How is this style of shot done?

newrmdmike · Dec 13, 2006

heres the original.

and yeah, the first one i put up was perhaps overly sharp, but i have problems with my image host with maintaining the quality, so normally i lose sharpness.

im switching to photobucket

Hair Bear · Dec 13, 2006

fmw said:
I think you folks are mistaking me. I didn't say the image didn't deserve praise. In fact I said it was a good image. My original answer was genuine. The photographer took an photo of a man with a dirty face. It speaks about hard work and even possibly exhaustion. I have no problem with the image at all. But there is nothing unusual technically with the image.

Nobody would imagine that it was a surreptitious shot. Im sure the photographer asked for the shot and the subject agreed to it. I don't know how close the photographer was. I would guess ( just a guess) based on the perspective that it was shot with a medium telephoto from about 6 or 8 feet or so. Yes, the photographer used a good lens and made a sharp image. That is one of the reasons it is successful. Assuming it is digital, the contrast was raised and the overall image darkened to produce the low key presentation. If it was printed in a darkroom it would be underexposed some and printed on hard paper to produce a similar thing.

This shot is no different than a snapshot you might take of your child except that the subject has a more weatherbeaten (and dirty) face that is interesting for that reason. You could produce the same presentation with one of your family snapshots and without any real difficulty.

Sorry, I didn't mean to seem condescending. I was just trying to figure out why it seemed mysterious to some. Successful images evoke thought on the part of viewers. Obviously this was a successful image.

thank you

Hair Bear · Dec 13, 2006

newrmdmike said:
heres the original.

and yeah, the first one i put up was perhaps overly sharp, but i have problems with my image host with maintaining the quality, so normally i lose sharpness.

im switching to photobucket

Cool, you can see the difference in his beard with the sharping. Great example of how it might be done and its strarting to make some sense.

I'm not sure if I have the type of image I can play with but ill have alook through what i got and have a go based around your comments.

Thanks again

newrmdmike · Dec 13, 2006

i think i've got it down now . . .

to

now, if only i could do that backwards!!

Hair Bear · Dec 14, 2006

lol, I wouldn't show her that!

Need to get the lips back and its there.

Good pics btw

Iron Flatline · Dec 14, 2006

LOL newrmdmike, you've taken a well-kempt mature woman and made her look like a Walker Evans subject. She'd never forgive you.

I'm a little late in piping into this conversation. I agree that the original picture that set off this thread is a good image, but I agree that it takes experience in fine-tuning the image to its current point. Whether dark room or Photoshop, there is a lot of subtle perfection that someone lacking experience might find daunting. I've seen very simple-seeming B&W shots actually be the result of several layers, each adjusted for luminosity and transparency. I cannot contribute much in terms of specific techniques, but there a lot of tutorials around the internet that specialize in rendering B&W in Photoshop. Follow them, and build up an understanding of what each setting does.

Good luck.

Iron Flatline · Dec 14, 2006

Hair Bear said:
You also need to get close to get that detail, very close I think.

Did any of you, who think this is easy, actually look at his photo stream? It seems most of the images are of people on the street. They are hard to shoot, you have to be carefull and sensative.

Remember you are stood infront of somebody who sleeps on the street with £?k worth of kit in your hand and probably cash in your pocket. They have nothing to loose, you do.

One more thing: let me be the most cynical I can for a moment: not all homeless people are sage-like gentle folk who've had nothing but bad luck and need to be treated gently and sensitively. I am NOT about to get into a conversation about how someone ended up homeless, I will NOT blame the victim, and I KNOW for SURE that I don't envy their life. Having said that, I know guys (me included at college in NY 20 years ago) that would ask these guys to take their pictures in return for $5 or a six-pack of beer. A lot of these guys don't want to be treated like charity cases that need to be cradled in strong defending arms, they would rather be dealt with like grown-ups, or better even would prefer it if you just gave them a bottle of something decent, take your pictures, and then go away. If you REALLY want to take expressive pictures of poor people, think about compensating them for their modeling work. And if they prefer booze over money than don't be moralistic or condescending - either give them what they want or go find a different model.

...and have some sense about you. Some WILL beat you and sell your camera.

newrmdmike · Dec 14, 2006

true that, i was at an abandoned theme park-sea world type thing in galveston and a homeless guy kind of snuck up on us, scared us to death. . . after a while my friend gave him some beer money and boom, he was off to the store for somthin cheap.

Hair Bear · Dec 14, 2006

Iron Flatline said:
One more thing: let me be the most cynical I can for a moment: not all homeless people are sage-like gentle folk who've had nothing but bad luck and need to be treated gently and sensitively. I am NOT about to get into a conversation about how someone ended up homeless, I will NOT blame the victim, and I KNOW for SURE that I don't envy their life. Having said that, I know guys (me included at college in NY 20 years ago) that would ask these guys to take their pictures in return for $5 or a six-pack of beer. A lot of these guys don't want to be treated like charity cases that need to be cradled in strong defending arms, they would rather be dealt with like grown-ups, or better even would prefer it if you just gave them a bottle of something decent, take your pictures, and then go away. If you REALLY want to take expressive pictures of poor people, think about compensating them for their modeling work. And if they prefer booze over money than don't be moralistic or condescending - either give them what they want or go find a different model.

...and have some sense about you. Some WILL beat you and sell your camera.

All good points, I have been trying to work with some of the Big Issue sellers around the town. Some are Ok and freindly and a bit surprised when you want to actually talk to them

A couple of the beggars are Ok, one guy I have been buying him a tea when i see him - if I take his pic or not. I don't do the booze thing, cash maybe but a cuppa or a sarnie seems to hit the spot.

Plus my gears not too flash, I can run quite well if required or I'm a reasonable size if I need to stand my ground!!

I would like to take some shots where they sleep but that is into the lions den. I'm building up to it as I get to know 1 or 2 of them.

Nurd · Dec 18, 2006

http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59644

we did a photoshop challenge thing ..if you scroll threw the pictures and see one you like, I'm sure that person would be happy to tell you what they did if you pm'd them. Just trying to help

Alex_B · Dec 18, 2006

Iron Flatline said:
...and have some sense about you. Some WILL beat you and sell your camera.

Well, that is one thing I am never really aware of, but people keep telling me and they are probably right ... when you walk around with all that expensive gear on you, you are the perfect catch for any bad guy or gang to boost up their income. Not sure if those white lenses from Canon were a good idea

But what can one do? Even if you are a good fighter, with all that gear on you, you can only run (potentially dropping some), or fight (most likely getting a lot of the things seriously damaged), or just give it all to them with a smile (just to get beaten up yourself afterwards).

It is really harder to defend your camera gear than to defend your cash (as it is not as bulky and heavy).

neea · Dec 18, 2006

wow. so much debating going on here.

I love this effect also. It seems to bring something out in peoples faces.
Makes me think 'Now what is their story?'

I think that's what is so appealling here... at least for me.

thebeginning · Jan 3, 2007

i havent read all the comments so i dont know what the last several comments are about or if the subject has changed...

...but there was definitely more than just a simple bw conversion, vignetting, and sharpening in that photo, as well as most of his others. trying to duplicate that effect takes more work than that. there's a good amount of burning and dodging, and he probably converted it with a mixture of channels (looks like a mixture between green and blue).

thebeginning · Jan 3, 2007

i gave something a try with an old photo and ended up with this...just a bunch of dodging and burning...mixture of gray and green channels for the face.