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Portraiture is kind of how I got into photography when I was shooting film. It's just a hobby for me, but it's a fun one. Someone earlier in the thread (ConfusedUs, I think) mentioned how any lucky beginner can take a good portrait through trial and error — pros can do it without thinking. I think that's true, and I'm trying to make it from the former to the latter, but I'm not there yet. Over the last year or two I've been playing more and more with controlled lighting. Anyway, I sometimes think that I've hit a plateau, and I can't seem to push past it. I'd love to get people's thoughts. Old stuff, from ~5 years ago, on film:       When I made the transition to digital, I felt like the quality of what I shot rolled way back. It's taken me a long time to get back to something I'm rather happy with. More recently:                 I seem to have a running theme of liking to make people look at least vaguely threatening. I guess it's a comfort zone of mine. Making people look angry is easy.
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Aug 23, 2009 23:44
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I've posted once already, here's some stuff I've done since then.        I'm kind of bouncing back and forth between trying to establish series/styles, and constantly wanting to try something new. I got a couple of Lumopro L-120 speedlights, but my SB-600 kicked the bucket. Balance is maintained.
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Nov 9, 2009 01:43
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Pompous Rhombus posted:All I can think of is getting up on a really high ladder and using a T/S lens (or large format camera with movements) to move the focal plane to cover the sweep of the heads. Thinking of how I'd shoot this on anything that didn't have movements gives me the screaming heebie jeebies. Then again, thinking of trying to get just the right shot of several hundred people on sheet film does that, too.
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Jan 28, 2010 04:06
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A couple more from me. First, from the photo night thing we do at my office, with strobes:      A couple from a wedding I was at:       
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Jan 31, 2010 00:51
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poopinmymouth posted:My latest session. I tried a first, in that the camera was on a tripod and I had a remote shutter in hand. It was so great getting to be close and interact with the subject with no camera in front of my face. This stuff is amazingly, dramatically awesome. [Edit] My GF says: Either people in Reykjavik dress like they're in Brooklyn, or people in Brooklyn dress like they're in Reykjavik. thetzar fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Jan 31, 2010 |
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Jan 31, 2010 17:11
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It's me again, posting my people pictures and asking for feedback. This time: some of my friends, some from class. All film, all from my Mamiya TLR. Which means: most are looking up.       
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Apr 2, 2010 01:47
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Paragon8 posted:I've met one girl who looks good in an empire waisted top, they're so ridiculous. For the shot on the left, did you use any light of your own, or is it all natural?
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Aug 12, 2010 13:45
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DracZ posted:Hey guys, just like to share a couple of my favorites from a recent trip to India / Nepal, hope you enjoy it I think these are thrilling. How did you approach people? Brodieanalog posted:a couple from my latest I'm really loving this color palette; and I like the bits of wheat intruding in the lower-left.
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Apr 10, 2011 21:33
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I grabbed a coworker of mine the other day and pulled him into one of the old stairwells in our office building, which haven't been renovated since the thing was built a hundred years ago. They're some of my favorite spaces to shoot in. mister frank by thetzar, on Flickr I had previously, on a different floor, taken this in one of them:  mister rupak by thetzar, on Flickr
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Jul 13, 2011 04:06
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These are a few shots I did recently in an old stairwell in my office building, using co-workers for models. ms proulx by thetzar, on Flickr  mister rahmani by thetzar, on Flickr  ms russo by thetzar, on Flickr  ms montgomery by thetzar, on Flickr I hadn't shot them intending to do the diptychs; if I had, I probably would have played with the format of them a bit more. Shot them as straight squares, then got the idea while editing.
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Sep 18, 2011 14:30
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xenilk posted:I really like how they came out! The processing/black and white is awesome. I'm really liking these first three. The split-toning is working well for you, with the cool shades not distorting the skin tones too much.
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Sep 19, 2011 12:51
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torgeaux posted:this is the weakest. Good model, but direct profile shot is weakest one. I'm curious as to why you say so. Is it the profile shot in general, or something in particular I've done here. She does seem kind of flat and unexpressive. McMadCow posted:I like these a lot. I like the feel and the B&W treatment. The only thing I would suggest watching out for is to make sure your subjects have enough light in their eyes. Thanks a lot — it rally means a lot to me. I've been following your (excellent) work for quote some time, and I like to think I was able to get a bit of that feel in here. This new shot of yours looks great to me. The feeling I get is one of fragility; she seems very isolated in the scene.
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Sep 20, 2011 17:36
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XTimmy posted:^^^^^ That lighting set up gives me an idea for a shoot I have coming up, thank you. I really like this first one. the tonal range is great, almost painterly.
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Nov 11, 2011 23:59
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A few I did recently on film. The three in shades are of a co-worker who was relocating away from my current office. Saw him in the shades and jacket and wanted to do something a bit cinematic. le samouraï by thetzar, on Flickr  flared by thetzar, on Flickr  into the sunset by thetzar, on Flickr  two chrises, hands in pockets by thetzar, on Flickr
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Dec 8, 2011 04:08
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So this has been my January. First up, a quick desk-portrait of my boss, done at the last minute, natural light. mister stewart by thetzar, on Flickr This is a co-worker of mine, heading to a different office for a year, natural light.  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr These next three are of some friends of mine who went swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island on New Year's Day  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr
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Jan 28, 2012 16:34
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A couple more new ones from me; a co-worker who's leaving the company shortly. mister abate by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr
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Feb 11, 2012 15:10
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poopinmymouth posted:Really love both of these. The tones and color on the first one are particularly pleasing. I love how light and airy it feels while still defining the planes of his face. Thanks! Remo posted:Really loving the 24mm FOV I'm really enjoying the color tones here.
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Feb 12, 2012 23:09
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sw1gger posted:I prefer the second - good focus on the eyes there. I like the way they pop, even in black and white. Kinda bummed you can't see more of her dimple on her right side as you can in the first one, but it's certainly not a deal breaker. Spectacular. I usually hate this sort of radical color treatment, but this really works. I love the delicateness of her pose. Do you have a gallery or flickr or somesuch?
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Mar 13, 2012 02:32
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I just recently made the jump back to digital, after using medium format film gear primarily for the last couple of years. Picked up a D800 and I've been loving it. dad by thetzar, on Flickr  tom by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  carl, on the occasion of his birthday by thetzar, on Flickr  mister walton by thetzar, on Flickr  snarl by thetzar, on Flickr thetzar fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 3, 2012 22:26
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A few more, mostly snapshop-like things where I'd been stretching the legs on the new camera. Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Amarides by thetzar, on Flickr  Ms Montgomery by thetzar, on Flickr
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Jun 28, 2012 17:37
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David Pratt posted:What's the lighting setup on this? It actually IS a ringlight; an Alienbees one I borrowed. However, I shot from far enough away that the characteristic ring didn't form in her eyes.
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Jun 29, 2012 00:16
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At a party last night, I noticed the door to the garage was open. I liked the space, and grabbed a friend of mine who recently moved back to New York from LA for a quick shot. Didn't have any light mods on me, so this is shot with just what was in there. mister frank, returned by thetzar, on Flickr
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Jul 14, 2012 21:05
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Shaocaholica posted:This is great! My only notes are that it could be a tighter crop to lose the pipe thats running close to top of frame and also to hueshift the background lighting to somethings that's not pink. Excellent use of available light. I've taken pics in quite a few car parks and I don't recall having lighting like that! Thanks, I'm going to futz with the crop. That pipe's a pain; if I had my druthers, the crop would be right along it. Inside is a bit tight; outside is a bit awkward. Might be time to break out the Photoshop...
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Jul 17, 2012 02:32
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Same idea, different place; this time just an impromptu while out walking in the park: Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr
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Jul 22, 2012 22:03
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Today's lesson: It is very, very hard to avoid forehead glare and skin-uglification in a dramatic lighting situation. mister kelly by thetzar, on Flickr  ms proulx by thetzar, on Flickr
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Aug 3, 2012 02:43
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Verman posted:A little translucent powder goes a long way. If you still get shine, use the clone stamp set to darken and 20% opacity to soften the shine. Translucent powder, eh? Going to have to look into that. I really know next to nothing about retouching, generally; I guess it's time for me to start a-learnin'. As for the light source, it was a shoot-through umbrella on top of my office's studio strobe, and was already pretty close-in. I'm trying to get us to buy a large softbox, to improve this situation.
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Aug 3, 2012 15:19
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This is something I did today. My boss needed a head-torsoshot with a quickness, and huddled over my shoulder as we went through a few dozen options. He selected this one, though he wasn't entirely pleased with his face. In actual use, the company will use the full-color version — but I tinkered into black and white on my own, and kind of like where I ended up with it in post.  mister stewart by thetzar, on Flickr
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Aug 4, 2012 00:33
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McMadCow posted:Shot this last weekend, printed it last night. Rolleiflex 3.5 with Tmax 400. Now that my Hassy is fit for duty I'll be using the Rollei a lot less, but I sure do like the look I can get when I actually hit my focus. I've been following your photos for years, and I just want to say that I've always found them inspiring. Each one seems to be more than just a model shot; they give a sense of story and place. Fantastic work.
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Aug 8, 2012 13:25
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OK, three more from me. The first is another I shot at the office, as a part of my 'look people look badass' pseudo-series. I used a ringlight for fill here as it was the only 4th head I had handy. Since I was shooting from far away, it didn't create the ring-look in the eyes, but it did create some pretty interesting/strange shadows on his hands and arms. At least, I think that's what did it. It looks in places like a cranked the microcontrast/clarity way up, but I swear I didn't. The other two are from a roadtrip I just got back from, and decided not to bring any lights with me on.  mister mamaril by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  smiling eye by thetzar, on Flickr
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Aug 16, 2012 00:20
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NoneMoreNegative posted:Nice work here, monolights or speedlights? Modifiers, or bare flash? The 'ringlight' fill from what I've read is one of the best ways to use it, rather than the 'blast your model flat with a halo shadow' look that's so beloved of new ringlight owners Thanks! And I'd love to explain my fumbling attempts at lighting, I ought to anyway, so I can submit this to the Strobist group. For this shot, I used a total of four lights. Three were studio strobes, all powered off of the same powerpack, which my office keeps around. All three were set to the same power. The rim highlights were created by two heads, one on each side. Each was the same height as the subject's head, and each was shooting bare (no umbrellas or other modifiers). These lights were almost even with the subject's body, placed slightly behind him. The third light in the setup was located directly behind the subject, pointed at the backdrop. The fourth light was a ringlight placed on the camera itself, and dialed almost as far down as it would go, just to provide a little bit of fill. The rig is fired by a pocketwizard on the powerblock for the studio flashes. The ringlight is an AlienBees, firing on optical slave. I learned studio lighting during the transition between film and digital, so I learned all about incident meters and even used a few polaroids, but I find digital to be a godsend. I pretty much go by my gut and play by ear. And watch the histogram — the LCD lies. (the histogram lies too, but not as much)
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Aug 16, 2012 00:46
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Reichstag posted:The first one is really nice, not feeling the second one, feels a little crowded with the fence in the background and the tight cropping on the head and hand. I rather prefer the second one. The claustrophobia caused by the tight cropping seems to fit with the mood of the model, and her expression. Here's another one from me; really a snapshot of a friend of mine at his job; I tweaked the B+W levels to try and approximate a red filter.  mister blair by thetzar, on Flickr
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Sep 1, 2012 16:50
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Gazmachine posted:Thanks. I was slightly worried I got a smidge too close on the first one and distorted her face a little: I may have been better off switching back to the 85. She seems less round-faced in the second shot. I really like both of these, especially the second. There's something lovely about her pose there; it's stiff, but not unnatural at all.
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Sep 10, 2012 15:41
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OJ.SImpson posted:Couple of quick shots i did last week but havent had time retouch until now. I'm having trouble seeing her chin in the first shot. The lack of a defining contrast or line there makes her look a bit odd. A couple recent ones from me. As usual, dancing in the gray area between snapshot and shoot.  ms tamayo by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  ms russo in the studio by thetzar, on Flickr  ms russo by thetzar, on Flickr
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Oct 5, 2012 13:27
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I was using my girlfriend/lovely assistant as a stand-in while setting lighting for an engagement shoot I did this past weekend, and got this out of it. the test shot by thetzar, on Flickr
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Oct 19, 2012 01:27
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Reichstag posted:Why is that woman breaking a jar on her face, I love it. She's actually blowing a hand full of glitter and confetti; I loved the explosiony way it turned out. Here she is again, entirely different context.  Royal by thetzar, on Flickr
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Oct 22, 2012 02:58
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Santa is strapped posted:Great lighting on this one! Was it natural or strobes? Natural light; bright sky, but no direct sun, thanks to shooting in the city. We were shooting mid-late afternoon, and weren't using any reflectors as it was already dim enough to make them mostly useless. I did some post on the background to drop it down a little bit and give her a bit more pop.
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Oct 22, 2012 03:04
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TheAngryDrunk posted:
I love the faded feel on this, the moody tones and the tight crop. Vintage without the cheese. I got to do an interesting engagement shoot recently, and these were some of the results. This was my first of the type, and I was certainly helped by the playfulness of the models; they were having a great time.  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr The full set is over here, if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetzar/sets/72157632152358717/detail/
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Dec 2, 2012 22:34
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Another quick one; grabbed a co-worker to model and another to hold a speedlight and headed to the stairwell. Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr
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Dec 13, 2012 02:40
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Bottom Liner posted:Ahoy, portrait thread, been a long time. Here are some photos I shot for a series back in Summer, you can see the rest here; http://500px.com/DavidChilders These are great. I'd love to hear a little bit about how you used your lighting gear here.
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Dec 18, 2012 21:50
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Bottom Liner posted:Sure thing, any photos in particular? I'm most interested in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th photos. In the second and fifth, the touch is light, but it looks like there's a goodly amount of fill. Was that done with reflectors, luck, or just levering the dynamic range? On the 4th, the isolated nature of the light suggests a grid; what did you use?
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Dec 19, 2012 00:14
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