Self critique of first strobe portrait (other critiques welcome)

[Braineack]

why you gotta ruin it for me?

 

[Derrel]

why you gotta ruin it for me?

I joke around and I kid people quite often, but when I offer C&C on pictures of people whom I do not know well, I never, ever kid around. I was trying to correct a misperception propagated here, on TPF this very DAY, by another poster who took a cheap shot at me, and misrepresented what I said about "head chops", regarding a statement I made in a C&C offered this week in another, different post than this; I was simply responding to earlier comments about head-chops.

There is a HUGE difference between a head-chop in a composition that actually WORKS well, and a head-chop in a badly-framed horizontal shot in which the top of the head is chopped off in-camera AND, and this is the critical part, in which there is like an inch or two underneath the chin. (The badly-framed horizontal I am referencing is NOT the shot in this post!!!)

I was trying to bring some clarity, some understanding, to the issue. There are no "rules" for composition...there are however compositions that make good,effective use of the compositional space, and there are compositions that make poor use of the space, and everything in between.

 

[dsiglin]

tirediron - glad you mentioned feathering light because truth be told I hadn't been aware of that technique which lets me know I'm woefully under-read on lighting. I had read a bit but clearly if I didn't run into that concept yet I've not been doing my homework. I found a three stage grid lighting system for a reasonable price, would you recommend getting one for outdoor portrait work or should I learn the ropes on my umbrella first?

I'm starting to wonder if I chose the right equipment - an umbrella with removable black cover turning into a white umbrella. I thought to use the umbrella to provide fill light when shooting outside especially when shooting during harsher lighting times. Would I be better served using a reflector? I won't have an assistant to hold it which is one reason I went with strobe and umbrella. What are advantages to using umbrella and good times to use it? What about reflector?

Finally, I just saw the photo of the month by Robinson Usagani. Don't know if he will see this thread to answer but anyone know how he lit the scene? It's a very captivating photo.

I like this Red Queen idea, clearly more heads need chopping. And people that don't get the literary reference are first in line.

 

[nycphotography]

A $9 shoot through umbrella is a good tool for that job.

I even use bare flash heads *gasp* where the harsh light can be situationally appropriate.

 

[Derrel]

A reflector is a WYSIWYG device, and it has NO shutter speed limitations as far as flash synch speed and resulting f/stop, which is something that "most" d-slrs these day are limited by: both flash synch speed, and f/stop range that can be employed with flash. SMall reflectors, like the round type that pop open are handy, but are, well, small reflectors. Umbrellas used with speedlights offer no modeling lights, and limited power options, compared with "studio flash" units of either monolight or pack-and-head design, so speedlights can not "overpower the sun" the same way that really POWERFUL studio flash units used with battery packs or inverters or generators. No one,single system is perfect or without limitations/issues/drawbacks. A 28 lb pack and 400 Watt-seconds of flash is nice, buuuut....it's a lot of weight, needs AC power, and so on. A speedlight weighs like a pound or so...

In terms of being "better off" with one system or another; that 'depends'. I think it's easier to make reflector fill look really natural than it is speedlight flash. The bigger the reflector, the larger an area it can fill; entire BUILDINGS can be used as reflectors in some locations, and a person can make his/her own large reflectors fairly affortdably. By large I mean 48x72 inches and upwards in size. Sometimes, a reflector can be small, and be ample, like a 24x24 or 30 inch circular, for a head-and-shoulders shot, but NOT for a family group of say eight people.

Just keep working at it. See what can be done with what you have. Gaining experience will give you the ability to assimilate and process and sift through more knowledge about the how,what,why,where,when of light and lighting. For example, at high noon, a single speedlight is a weak source of light on a wide-open, sunny August beach; at night under starlight, it's a VERY powerful light source.

 

[gsgary]

Second shot is 100% better keep shooting like that and introduce 1 light at a time the skill of using lights is to make it look as if you have not used lighting your first shot is too flashy

 

[dsiglin]

Yesterday I was home for lunch and took the chance to shoot in better lighting. These two photos were shot in open shade with my Canon FD 50mm 1.4 @f2. Iso was 100 and shutter speed was 200. I shot through the white umbrella this time instead of bouncing it off the umbrella. I also turned the lighting so it was a 45 degree angle or so. I'm posting the edited file first and then the original. I like how in the first photo the flash helps pull her from the background by highlighting the arm and shoulder. Her face gets a bit lost in the background. The second one I learned why I need grey cards as the white balance was significantly different than the first shot. How close her elbow is to the dark red line of the bench behind her. I'm not sure if it is faux pas to have her arm behind her, still learning proper posing. I do like the arm behind but it would have looked less "cut off" if it came in at an angle. Looking at the originals you can see I edited the background heavily in the first photo. Second photo I adjusted the skin tones and edited out the puffy eyes (yeah for allergies). After editing I noticed the left eye has a much brighter catch light than the right. And now looking at it on my work monitor the face seems over exposed.

Comment/critique appreciated.

edited

unedited


edited

unedited

 

[Derrel]

Your edits turned out pretty well. You'll continue to get better and better, I am sure, just seeing how well you handled these few photos. You seem to have pretty good powers of observation regarding things like background, background control, posing, and so on.

 

[dsiglin]

I appreciate the encouragement, it's nice to know I'm on the right track. Anything from a technical standpoint I need to work on with this most recent set of photos? I thing I don't really understand is what makes good "sculpting" of the face. Looking at the second photo to me the shadows that make her smile seem a bit dark because of the angle of light to her face. Maybe having her turn her head more towards the camera to let more light into the shadows? I don't know.

I want to develop my own style but understanding the basics is where I must start. I have read "Lighting 101" on the strobist blog, I was wondering if there are a few other definitive guides to lighting, especially with strobes? Now that I've practiced a little bit with strobes I will comprehend better what I read.

 

[nycphotography]

there is improvement. one thing your eye missed when setting up (the last shot) was the harshly uneven natural light. you would have to bring the flash up almost to the ambient highlight level in order to fill those shadows (ambient highlight less 1, stop more or less).

I would probably have moved the model someplace evenly lit if possible, looking for shade while keeping the background behind her. sometimes there is no shade, and you have to create your own with a big scrim. Other times you have to find other solutions, like bringing the flash up to ambient highlight +1 on the subject (which could also pleasantly lower the relative level on the background).

Keep working at it. you're well on your way.

 

[nycphotography]

Ohhh and one more thing about working with flash:

GET BLOTTING PAPER and GET A CAN OF TRANSLUCENT POWDER and learn to use them both separately or together to knock down oily highlights on foreheads, cheeks, chins, and noses.

There is a specific name for the translucent powder, but it escapes me at the moment.

Use the clear powder on men and women, anytime you want to knock down a glare or hot spot on a subject.

 

[Braineack]

Comment/critique appreciated.

edited
View attachment 56053
unedited
View attachment 56054

would like to see the unedited subject on the edited background; you lost a lot of her detail (especially in the hair and eyes).

 

[dsiglin]

@nycphotographer - you are talking about the shadows on her face, right?

 

[nycphotography]

@nycphotographer - you are talking about the shadows on her face, right?

right

 

[dsiglin]

Good call, I'll play around with different flash levels next time.