Random, In-Cohesive Photo Vomit (does not contain actual vomit)

rexbobcat · Oct 10, 2013

Lots of pictures, but I didn't want to create like 3 different threads. That seems spammy.

I've been pretty busy lately taking pictures of people for reasons that don't really go beyond just wanting to take photos (except for one instance.) while I should be studying for mid-terms.

Priorities. lol

A friend of a friend needed some graduate portraits, which I don't particularly enjoy doing, but I can commiserate with college students paying for their own graduation photos as opposed to high school kids whose parents pay for them...So she got them for pretty cheap. And I don't do it enough to just totally ruin the market for other photogs so there's that.

And then I also had to do a short presentation on lighting for a student organization, because the main dude wasn't there and they needed someone to fill the time on short notice. It was pretty much just to explain some of the technicalities.

These are some lighting tests that for a personal project that I'm working on (very, very slowly I might add) to see if this is the style I'm wanting or not. Kind of a "think it looks good until you actually do it" sort of thing. I just had one of my friends model (she'd never modeled before), and I don't really know any poses or anything so we were basically two people not knowing what we were doing but doing it anyways.

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly I'm doing. I bounce around so much that it feels like I'm having some sort of identity crisis, and it's kind of bumming me out. I mean, I've been taking pictures long enough to know what I like to shoot and how I like to shoot it I would assume...but apparently not. Heh.

dsiglin · Oct 10, 2013

I cannot speak from a technical standpoint, but I find myself liking the lighting in the bottom two photos. The play of the light across her skin in the last photo I find especially nice and it separates her from the background. I wish the cars and sky weren't showing as they ruin the shot. The receding lines are nice in that they lead you up the photo but the way her hip bumps into the rectangular planter bothers me. I'd love to see more in this style with a less distracting background.

rexbobcat · Oct 10, 2013

dsiglin said:
I cannot speak from a technical standpoint, but I find myself liking the lighting in the bottom two photos. The play of the light across her skin in the last photo I find especially nice and it separates her from the background. I wish the cars and sky weren't showing as they ruin the shot. The receding lines are nice in that they lead you up the photo but the way her hip bumps into the rectangular planter bothers me. I'd love to see more in this style with a less distracting background.

Thanks! Yeah, the backgrounds aren't that pleasant. I need to get some ND filters so I have more control over the aperture, because I was at the limit on my sync speed and to underexpose the background I had to be at like f/8-11.

I do really like this style though. It's kind of fashion-y, edgy but also kind of has a studio look.

It was my first time attempting it, because I'm kind of on a beauty dish kick right now haha.

Low_Sky · Oct 10, 2013

Does your model in the last photo really ride that bike? No cyclist would ever purposefully stick their leg through the frame like that for any reason that I can think of. It may look "right" to those unfamiliar with cycling, but I find it so "wrong" as to be utterly distracting.

rexbobcat · Oct 10, 2013

Low_Sky said:
Does your model in the last photo really ride that bike? No cyclist would ever purposefully stick their leg through the frame like that for any reason that I can think of. It may look "right" to those unfamiliar with cycling, but I find it so "wrong" as to be utterly distracting.

No she doesn't. It's my bicycle she's using as a prop. It's kind of just a silly poke at some fashion photography, where the pose is more important than the practicality.

That's why I kind of liked it. It makes no sense but she's owning it. Lol

Low_Sky · Oct 10, 2013

Don't get me wrong, she looks great! . . . just doing something that makes no sense

Alexandtheng · Oct 11, 2013

loving the tones on that last one!

mmaria · Oct 11, 2013

On this bad bad computer, I'm using on work, I can't comment anything except background. There are lines crossing behind every head there, just slightly changing your subjects position would give you more pleasant bg.
also I think, they would love those photos because they look good on them

that's for the first four photos
For the blond girl, I don't like the first and in the second that pose is just bugging me. Everything is good except that.
just imho!

amolitor · Oct 11, 2013

In a couple of these, the figure is "obviously lit" in that the surrounding area has very obviously different lighting. This is something I find personally a bit bothersome. The last one especially. On the other hand, if this is commentary on fashion photography, then that's perfect.

I do like the way you're simulating bright sun in those last two. It's not too bright, but I "buy" it as sunlight.

ronlane · Oct 11, 2013

rexbobcat said:
dsiglin said:

I cannot speak from a technical standpoint, but I find myself liking the lighting in the bottom two photos. The play of the light across her skin in the last photo I find especially nice and it separates her from the background. I wish the cars and sky weren't showing as they ruin the shot. The receding lines are nice in that they lead you up the photo but the way her hip bumps into the rectangular planter bothers me. I'd love to see more in this style with a less distracting background.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Yeah, the backgrounds aren't that pleasant. I need to get some ND filters so I have more control over the aperture, because I was at the limit on my sync speed and to underexpose the background I had to be at like f/8-11.

I do really like this style though. It's kind of fashion-y, edgy but also kind of has a studio look.

It was my first time attempting it, because I'm kind of on a beauty dish kick right now haha.

There's a bike in that last one? where?

Braineack · Oct 11, 2013

I dont like the harsh light and poses in #1 and #2, but the rest are pretty great. I'm drawn to the clean even lighting of #3 and #4 but I don't like the bg of #3. The last one with the bike is great.

rexbobcat · Oct 11, 2013

amolitor said:
In a couple of these, the figure is "obviously lit" in that the surrounding area has very obviously different lighting. This is something I find personally a bit bothersome. The last one especially. On the other hand, if this is commentary on fashion photography, then that's perfect.

I do like the way you're simulating bright sun in those last two. It's not too bright, but I "buy" it as sunlight.

Do you mean they don't look natural enough? Yeah, I'm becoming less and less a fan of natural light unless it is in a photojournalistic sense, because I would either have to bring out the reflectors (which would give me similar to a strobe in the end) or I would have to work some Photoshop magic (bring those levels up and blow that background (ew), or I'd have to bring them into the shade and get rid of all shadows at all. There are other ways to use natural light, I know that, but it seems like a puzzle I just don't have time to figure out when I'm actually there lol.

The first two are a bit dramatic for their purpose, though. I don't really know how to take quality senior portraits so I just default into what I do know how to do. Heh.

Yeah, the fifth image is the most natural out of all of them. The shadows do say that there was a strobe, but at the same time it's kind of subtle. It was interesting. I had never done that before and when I look at it it does seem a bit confusing as to what the sources of light are, but it seems more dramatic than if I had used sunlight. It's weird.

Yeah, the first one