Ryan T - moody

ronlane · May 21, 2018

As soon as I shot this one, I knew that it was a LOT more moody than I normally shoot. Once again, I find myself on a B&W kick with images.

Derrel · May 21, 2018

This is very dramatic lighting. Looks pretty good as a black and white.

ronlane · May 21, 2018

Thanks Derrel. Yes, it is very dramatic, specially for me. It was just before sunrise, so we weren't getting much ambient from the sun yet and I moved to about 90 degrees for this one.

Jeff15 · May 21, 2018

Nice image, great light...

ronlane · May 21, 2018

Thank you @Jeff15

manaheim · May 21, 2018

It's grabbing, but I think it may be a little too extreme. Just bringing up the absolute black a touch might work. Also might be a personal opinion thing, though, you know?

DanOstergren · May 21, 2018

It's moody, and I like the mood, but I think your light could be adjusted to create more harmonizing light and shadow patterns on her face, particularly the three spots of light on her left cheek (camera right). A higher angle of light would sculpt her features, and would turn the three spots of light on her left cheek into one nice illuminated area on her cheek.

ronlane · May 21, 2018

manaheim said:
It's grabbing, but I think it may be a little too extreme. Just bringing up the absolute black a touch might work. Also might be a personal opinion thing, though, you know?

Thank you for your comments @manaheim.

DanOstergren said:
It's moody, and I like the mood, but I think your light could be adjusted to create more harmonizing light and shadow patterns on her face, particularly the three spots of light on her left cheek (camera right). A higher angle of light would sculpt her features, and would turn the three spots of light on her left cheek into one nice illuminated area on her cheek.

Thanks @DanOstergren. I believe this is the first image of mine you've ever commented on. I know what you mean about the light on the cheek. I saw that too but it was after I got home and was looking at the images.

I appreciate the comments and ideas that could make things better.

DanOstergren · May 21, 2018

ronlane said:
manaheim said:

It's grabbing, but I think it may be a little too extreme. Just bringing up the absolute black a touch might work. Also might be a personal opinion thing, though, you know?

Click to expand...

Thank you for your comments @manaheim.

DanOstergren said:

It's moody, and I like the mood, but I think your light could be adjusted to create more harmonizing light and shadow patterns on her face, particularly the three spots of light on her left cheek (camera right). A higher angle of light would sculpt her features, and would turn the three spots of light on her left cheek into one nice illuminated area on her cheek.

Click to expand...

Thanks @DanOstergren. I believe this is the first image of mine you've ever commented on. I know what you mean about the light on the cheek. I saw that too but it was after I got home and was looking at the images.

I appreciate the comments and ideas that could make things better.

It's a "mistake" that I used to make as well and had to learn to correct as well, but eventually when you get a formula down for lighting it becomes like second nature when you're setting up your shot. I put quotations around the word mistake because it could also be a stylistic choice, in which case it would no longer be a mistake.

mrca · Jun 30, 2018

The reason for the problem Dan points out is your light is only slightly above even with the face. Look to have it about 45 degrees up with a catchlight at about 10:30. If you were working with a speedlight without a modeling light, chimp til you get the nose shadow just contacting the cheek shadow and creating an upside down right triangle ie rembrandt triangle including the eye and cheek. You could also have her tilt her head to camera right. You could help this by cloning out the bright spot and darkening the bright spot on the end of the mouth. I have seen folks bungie a small mag lite to the speedlight as a modeling light. I am guessing no modeling light because the pupils are pretty large and don't leave you with much iris to work with. I would crop to just below the hair. The arms add nothing and don't express much. I would take down the highlight on her chest as that is the brightest area in the image and it competes with the face. Might want to darken her right shoulder as it is apparently closest to the light and is pretty bright. In studio, I like to use a black net below the face to knock down shoulder and white shirts/blouses. I would clone out the plant extending into the upper r frame. Might consider kicking up the contrast on the midtones in the lit portion of the face with a levels or curves adjustment. Only so much you can do there. For b&w, a lens with great micro contrast produces more modeling through areas that would be muddy from one without as much micro contrast. Her hair highlights are pretty bright and also dominate in the image. If this was a one light shot, a sekonic meter will tell you the percentage light from the strobe with the remainder being ambient. Once you learn the percentage, ie translates as ratio, you like, you can dial in the percentage with light power or distance. I like the camera height and it has the eyes pretty wide open. Was this taken with the 85 1.8? I would want just a bit more compression, you could still use the 85 just step back and crop. I think that would be a more flattering rendering of the nose. With my ample multi busted probiscus, I prefer being shot from 15 to 20 feet. My preferred portrait lens is a 135. I have only had one person tell me they wanted their nose made bigger. Was your shooting distance about 3-4 feet? You have a nice highlight on her lower lip one facial feature I would emphasize with her. I like that you have the lips slightly parted as that adds to the fullness. Might like it just a bit more closed. Open just enoughto allow air to be exhaled. Not sure if you were going for such a blank expression, but if not, you might try keeping up a conversation with her clicking when an expression that is her materializes. Even better mention things intended to elicit a particular expression. One of the things I like about einstein lights is they can pop 10 times per second and easily 6. When an expression goes for one to a better one or gradually fades from excessive to gone, somewhere in those 6 shots can be the perfect expression. Also, I don't have to wait for the lights to recycle. On another thread last week someone commented about Peter Hurley's bonding and conversing with his subject. What he does works for him. Oh, hair on the upper right blends into the dark background, solutions could be positioning her so that is in front a a bright area of bg or adding a kicker or silver reflector from right rear. Or you could wait till the sun came up just a bit , placed it right rear for a free hair light. Once cropped, might consider a vignette or taking down the sky and the light area in the lower R. Just suggestions based on how I would have shot/edited.