Not a gorgeous female

shortpants · Jul 11, 2011

Sorry guys, you get my grouchy husband instead. :lol:

This was a quick setup, I haven't used off camera flash in years, trying to get back into it. He hates having his picture taken so this was a quick shoot around sunset, and I realize the cluttered weedy garden doesn't really suit him. Or maybe it does, because it's ours. Yes he's classy like that, smoking a cigar right next to our organic garden.
ANYWAY, I would love C&C on the lighting, anything else too in case there's something I'm not seeing.

1. just one vivitar camera left bouncing off umbrella, with the sunset backlighting him. I got a lot of haze in this one but tried to tone it down.

2. from my deck, same flash setup on the left with umbrella, plus another behind him and to his right, bare. In complete shade, the sun went behind the trees.

Now rip at them please.

shortpants · Jul 11, 2011

Hmm, I guess a gorgeous female would have been better :lol:

joealcantar · Jul 11, 2011

I would have used a reflector on the fill side to rid the shadow from the arm. A white reflector will not be as harsh as a silver one. Backlighting is cool, just enough.
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Shoot well and thanks for sharing, Joe

Dmitri · Jul 11, 2011

I actually thought the haze looked cool in the first picture. With the back lighting and haze it gives it a nice soft ethereal look.
The second one doesn't do anything for me, sorry. Interesting angle but other than that... not much to say.

NikonME · Jul 11, 2011

I am glad it is not a gorgeous female because I think the hairy arms would have distracted me away from her form.

shortpants · Jul 11, 2011

Thanks for commenting. I knew I should have had some fill but I was being lazy.
I agree #2 is pretty blah. I do like the lighting in #1 but it's not telling a story. I was just doing a quick test, but I'd still like to shoot a good environmental portrait of him.