Out of the dark

Steve DeMott

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Joined
Sep 10, 2024
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Location
St. Louis, Missouri
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Nikon D7100 w/60mm macro f/2.8 lens, 1/60 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, Camera Spot Meter.
One strobe high up facing down for background light, Small sidelight back of model feathered forward.
Experience Amateur with enough knowledge to be dangerous.
This was a classroom style setting with about 6 photographers. At best its short of chaos. I was looking for was a complete silhouette of model and wall. I think this one came out better.
LR tweaks- high contrast, darken highlights & shadows. Masked face & dropped exposure in PS by 1/2 stop. Cropped 16:9
20190418-untitled-0061-EditEdit.webp
Ideas on improvements for future shots
Why is this image monstrous
 
Welcome!!! Thanks for posting. Overall it's good, though there's a few niggles.

1. In literature Dark Imagery is used to convey a sense of foreboding unease. Painters made a technique called Chiaroscuro popular during the 15th century that accomplished the same, using high contrast between light and dark, with illumination from a single light source. In your image the light/shadows are close but I would have either shifted the background light or the light on the face such that they resembled a single illumination point

2. As often happens there is a tendency to underexpose an image like this, which unfortunately results is a flat image, with dull blacks and whites. This is a luminosity histogram of your image as presented.
original.webp

3. I really have mixed feelings on your choice of crop. On the one hand I like the upward flow, but I think a better choice would have been to also shot up on the subject. As shot, my personal feeling is that the bottom loading lets the eye wander rather than pulling it to the subject.

4. I made a few adjustments in LR for your consideration, to the sliders and the corresponding histogram on the revised image.
sliders.webp
revised.webp

Also using your same 16:9 format I cropped sligtly to bring more prominance to the subject. Here's the final edit.
20190418-untitled-0061-EditEdit.webp


In all things photograpy after you get past the technical points, there will be differences in opinions, that doesn't make any one opinion better or worse........just different.
 
I agree with smoke665.

You said this was a chaotic class environment. I know this can be a bit more difficult situation but this kind of lighting can also be done at home with not much more than a tall lamp/flash, cardboard/bristol board and tape. Place the lamp in the direction you want the light to come from and tape up cardboard flags to direct the light only where you want it.

For the complete silhouette, move the subject further forward, away from the wall so no light will spill on to them.

Good first try. Better than my first lighting attempt.
 
Thanks smoke665
Sorry it took so long to respond, been rebuilding my computer since Thursday. What a pain.
The provided setting area big help. Gives me something to play with later. I'm not sure how I feel about the brightness, but I like the improved contrast. Again something to play with.

Reason for the 16:9 was that there was a lot of wasted black space left, right and bottom. I cropped it to a "Standard Aspect" because it was the thinnest of the bunch.
 
Thanks zombiesniper
I'm going to try this at home when the weather warms up and I can use the garage. Inside the house would really be difficult and you don't want to upset mama.
 
Reason for the 16:9 was that there was a lot of wasted black space left, right and bottom. I cropped it to a "Standard Aspect" because it was the thinnest of the bunch.

Nothing wrong with a 16:9, but you can't forget frame management. As presented the focal point (the eye), is so low in the frame, that the area above is causing conflict with the focal point. IMO changing your perspective by pointing the camera up from a low position would work really well and draw the viewer in with the 16:9.
 
Love the original, just the hoodie, it needed to be just a little more in the Black area, as symmetry then kicks in, would Photoshop the top of the hoodie, its got great mood, and the catchment in the eye is awesome, I love it !!
 
Thanks Stevedevil01. As zombiesniper pointed out doing this at home or at least 1on1 in a studio would have been a lot better. A classroom envirenment with time restaints can be a little chaotic. I feel lucky to have the shot to start. Your right about the hoodie
 

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