Considering The NYI Portrait Photography Course

[smoke665]

. How did you get that hole in the reflected apple?

I took a bite out of it.

Was the light over the apple slightly to the R and close?

I used a technique I often use with still life, "Light painting" and composites. In this case the camera was on a tripod, in a dark studio. I used a slow shutter and a small narrow beam LED flashlight to paint individual parts of the set, then blended them as layers in PS.

Doing it that way gave me infinite control over what I wanted to show and where I wanted the shadows. You're right in assuming the light was "supposed" to appear as coming from slightly above camera right, but sometimes you have to bend reality a little. Without light on the back of the apple there'd be nothing to reflect. That was actually the most difficult part getting the balance right and as you mentioned angle management became a trial and error.

 

[weepete]

I guess it depends, if you want to improve your technique, then courses can be useful. If you feel like you've hit a wall subject wise then it's a bit more difficult.

 

[Soocom1]

Smoke, I would suggest you study a classic still life painter, whose work you admire. Just one painter. Go to the library and take out a book on them or buy a used one on Amazon. Read it entirely, study the images. Scan and print the images and mark them up...where is the light coming from, how did they use it, is there a color theory? How did they compose? Etc. Then take that information and translate it to your camera tool. You have the physical tool, and you have the brain tool. What will happen is you will be upgrading brain tool (vision). I have often admired your work and I think still life would energize you and your creative tool. I agree with @mrca, I studied that book at length when I was a young lad. He really made some excellent points that can benefit you.

I have to agree with this.

Smokes your a highly competent photographer in your own right. Your work shows that. (Far exceeding mine BTW.)

I too have hit a wall recently and only now working back up. ironically, the work is actually looking better (at least in my own view).

i think that looking at other's work in some respects help out greatly. te course, sure. run with it.
I even considered it. Might pick up a few new things to work with.

Oh and to jcdeboever... I love the cat pic...

 

[smoke665]

@Soocom1 Thank you for the kind words but for me it's more like "even a blind pig in the woods finds an acorn every now and then", though admittedly I'm not as hungry as I once was.

The "wall" you mention is at every level of skill. The problem is, as your skill improves, your acceptance bar raises higher. Shots you were once proud of, lose their appeal next to your latest creation, so the struggle becomes ever harder. The bar goes higher, that's my motivation to continue to learn.

 

[flyingPhoto]

I have been considering getting some "better" photographic knowledge. Thats one reason i have my profile on here now, ask a question to someone that has been there, seen the elephant, and gone back home.

I am only an "advanced amatuer" according to various "take this test to learn your skill level" youtube videos. Sure i have no real clue on the digital stuff, seriously pixel size means nothing to me at this point.

My camera is set to store an image size of 18x24 and if i want to have a photo professional printed, i convert my raw file to TIFF and send it to a print shop and order up an 18x24 print.

And i looked at the current course outline for the NYIP course, and well MOST of it is not geared up for my PERSONAL interests.

Most knowledge comes from DOING it. Meaning if I and MY CAMERA do best set to specific settings, then I am not going to be able to do well in an assignment that wants the settings to some other setting.