The unprofessional photographer.

[pgriz]

That's me.

I'm doing this as a favour for my daughter, who's a hair stylist. She needs some photos for her web page and she actually believes in my skills. So.

Resized and slightly sharpened. Some cloning work to be done on the OOF white things in the background.

This (above) was the basic setup. 36" umbrella high, 24" umbrella low, and a bare flash aimed at the ceiling.

Of of the in-process shots... doing the blow-dry.

Done.

Now, esteemed colleagues, what processing would you suggest I do to improve these?

 

[tirediron]

I'd say you did a pretty darn good job Paul. A few thoughts... I'm not really a fan of the "8.30" catchlights in #1, but other than that, it's a great image. I think I would make that vertical line vertical, and maybe burn it in to be less distracting, but that's minor. #3 I think misses a bit; good lighting, but it appears that the stylist's eyes are closed, her elbow is cropped, and most significantly (IMO), it appears she's working on a wig. Eyes are critical, and I would have like to have seen both the stylists and the client's eyes. Having the client sit higher (even tossing a couple of 'phone books under her butt), and turn her head towrard the camera, not directly, but enough so that we see some of her face would have been good. I like #4, especially the fact that we see her face in the mirror, but I think your highlights are a bit hot; can you pull them back a bit and maybe boost your blacks/shadows? Notice how much brighter the left side of her shirt is?

Just my $00.02 worth ...

 

[Gary A.]

I'm not a commercial guy ... so I can't add anything worthwhile ... but I like your setup. I don't have any umbrellas or remote triggers ... I think I may own a flash.

 

[Derrel]

I would try to equalize the hair coloration in the last shot with the color of the prior shot, where the woman's hair looks jet black.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I agree about the framing of #3, I don't do studio work though to give opinions on the lighting set up etc. Nice photo of your daughter, you captured her well; she's lovely and looks friendly and happy and that probably shows her personality (and seems to work for something that clients would see). Next time you might want to have her double check her hair, there's a bit along her collar that probably could have been arranged a little (which is probably nit picky).

 

[pgriz]

I would try to equalize the hair coloration in the last shot with the color of the prior shot, where the woman's hair looks jet black.

Yeah, both you and John have pointed it out. I've got to figure out how to make her black hair show "some" detail without being a black blob. Thanks for the input!

 

[tirediron]

I would try to equalize the hair coloration in the last shot with the color of the prior shot, where the woman's hair looks jet black.

Yeah, both you and John have pointed it out. I've got to figure out how to make her black hair show "some" detail without being a black blob. Thanks for the input!

Low lightout, with the light really close.

 

[limr]

Needs a hussar jacket.

 

[pgriz]

I would try to equalize the hair coloration in the last shot with the color of the prior shot, where the woman's hair looks jet black.

Yeah, both you and John have pointed it out. I've got to figure out how to make her black hair show "some" detail without being a black blob. Thanks for the input!

Low lightout, with the light really close.

Well, the photo session's done. I'm limited to post-processing now. I'll tinker with what I've got and post a few. I've taken 200 images, so there should be some that will work. What I've struggled with during the shoot is the contrast in tones: My daughter's blond and has very light skin, her friend has jet-black hair and is quite a bit darker.

 

[pgriz]

Needs a hussar jacket.

Oh. Yes, we missed that detail. Though I am not sure whether all the piping on the jacket will allow her to bend her arms the way she would need to, and whether it would catch hair. But what the hey, one has to make sacrifices for one's art!

 

[tirediron]

I would try to equalize the hair coloration in the last shot with the color of the prior shot, where the woman's hair looks jet black.

Yeah, both you and John have pointed it out. I've got to figure out how to make her black hair show "some" detail without being a black blob. Thanks for the input!

Low lightout, with the light really close.

Well, the photo session's done. I'm limited to post-processing now. I'll tinker with what I've got and post a few. I've taken 200 images, so there should be some that will work. What I've struggled with during the shoot is the contrast in tones: My daughter's blond and has very light skin, her friend has jet-black hair and is quite a bit darker.

Not unlike a wedding; white dress, black tuxedo. I think you can pull enough out of the hair to make it a good image.

 

[pgriz]

Here are two more from the session... I really need to at least learn the tools in Photoshop Elements. So far, I've been using what'at available in Canon's DPP, and there are obvious limitations to what that product can do.

Let's also not forget that these will be probably no more than around 400x600 pixels on the web, so even less resolution than what I'm showing here.

 

[tirediron]

That's not bad - do you have Lightroom, Paul?

Ouch... the client's expression in the bottom one...

 

[pgriz]

That's not bad - do you have Lightroom, Paul?

Ouch... the client's expression in the bottom one...

I think they might have been discussing boyfriends...

And no, no lightroom nor Lightroom(r).

 

[rexbobcat]

That second photo of the hair looks MUCH better. I'd probably crop down a little bit, but overall the coloring is much nicer than the original photo.