Three for C&C

[SethAlbritton]

These are three from a family I shot sunday. My first time shooting old people. The women is 50 and the man is 53 and my lens caught every wrinkle on their face, SUCKED!. I learned from a retouching fashion photographer, so I smooth the skin and retouch like a mo fo. On my face book people said stuff like she looks like a 24 year old. i'm not sure if I should be doing this to old people or make them look horrible and crazy wrinkled. I scheduled a wedding and some girls on cars shoot off of this one, so I guess people like looking retouched. I've only been at this for 3 or 4 months, and I'm extreme with my post production good or bad, but it's been paying off.

I used two sb900s on this shoot.

The crop is big because the family just purchased some land and wanted to have it in their photos. I have tighter crops I still have to work on. I wish I would have had everyone do the same thing with their feet, but it doesn't ruin it for me. I think I'm going to lighten it up. feels a little dark

I would have liked to get a better crop of this, way better, but truth is I did pretty horrible this photoshoot with getting what I wanted in the lens, I'm still learning. I missed focus on zach.

i think I made the ambient background lighting to dark. I've only had these flashes for three shoots and I'm learning from my mistakes with them. I love my sb900s. Looking to buy some alienbess

 

[ababysean]

How old are you?

I would ask them how much retouching they want.

I have earned every single wrinkle on my face and wear them proudly.

I also appreciate that as a photographer, that not everyone is 18 years old.... and even those really super old 50 YO deserve respect and lovely shots...

If she had a big huge zit or a scratch or some food or something on her face, IMO, that is what photoshop is for, not for making a really super old 50 YO look 24.

 

[SethAlbritton]

I'm 22.

I'm not sure how she felt about it. They Said they loved the ones I have given them, but people are nice, so she could hate them. I'm shooting their renewal of vows party or what ever it is called for 2 grand so I assume they like it.''

I need to start asking people if they want to look like a model or if they want their wrinkles to be shown off. After i started getting the 24 year old comments I was like yeah maybe we over did these way to much but As long as I keep making money and everyone appears happy, I'm going to keep my style.

 

[IceEateer]

What sort of color adjustments did you do to get the colors and the feel of #1?

My PP skills are still being developed and I'm still trying to get the same look as yours in #1.

 

[KmH]

You might fix all the racoon eyes (dark eye sockets) in #1. It's a tad contrasty which isn't helping.

#2 I like B&W. I would dodge his right eye/eye socket some and the background some.

#3 and #4 are a bit to bright for my taste, and I'd dodge his eyes/sockets in #3.

 

[Eco]

#1. Is sharp but almost like the people were added to the background.....not sure if I love it or hate it.

Lol @ old people, leave their wrinkles alone it's part of their charm.

Maybe a tighter crop on the bottom so the ugly lack of grass does not show up?

#2. Great shot of the lady but the guy needs to open his eyes a little more.

#3. Once again the women look great but the guy looks sort of soft. EDIT- actually the lighting gives a weird effect under her right eye like there is a divot.....does not show up in pic #2.

#4. I love the idea but without seeing part of the dog's eye the picture does not work for me.

Good work!

 

[Derrel]

1. This is a good example of using the proper camera orientation!!! The group is wider than it is tall, and the scene behind them has actual significance--it is land that the family has just purchased,and it appears to have a dirt road through it, and I see almost what looks like a marker stake there back by the road. The land looks undeveloped. I'm not too keen on the foreshortening of the limbs, due to the wide-angle focal length you elected to use, since it makes their feet look big and their heads look small. The posing is informal, and well, I think it "taint 100 percent right", if you get my drift [sic].

2. A bit tight on the edges of the framing, but the monochrome conversion looks very nice, and the man and woman look pretty good. THey feel too tightly crammed into the frame. A bit more space around them would have created a more relaxed feeling. Their eye contact and their expression are both good.

3. The son is definitely out of focus...you blew that one by using too wide of an aperture. It's obvious. I don;t like this faded PP look, but it is currently trendy.

4. The big poodle and the woman...hmmm...don't much care for it.

As far as the mother and father and their wrinkles...in these photos, their wrinkles look just about right to me for their ages. Both the dad and the mom have good teeth, and look pretty healthy. The mother's pretty easy on the eyes in all the shots. Overall, not too bad.

 

[SethAlbritton]

Thanks for the replies.

as for the colors of number one. I just saturate the colors differently on parts of the pic. For example I'll put a mask over the sky and get the grass the way I want it. I may even find a color I like and then paint it into the sky.

As for my subjects looking sharp and the back grounds being blured, thats what I do, none of the photographers in my area do this. Everything is sharp in their pics.

I like the dull color trick. I take photos 4 to 5 times a week and load them to my face book. I have to have different tricks. Cant show the crowd the same thing everytime.

The tight crop on #2 makes it more personal to me

I missed focus on three. what would you recommend me shoot in when I'm taking a shot like number 3. I still want alot of dof. I think I shot that in 3.5 or aound there. what is safe.

Also, derrel what is this you talk about the group is wider than it is tall so blah blah blah. Where did you read all of this, not saying you are wrong in anyway, but would like to know some more rules of photography.

Again, thanks to everyone who gave their two cents. I'l

 

[supraman215]

If you are going to ask people if you should leave their "wrinkles" in I would suggest using a different word. Maybe "character" or do they want a more natural look. You could always layer it and show them 2 versions one with a "more natural" face the other one with the edited face?

 

[Derrel]

"what is this you talk about the group is wider than it is tall so blah blah blah. Where did you read all of this, not saying you are wrong in anyway, but would like to know some more rules of photography."

It's a compositional concept that has been around for a long,long time. It's about using the compositional space to its best advantage. It is so basic that many expert photographers would not mention it specifically, and would overlook it, since it is so ingrained. You do not want to get a bad case of horizontalitis. On standing people, you do not typically aim the camera at them in horizontal mode. blah blah blah.