Things That Go Bump In The Night

[smoke665]

Starting down a new path of exploration into "film noir". Still have a ways to go, but I think I'm gaining ground. In this one I tried to heighten the menacing mood (is there something out there) by simulating the tone and shadows cast by a bright moonlit night. I added the Cyanotype tint post to give it the look you might expect of moonlight in the shadows. The details were enhanced via a custom action in PS to give it an edgy look. C&C is welcomed.

 

[qmr55]

I'd say bring the shadows down a little bit and then you really nailed that "film noir" feel!

 

[smoke665]

@qmr55 I actually had them darker to begin with, and recovered them some in the final edit, because they didn't seem to fit with the theme.

 

[tirediron]

Nicely done. Exposure/shadows seem entirely appropriate on my monitor.

 

[DanOstergren]

I like the lighting and the composition. I think you could go darker with the shadows to get the mystique of film noir, and I don't think the blue tint is lending to the film noir look either. I could see this image being much more successful with a true black and white treatment, possibly with a slightly matte black to add a layer of film nostalgia, and a bit less detail in the darks so it doesn't have such an HDR look.

 

[smoke665]

I like the lighting and the composition. I think you could go darker with the shadows to get the mystique of film noir, and I don't think the blue tint is lending to the film noir look either. I could see this image being much more successful with a true black and white treatment, possibly with a slightly matte black to add a layer of film nostalgia, and a bit less detail in the darks so it doesn't have such an HDR look.

Thanks Dan. I've really swung back and forth on the shadows. I was having problems getting a good balance. The key light was low shining through the blind. The light behind was high, angled down to give an appearance of a moon lit room. Then a white reflector was on the floor angled up to bring light into the face (while not blowing out the shadows created by the blind).

While it's more typical to associate film noir with heavy black and white, according to what I've read there was a fair amount of tinting done in the early films as well (sepia, blue, even some green). The tint I felt enhanced the mood of the setting. (night time, moonlight). I took a few liberties with the details, as a true film noir look wouldn't include such extreme detail, (not an HDR process by the way), but I was striving to develop an extremely edgy look, to create a sense of unease.

 

[DanOstergren]

I like the lighting and the composition. I think you could go darker with the shadows to get the mystique of film noir, and I don't think the blue tint is lending to the film noir look either. I could see this image being much more successful with a true black and white treatment, possibly with a slightly matte black to add a layer of film nostalgia, and a bit less detail in the darks so it doesn't have such an HDR look.

Thanks Dan. I've really swung back and forth on the shadows. I was having problems getting a good balance. The key light was low shining through the blind. The light behind was high, angled down to give an appearance of a moon lit room. Then a white reflector was on the floor angled up to bring light into the face (while not blowing out the shadows created by the blind).

While it's more typical to associate film noir with heavy black and white, according to what I've read there was a fair amount of tinting done in the early films as well (sepia, blue, even some green). The tint I felt enhanced the mood of the setting. (night time, moonlight). I took a few liberties with the details, as a true film noir look wouldn't include such extreme detail, (not an HDR process by the way), but I was striving to develop an extremely edgy look, to create a sense of unease.

To me film noir has a sense of mystery in the lighting that adds to the overall feeling and emotion of the image. This to me has too much detail to the point where it looks a lot like HDR, and not enough is left to the imagination. The blue just seems out of place and hokey/ contrived. It's all based on personal taste though, you certainly have no reason to take my advice.

 

[407370]

Heres a wee edit:

• reduced colour depth to 264 (greyscale)
• reduced contrast
• pixelated slightly to lose detail
• smoothed a bit
• if i had time i would clone out hair on hand

actually I would not have reduced contrast so much.....

 

[rosh4u]

I liked exposure which is part of the picture and that makes shot look more appealing and it is very nicely done.

 

[Whitelies]

Really cool.

 

[jcdeboever]

Neat shot. I would add grain and make it a black and white image. As Dan said, matter of taste.

 

[smoke665]

Heres a wee edit:

• reduced colour depth to 264 (greyscale)
• reduced contrast
• pixelated slightly to lose detail
• smoothed a bit

Actually have a very similar version that I discarded in favor of the cynotope. I tried to develop the image from an idea, to props, to lighting to post processing, that conveyed a mood in the style of film noir with a menacing feel. To me the B&W didn't quite get there. One thing I particularly liked was the effect the tint had on the white blinds giving them a slight glowing white. Though obviously based on the way comments are running it appears that I might have missed the mark slightly on film noir. Thank you for looking and commenting.

 

[smoke665]

I liked exposure which is part of the picture and that makes shot look more appealing and it is very nicely done.

Thank You!

Neat shot. I would add grain and make it a black and white image. As Dan said, matter of taste.

Thanks JC. Yes it's brought out some strong opinions on taste! I actually added some noise to the image, to mute the sharpening technique slightly and add to the mood. Might revisit it again on the noise.

 

[smoke665]

I actually need to make a few adjustments to the set. I wasn't happy with the way the reflections came out on the "window" behind the blind, and the lighting on the face. I have a couple of rolls of Illford in the refrigerator that I've been looking for an excuse to use.

 

[Gary A.]

I really like this shot ... not a fan of the tint ... but overall nice. Sometimes one can overthink things.