hi quastion about how to achieve a portrait photo effect

[shayvidas]

hi so i'm trying to achieve an effect such is in these two photos >

1.
View attachment 63710
2.
View attachment 63711

as i see it (and please correct me) there is 2 things for this photos to understand
1. is the AMAZING fecial details they manage to catch,
i understood you do it with taking an image in RAW mode then converting it to LAB in photoshop, and intensing the Lightning layer sharpness yea ?
2. the amazing amazing black and white lightning, Especialy done really nicely in picture 1.
a friend of mine said it's probebly all in photoshop and the original image is really totaly different, but even then does anybody know how it is done ?

it would be great if someone knows how to do thoghs two pictures..

b.t.w.

i'm new here this is my first post !!! been a photographer (begiiner for now) for a copple of years now


thanks allot in advance !!!

 

[amolitor]

First of all you're not supposed to post other people's pictures on this forum, it's forum policy. You should replace these pictures with links to the pictures.

Secondly the first one has a "grunge" style effect applied. There's a ton of tutorials on how to do this in photoshop. Google "grunge effect photoshop" or whatever. If you use a different photo editor, you might try looking for tutorials specific to that.

Both of these were shot with dramatic side lighting. You will need either a relatively dark studio and a flash or strobe, with some sort of softening modifier. Place it to one side of the subject but a little bit in front, aimed at his face. Again, there are many many lighting tutorials out there on how to accomplish one look or another. Look up "lighting tutorial photography" or something, and you'll find a bunch of helpful web sites.

You can do this lighting without a strobe but you'll need to find a room with a single window. Seat the subject near the window, with the window aimed at a point on their face a bit in front of the ear. Instead of moving the light you move the subject.

 

[table1349]

Get yourself a copy of this and you will learn to do all sorts of lighting: Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780240812250: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Derrel]

Side lighting, yes. I would use an 11.5 inch reflector with a 20 degree honeycomb grid attachment, and a mylar diffuser to create the light, white, bright eye catchlight that is seen in the second photo. The light beam is fairly small and directed, but it is also "white"; what I mean is it's creating a light-colored catchlight, so it is "reflecting" on his eyeball surface, and it's a fairly large catchlight, not just a tiny pin-point one.

 

[shayvidas]

so after allot of shots and some photoshot and your amazing help
i meneged to come to this >
i personaly think it's toooo dark, think i should maybe lighten it up... what do you think ?

 

[amolitor]

Open up the aperture about a stop and you've got it, or close enough for a first attempt. If you can't, get more light in there someplace. Or double the ISO.

There's a million tiny details that aren't "right" or are not the same as in the other pictures, but this is certainly one picture in roughly the same style.

You can try to lighten it up in an editor after the fact, but I think you'd be better off re-shooting it.