spot, what equipment did you use to light? I agree that you could've improved the shots with a dedicated background light and maybe a reflector to camera left, but if you only had a speedlite to work with then there's not much you can do. Only had a speed light with natural light from a big window to camera right. It was in a small conference room, so I had about 10 feet to back up. McMadCow posted:I shot this downtown a while ago under the same circumstances. I know this is probably on bw film, but I would really like this alot if it were in color with that warm sunlit orangy glow. Oprah Haza posted:
I like these, they could use some contrast, but overall, I think they're solid. He does look unusually slender though, I think its the crop. Do you have a wider crop to give him more empty space on either side? Here's a head shot I did after a corporate event ended last Monday night. I should have renegotiated a separate contract, but she was the one who hired me for the event. It looks dark here, blah, and hallways are never that exciting. 
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Mar 8, 2010 16:43
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AIIAZNSK8ER posted:Here's a head shot I did after a corporate event ended last Monday night. I should have renegotiated a separate contract, but she was the one who hired me for the event. It looks dark here, blah, and hallways are never that exciting. The problem this presents for me is all background. The better lit portion of the wall is directly to the picture left of the subject, and that space is otherwise dead, so it draws the eye. If cropped tighter, you could eliminate most of the door on the picture right, all the door picture left, and the contrast in lighting on the wall wouldn't be as dramatic.
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Mar 8, 2010 17:40
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Not a fan of the different colour temperatures either. Her face is kind of bluish. I would have put her right in front of that bright spot on the wall to outline her better as well as frame her between the doors and ceiling. That's a tough thing to figure out on the fly though.
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Mar 8, 2010 18:05
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I'm not seeing the different color temps, but I did gel the flash this time. I used a CTO and left the camera at auto white balance. I also used the demb flip it you suggested. It's working out pretty well. It throws a ton of light forward, and takes some getting used to. I don't know why I didn't center her, it would've made a big difference. I guess I just wanted more background depth, rather than a blank wall. I guess blurry doors really aren't any more interesting. I also tried brightening the whole background, but then she looked like a cutout. The groovy part is that no one thinks her skin or face is wonky. I used a skin smoothing technique I read online, and tried dodging burning for the first time commercially.
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Mar 8, 2010 18:15
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Agreeing with torgeaux about the background distractions. In addition, I'd crop out the ugly ceiling vent, and straighten your horizon line. On the plus side, I like the nice, even lighting on her face, and the red jacket really pops.
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Mar 8, 2010 18:21
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I love shooting kids but it can be very difficult. If you get frustrated they are going to pick up on that pretty easily and then you might as well give up at that point. Shot my nephew's birthday party on Sunday.     
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Mar 8, 2010 20:54
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