A Picture I Took 2014 - Contains NSFW Images

Daggah said:
Do you have more shots from this session? The model I shot with a few weekends ago (lingerie) wants to do a dance-themed shoot because she has professional ballet training. I really like the silhouette shot.
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I posted two other items earlier in the thread (you'll note that I said these are from the same session).
However, one of them was a 'simple' portrait, so that may not help you.

I had some specific limitations, and I also had specific requirements, so I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to do. I, as an example, also wanted to do some shots with her in motion (Nicole is really quite talented, she trains endlessly), midair splits in profile as an example would have been something I would have also shot, had the location been amiable and had I the time (at the time).

So, the shots I did do, were all about working within' the limitations I had. I kept it 'simple' and 'beautiful'. As I mentioned earlier, had I more time, and the correct space, I would have also done something more athletic.

I would recommend of course looking around online if you're not familiar with ballet or with various ballet techniques. I of course don't know what your model is capable of, but looking at what others have shot is a really good start (I suppose you're already doing that with looking at my work).


https://www.google.com/search?q=bal...TyQH8mIGICA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1248&bih=1308
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ballet&FORM=HDRSC2


If you have time, learning about ballet will help as well. Check out the basic ballet positions, arm positions, feet positions, etc. You can probably just rely on your model, but if you want to instruct her to do something other than "look interesting", being able to direct her with something specific could take your work to the next level.


http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/p/Ballet.htm
 
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What's the lighting setup for the silhouette shot? Looks like a grid was used?
 
Daggah said:
What's the lighting setup for the silhouette shot? Looks like a grid was used?
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I wish I could say I was using a Profoto 7B and Pro B head, with an Elinchrom Deep-Octa with grid on a C-Stand... but the truth is I have very minimal, inexpensive gear.

Basically it's just a 580EX II on a Manfrotto Stand, Pocket Wizard Plus 3, and an inexpensive Honl Grid (for Hotshoe Flashes).

I actually learned this technique from Joe McNally. If you want to REALLY make this a cool shot, do it in a huge space. You can make a shadow that's massive and have the person be a small speck (relatively) and have the shadow, the form of the person, take up the entire frame. I didn't have a space large enough to do that, so I had to have a shadow that is relatively equal in size to the model.
 
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POTN_JS said:
Sedona, AZ & Apache Junction, AZ

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I love AZ.
 
^^Gorgeous.

Doing prison like a boss. In May of 1929, Al Capone was arrested outside of a movie theater in Philadelphia for carrying a concealed & unlicensed .38 revolver. He served 8 out of the 12 month sentence in this cell at Eastern State Penitentiary.
 
Latest work. I have a series of portraits coming. But at this rate, it'll take me 2 months to get them all out there.

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jmroberts70 said:
Fantastic shot!! How was it lit?
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Heh, getting back to the other series before this one, I have nothing special. But I'm really working and trying to learn my craft well. I like this type of lighting style so it's been driving me towards more sophisticated techniques.

All that said, the only equipment involved was a 2'x2' Lastolite Softbox for speedlights. Manfroto Light Stand/Umbrella Adapter, 580EX II, Pocket Wizard Plus III.

The light was camera left. The key is the light positioning. I really feathered the light. So much so that believe it or not the light was facing towards camera and not the subject. Tell tale signs are the lack of catchlights despite there being a ribbon of light on the side of her face. I considered adding catchlights in post, but I didn't bother, feeling like the lack there of added to the moodiness of the image.

This is also probably one of the most processed photos I've ever done. I spent an exorbitant amount of time doing manual skin smoothing, which is essentially air brushing digitally. The trick of course is to make it look natural, and not like either a gradient, or plastic.


I'm experimenting more with this technique. I have one other image that I'm working on that used it. I'll share it eventually.
 
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Did a really cool shoot with a bunch of makeup artists from a local amusement park. We probably had 9 or 10 models and almost as many MUAs.

Oh, and I had another model request a shoot in my box :D

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Excellent shot! Same can't be said about his choice of socks, but you can't control everything. ;) Great work!
 
northrop said:
Excellent shot! Same can't be said about his choice of socks, but you can't control everything. ;) Great work!
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What? I like his socks. They show his personality. :p

jmroberts70 said:
Seriously, that is a beautifully lit shot. Bravo!
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It took me sometime to get that lighting right, and also for him to hold still in a position that of course I wanted. I've finally started getting into the practice of really pushing past "good" and into "great" in terms of lighting. Before, I would setup my lighting pattern and if it looked "good" I would just shoot with it. I've started slowing down and pushing towards exactly what I want in terms of lighting. Which means more interaction with my client, and telling them to wait longer, and stay there longer (as I don't have assistants to do a pre-light with). Of course I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I'm on the path, and I can see now much more clearly what needs improvement, and what having other better gear will actually do for me in more objective terms, instead of just wanting something expensive just to have it.

Thanks a bunch. Both of you. I've been on the path to get into commercial/advertising/editorial photography for my life's work.
It's a weird contradicting thing. As an artist, you don't want to be validated by anyone else, especially those who don't "get it", but at the same time it feels really great when you do.
I'm just trying to keep trucking. Also, there is some seriously great work in here. Just happy to be part of this community pumping out awesome different stuff.

Sorry to blather on as per usual. I'm obviously one of the more wordy people around here. :D
 
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UnknownSouljer said:
What? I like his socks. They show his personality. :p



It took me sometime to get that lighting right, and also for him to hold still in a position that of course I wanted. I've finally started getting into the practice of really pushing past "good" and into "great" in terms of lighting. Before, I would setup my lighting pattern and if it looked "good" I would just shoot with it. I've started slowing down and pushing towards exactly what I want in terms of lighting. Which means more interaction with my client, and telling them to wait longer, and stay there longer (as I don't have assistants to do a pre-light with). Of course I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I'm on the path, and I can see now much more clearly what needs improvement, and what having other better gear will actually do for me in more objective terms, instead of just wanting something expensive just to have it.

Thanks a bunch. Both of you. I've been on the path to get into commercial/advertising/editorial photography for my life's work.
It's a weird contradicting thing. As an artist, you don't want to be validated by anyone else, especially those who don't "get it", but at the same time it feels really great when you do.
I'm just trying to keep trucking. Also, there is some seriously great work in here. Just happy to be part of this community pumping out awesome different stuff.

Sorry to blather on as per usual. I'm obviously one of the more wordy people around here. :D
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I don't mind your wordiness. They are like your photos, well thought out and written/executed.:p As you can tell I'm a big fan of your work, especially making do with minimal equipment.

@Daggah, just a guess but is it #2?
 
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I did fake the catchlight in #2, but that shot I feel like I did a reasonable job of it.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
It took me sometime to get that lighting right, and also for him to hold still in a position that of course I wanted. I've finally started getting into the practice of really pushing past "good" and into "great" in terms of lighting. Before, I would setup my lighting pattern and if it looked "good" I would just shoot with it. I've started slowing down and pushing towards exactly what I want in terms of lighting. Which means more interaction with my client, and telling them to wait longer, and stay there longer (as I don't have assistants to do a pre-light with). Of course I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I'm on the path, and I can see now much more clearly what needs improvement, and what having other better gear will actually do for me in more objective terms, instead of just wanting something expensive just to have it.
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I think that if you want to take the shot and make it great instead of good...it could use some rim lighting or some kind of kicker. But that's my personal preference...I really like a more cinematic style of light.
 
Daggah said:
I think that if you want to take the shot and make it great instead of good...it could use some rim lighting or some kind of kicker. But that's my personal preference...I really like a more cinematic style of light.
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Note taken. My preferences are a bit different than yours.
If you define 'cinematic lighting' as cross lighting, then a majority of the time, I'm not a really big fan. Cross-lighting creates a lot of separation, which of course some people like as they like that 'pop' from the background. I generally am starting to prefer less pop in favor of a more organic feel. I like things starting to melt together and feel cohesive. Cross lighting or rim lighting a lot of the time feels artificial (to me). [As a small side note, had I chose to, I could have used a reflector on the unlit side, I don't have another light source to currently use other than that.]
EDIT: I think I may have gone a bit overboard in general with this response, but just to add to it, I do think that there are times in which cross-lighting and rim lighting are done well, but they are a minority of the time. I will definitely work with it in the future, but I can foresee that it will be technique that I'll use very subtly/carefully, and more than likely sparingly.

On the flip side, when I look at my image and think of what I could improve, the improvement I would have made was: 'use a larger light source'. I'm limited with my 2'x2' softbox. A 5' or 7' Octa (or even without that gear, the creative use of a bed sheet, had I the time to jimmy such a rig) in this same setup would have allowed me to feather over more of the scene. It would have allowed the couch he's sitting on to be a bit more visible but still have soft creamy tones. In addition it would have still allowed for shadows on the unlit size (a feature as I noted earlier I prefer, as opposed to cross lighting, or using a rim). Those shadows however with a larger source would be reduced, and the gradient and smoothness of the tones and transitions on his face and body from the highlights to the shadows and other features would have been more gradual and beautiful.
Because of the size of my light source I could really only light my subject. He's actually leaning into the light. If he would have sat back into the couch, he would have not been lit at all. That's for of what I was mentioning earlier with trying to light him in a position, and trying to get him to hold still for long enough to get the shot I wanted. Still, I feel that the compromise I was able to achieve with what I have is more than satisfactory. Organic, caring less about obscurity, and caring more about the beauty of the light. Letting things melt into one another, and not featuring much if any separation. The other option, I suppose, is that I could have backed my light up more. But I don't like that compromise, as the further the source is, the harder it is, and I think that at it's position in this shot, it is about as hard of a light source as I would want. 2'x2' doesn't offer a lot of options in that regard.


If you want to see a TV series that lights the way I like. Try watching NBC's Hannibal. I've just started watching the second season, and already once again I'm floored with who ever gaffed it (which is the position of the lighting technician). A majority of the show is lit from motivated light sources (that is to say, light sources that have an apparent origin, rather than magic lighting that comes from nowhere). In the second episode there is a courtroom scene with a woman giving a testimony while wearing a big hat. The only "apparent" light source is from the courtroom windows. As she turns her head one way or the other her face moves in and out of shadow from the brim of her hat, sometimes fully obscuring her face, or some place in the middle between lit and unlit. The lighting is generally all from one side and is so organic, and moody. Now THAT kind of "cinematic lighting" I like.
 
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Shooting wide open at f/2 because I was balancing my off-camera flash with the ambient light in the bar...so yeah, my depth of field on that shot is extremely shallow. I don't think I overdid it on the skin smoothing.
 
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