MMA fighter portrait - C&C please :)

[msgbmd2001]

Took some portraits at the local gym for some of their MMA fighters. C&C please. Personally, I like it. I could have had a little more light on the right side, but I think the lighting gives it a strong, gritty, powerful kinda "don't mess with me" look. Your thoughts?

 

[ronlane]

Needs more grit. Do you use lightroom? If so go to Lightroom killer tips and use one of these presets. (The one with the football player, but there are more)

 

[msgbmd2001]

Thank you for the link!

 

[Ysarex]

I'm seeing that "I've been hit in the head too many times" dazed look.

Joe

 

[Derrel]

My thoughts are: 1) clone out the light on the wall in the back. 2) Open up the blacks in his hand wraps, and get some detail in there and 3)Go for a more gritty, HDR look, with more, but gritty, detail in the shadows.

As shown, the light's a bit too contrasty I think...the plugged up blacks bug me the most...I do not mind the hot, raw edge light on him, but I want to SEE more information in the shadows and lower tones.

 

[kundalini]

....... I could have had a little more light on the right side, but I think the lighting gives it a strong, gritty, powerful kinda "don't mess with me" look. Your thoughts?

The lighting ratio on the face is fine, but a scrim for his right shoulder / arm would have been better to bring out muscle definition.

 

[msgbmd2001]

He has been hit in the head a few times!!!

Derrel - ever since you mentioned the light on the wall, it's been driving me nuts. I cannot unsee it now! I'll probably clone out that #17 on the machine too!!
Thank you for your advice! I will add some more grit in Lightroom and open the blacks on his hand wraps. You mentioned "lower tones" - what do you mean by that? How is that fixed?

 

[Derrel]

The lower tones are the areas that are brighter than the shadows. The curves adjustment is a good way to handle that, but there are other ways. Depends on the software you have..the "Fill Light" control could lighten the shadows and blacks and will,at some point, start impacting the lower tones. Yeah...the light on the wall...once it's cloned out, and that black speaker (???) below the light, and then BOOM--instant shift of the eye to the foreground subject.

 

[msgbmd2001]

The lower tones are the areas that are brighter than the shadows. The curves adjustment is a good way to handle that, but there are other ways. Depends on the software you have..the "Fill Light" control could lighten the shadows and blacks and will,at some point, start impacting the lower tones. Yeah...the light on the wall...once it's cloned out, and that black speaker (???) below the light, and then BOOM--instant shift of the eye to the foreground subject.

I use LR4 and don't have the single fill light recovery slider anymore. (I have individual blacks, whites, highlights and shadows sliders.) I have't quite adventured into the tone curve panel but I'm guessing I can use the local adjustment brush to fix most areas. Anyway, I think you're absolutelty right... Once I get rid of those distractions from the background, it'll make a big difference!