how to post process like... Sports Illustrated cover..

[austriker]

hi,
so i do not have a lot of PS experience but some. And i was wondering if anyone could give me rundown of how magazines make their covers so amazing (like the following shot of mariano rivera in SI). what kind of adjustments do they do in PS? is like a HDR or something?
or is it just too complicated and expert to explain...

heres the shot i really like:

 

[Big Mike]

Your thinking PP, when you should be thinking about lighting. There is no extraordinary PP needed for that shot...just some off camera lighting and proper exposure.

 

[austriker]

oh okay, lol oops wrong question i guess- i just assumed it was pp'ed. yea i do have an old film flash that i have been using a good deal and it works quite well for exposing people..

so was this shot like where they have like 3 umbrella lighting things set up and trigger them at different times and such? basically i cant duplicate it?

 

[Big Mike]

Looks like one light, to the right of the camera.

 

[Derrel]

You my young forum mate, have the *IDEAL CAMERA* to allow you to duplicate this shot. Why? The little D40 has a hybrid mechanical CCD shutter system, which will allow you to shoot flash at basically ANY speed, up to and including 1/8000.

The biggest challenge in doing a photo like that one of Rivera is called "overpowering daylight". Normally, with a conventional d-slr, the top flash shutter speed is 1/200 or 1/250 second. In daylight, if your camera's base ISO is 200 let's say, that means that in sunlight, your shutter speed needs to be 1/200 second and the lens aperture needs to be at f/16. This is called "The Sunny 16 Rule". Rivera is rendered with a flash unit that is MORE-powerful than the daylight is--he looks brighter than he would in reality, because the photographer used a flash system that is MORE-powerful than a daylight exposure. A flash unit that would overpower the sun would need to be twice as powerful as an f/16 exposure, delivering an output level of let's say an f/22 flash exposure, since he appears to be about a full stop to 1.5 stops brighter than he really would have been in the sunlight. You probably don't have that much flash power available to you. But you DON'T need that much, 'cause you have a D40!

The D40 will synchronize flash at ridiculously high speeds--but only IF the flash is connected to the camera via a PC cord or a remote transmitter. You need a simple accessory, like a Nikon AS-15, Accessory Shoe, model 15, which slides into the hot shoe, locks in, and gives your D40 a PC connector. Then all you need is a 10 to 15 foot, inexpensive PC connector cord, and a simple flash unit and a simple diffuser, like an umbrella, or a sheet of tracing paper, or a bounce board like a 3x4 sheet of foam core. You can also use the flash bare. With the D40, you can set the shutter speed to 1/500 and the lens to f/16 and thereby UNDER-expose sunlight by one f/stop, making the background look darker,and bluer than normal even on a sunny day, and you can aim a Vivitar 285 or a cheap Sunpak 383 flash from roughly 10 feet away,and get a bright, crisp "Rivera", who will be portrayed by a friend of yours. If you want to increase the "effect", which is the overpowering daylight effect, and make the sky look cobalt blue and dramatic, jack the shutter speed on the D40 up to 1/800 or 1/1000 second. The shutter speed will darken *only* the background. The flash's brightness will still be full-power, and based on the distance of the flash to the subject and the flash's power setting. With the D40, you can shoot flash all the way to 1/8000, and you have a lot of ISO settings you can use, so with that camera, yuo could make the shot look almost any way you'd like it to look.

Try starting at ISO 200 at f/11 at 1/1500 to 1/2000 second, with your "old school" flash at full power from 10 feet way...that'll give you a very cool looking shot.

The D40 is an ideal small camera for daylight flash with an off-camera connection; the flash must be OFF the camera; if a dedicated Nikon speedlight is in the hot shoe, the camera will only allow shutter speeds up to 1/500 second, so you must fire the flash from an off-camera location, using a "dumb" cord, and not a dedicated cord like an SC-28 or SC-29 cord from Nikon. The D40 is actually a much better camera for this specific type of photo than the D3x. Look where the shadows are in the photo of Rivera: there is a flash camera right and elevated, but there also appears to be a little bit of fill light on his face. A friend on a step-stool could hold a flash for you and get a very similar look, especially if he held a decent,small umbrella with the speedlight in it and aimed at the subject from 8-10 feet distant.

 

[austriker]

wow derrel. thanks sooo much for the detailed answer. that is great news about my d40 actually doing something better than most more expensive cameras. i will definitely add this to the things i need to buy/try. it sounds very cool and the effect is quite sweet. i am not very good at this type of photography, studio photography though because i do not like to shoot 'models' per say, but rather sports and other things.. but your tuturial is very detailed and informative! thanks so much!

 

[Derrel]

Sure, glad to help out a new college newspaper shooter like yourself!

FlashZebra.com: Products

This site has a boatload of flash accessories like cables, slaves, umbrella mount stuff, you name it. On this page FlashZebra.com: Hotshoe and Shoe Adapters

they have the original Nikon AS-15, priced at $26, as well as another viable alternative, Item #0064 Multipurpose Hotshoe Adapter, for $11.

You could try this on some skateboarder portraits...instead of a guy with a baseball glove, a cool tricked out skateboard held in a cool pose would look great done this way. This look is popular for athlete photos for publication.

 

[austriker]

so looks like i would want to get the nikon as-15 and some kind of wireless connector thing.. and i found that the as-15 thing is only $20 on amazon...

i dont see any wireless connectors things on there though..

wow this is whole nuther world-i just have no idea what im looking at.

i ideally like to find a wireless connector for my old flash or just like a 10ft or more cable... i guess..

 

[austriker]

FlashZebra.com: 5 Meter (16 Feet) Straight Flash Sync with Vivitar Connector (Item #0049)

i think this is the wired solution that i am looking for. my flash is a vivitar (i believe) and ill have to look it over for a connector thing..