Board index Photography Artistic Questions honest CC please

Artistic Questions

honest CC please

Discuss style and artistic aspects of photography
atkelley
 
Posts: 25

honest CC please

Post Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:47 am


Hi,
I have only been to the boards here a few times but I was hoping that ...If anyone has the time could you please take a look at these and give me technical feedback on how I can improve these.
I have another board I post on and I was told it looks like I have some hotspots, other than that I didn't hear much.
I am guessing I can correct future hotspots by backing up my lights maybe? If not can anyone share. Also my catchlights need alot of work any suggestions on how to get big beautiful catchlights with studio lights.

I am hoping to get some honest CC on these. Don't worry I really want the honesty My feelings will not be hurt.
I have alot of people asking me (about 4 this week, who saw some of my pictures) to take there pictures and for a price sheet, which I do not have. And I don't want to let them done. These pictures are of my own children. http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/studio_lights

Thanks for everyone's help, I really appreaciate it.
---April

alain_lestrade
 
Posts: 195


Post Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:05 pm


April,

I had a look on your "studio lights" gallery. I was stunned by the quality of your work, specially by the framing. You feel very inspired!

CC now (IMHO of course): the control of the light appears globally excellent; but sometimes the skin seem to be burnt, examples here: http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91857440, or: http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91857445, contrary to that one which is perfect (for me): http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91859945

You can really see the difference between both on her cheeks.

Another point to be improved is the focusing for some of them: http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91893104 only her hands are clear and sharp. Another example here: http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91859946 or http://www.pbase.com/atkelley/image/91857445

Keep shooting, congratulations.

Regards,

Alain.

atkelley
 
Posts: 25


Post Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:53 pm


Great feedback thanks so much.

Can I ask the best way to correct this.... For the focus should I bump up my Aperture. I had it at f11. I can try going higher maybe? Then that will give me more depth of field and focus. I believe that's the correct thinking? If not please correct me.

For the brightest, Something I did not relize until this morning was how much the kids had moved around vs when I first began shooting. How much of a difference does this usually make. When you are shooting very busy fast moving do you readjust your lighting or do you back it up and turn them up.
Also I am guessing that I'm getting the brightest on her cheeks from the distance/power set to the lights???? Should I try to back them up just a little or turn them down some. I have the hardest time correct overexposure because I always worry they will look dark.
I would love to know if I'm thinking along the correct lines or heading in the wrong direction.... :?

pstubley
 
Posts: 217


Post Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:34 pm


Hi, April,

I am starting my feedback with a disclaimer: I'm not sure how much is just my personal preference and style versus "the correct thing," but I decided to post anyways, on the assumption that if I say something interesting, you can try it, and if you like the results, great. If not....

I had pretty much the same reaction as Alain: overall, these are great. There are a few blown out spots, and the odd focus issue, but I have seen far worse (including on some wedding photographers' web sites, where it happened so often, they must have been doing it on purpose), and I don't find it distracting, particularly when viewing them as a group.

I would be inclined to reduce the lighting intensity, rather than changing the f-stop. The rule of thumb someone gave me once is that it is usually best to use an aperture in the middle for portraits (like f8 or f11), but you know your lens. One of the challenges with precise portrait lighting, particularly for subjects that tend to move around a lot (like children, for example!) is that they can move closer or further to the light. I am guessing that if you move the lights back a little (particularly if they are small lights as opposed to umbrellas), then the changes caused by small motions will be a little less.

Backing up versus turning down should be more or less equivalent in terms of the incident light, but will make differences in the way the shadows work: turn down = same shaped shadows, move back = different shadows. For the size of adjustments you need to make, probably not a big deal either way.

The other thing to check: are those areas blown out in the original? Or only during processing? I'm not sure about Canon, but my Nikon lets me see blown out areas in the preview image, so that is an easy way to know when it happens in the midst of the action.

Now for the personal taste section: for myself, I tend to prefer more dramatic lighting. Yours are very evenly lit, with enough variation to bring out the shapes. That's great if that is the look you want, but not my personal preference. You can see what I like in my portraits: Portraits.

The other suggestion I have is that black & white is really good for practicing lighting. I also love it for portraits, but even if you don't, it might be worth looking at a few that way just to concentrate on the lighting.

And I almost forgot another suggestion: something that often works well with portraits is a little burning in at the corners. It can be very subtly done and still help to draw the eye into the subject.

Otherwise, keep up the great work, keep shooting, and keep experimenting.

Peter

azato
 
Posts: 17


Post Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:24 pm


For those shots where you daughter is laying down, i think the angle is wrong. Her head is farther away than her legs which I think that tends to take the focus off the face and the emphasis on her legs. If she were more perpendicular to you I think it would work out better. Shooting directly overhead with your model looking up might be another good pose.

louann108
 
Posts: 11


Post Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:13 am


Some of your son at Christmas are overlit....
The only CC I would actually have is in the cropping. Some seem to think that going offcenter or taking off parts of someone's head is 'artistic', but it's not. The only time the entire head shouldn't be in the portrait is if the face alone is the subject. If you're going to crop at the elbows or neck, the entire head needs to be in the portrait.
Going off-center confuses the eye-we become drawn away from the subject because we're seeing background as a focal point. Off-center works in nature, not in portraiture.


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