Adding a person into a photograph

[Robin Usagani]

If you are wondering why I did this, visit the blog. Basically it is for a Christmas card.

Final product.

 

[The_Traveler]

very very nicely done especially the shadow on the man.

 

[Nevermore1]

Good job!

 

[shefjr]

You did a great job! I have been working on adding a person to an image myself. For me it's not as easy as I thought it would be.

 

[Raj_55555]

pretty cool!! I'd never have been able to tell..

 

[Connor Hibbs]

Robinson!! Excellent job! Might I ask what technique you used to match the tonalities of the two photos? I see there is a good deal more contrast in the original photo of the man than in the one with the woman. Also, marvelous job lining the shadow of the man with the curvature of the guardrail. What was your method for doing this? A puppet warp/liquify on a cutout of the legs?

You clearly have a fair amount of experience working in photoshop as your selection of the man looks beautiful!
A few notes I would have (Hope I am not crossing any boundaries, just wanting to give a friendly critique as I see it.)
1. As there are slower tonal transitions in the shadows across both of the characters, I would have softened the edge of the shadow behind the man a bit more along with burning the shadows down just a tad.
2. There would likely be a bit more shadowing on the man's right leg (leg on the left as we see it) as there is a bit of a highlight on it as it stands.
3. The Luminance of the shoes in the image sort of clashes with the environment around it, and as such I would burn in some of the lighter areas on the shoes.
4. I would also recommend using a similar step to what you used to cast a shadow on the snow and ground behind the man's left leg (on your right) to add more dimension to the image.
5. On a very personal note, I would clean up the old scratches instead of adding them in, but seeing as how you are going for an old picture feeling, I chalk that one up to a conscious decision to leave them in(and add them on the man).

In my quick edit to demonstrate the techniques I am talking about, I had to exaggerate the shadow feathering on the guardrail a bit, and burned a bit darker than I would recommend for the image to make them a bit more noticeable. I also didn't match the black point exactly as the edit was purely for demonstration purposes.

As art of course I realize these are all my subjective opinions, but I feel they may help you to advance your skills in blending images. Overall Great work!
I also live in Colorado, and I must add I am a huge fan of your photography Robin. I greatly look up to the work you do! I hope I proved helpful and not like I am just picking nits!

 

[Robin Usagani]

Wow.. Link to my blog was removed.. pretty lame Mod. I basicaly put the photos here and u don't have to go to my link to review them.... Just didn't feel like copy and pasting my whole blog post here..

 

[tirediron]

Wow.. Link to my blog was removed.. pretty lame Mod.

Robin, in accordance with the rules which have been in effect for 2+ years, it is not permissible to post 'snippet's with links back to blogs. As I hope you can appreciate, if this was allowed to go on, TPF would be nothing more than a click-bait 'site. While I'm sure your article is both useful and informative, the rules are the rules, and they're applied equally to everyone. You were sent a PM regarding this very shortly after your post.

 

[paigew]

I visited your blog... Great collection of "cards" I love them!

 

[Overread]

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[Robin Usagani]

I didnt just post links for people to click to look at the photos. I posted ALL THE PHOTOS here. I just didnt feel like rewriting my blog here and explain what I do every year. The ONE day i come back to this forum, I get treated like crap again.

 

[tirediron]

Robin, I'm sorry you feel that way, but the rules are the rules and we do our best to apply them all to everyone equally. The rule is: It is not permissible to post a snippet or portion of a blog entry on TPF with a "See more" or "For the full story" 'click here' link. Plain and simple. You were treated the same way everyone else is treated; is there a reason we should have made an exception for your post? As for "rewriting" your blog here, well, if <Crtrl>+<C> and <Crtrl>+<V> is that much extra work...

 

[Vtec44]

Good post Robinson. I always enjoy your work my friend!

 

[AsmaMohd]

People and Portrait Photography Tips!
a) Get closer
b) Settings - The other subject
c) Candids: Being unobtrusive
d) Anticipating Behavior
e) Predicting Relationships with the frame
f) Candids with consent
g) Engaging your subject
h) Approaching unfamiliar cultures
i) Hands and other details