A Picture I Took 2014 - Contains NSFW Images

Thanks, Anh, that means a lot. I'm still working on my technique with the lens. The combination of manual focus combined with small movements of my neck seem to yield decent results. I don't have the gear for a supported shot so all my work will be freehand until I figure that out.

This weekend provided a few opportunities but nothing formal. There is a field of flowers I want to hit in the evening with the 8-15mm lens but it just hasn't worked out yet.


Driving Germany by Gear Driver, on Flickr


Igstadt by Gear Driver, on Flickr


Gladiolus - Angel Flower by Gear Driver, on Flickr
 
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I found some more talented makeup artists to work with. I spent most of Sunday working with them in my studio and got a ton of great shots!

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Keep those great shots coming, guys!

I did another set for a friend during his son's youth baseball game. These kids show so much energy and competitiveness...but their inexperience lead to so many great shots too.


Coming in hot by Gear Driver, on Flickr
 
DJ CAVE on the Ones and Twos



The trouble with having a moody style is getting it all to translate once there is A) compression and B) the file is being viewed at anything other than full screen. I was losing his right arm (camera left) for a while. Must have exported the jpeg at least 10 times. All that annoying last minute tweaking.
 
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UnknownSouljer said:
The trouble with having a moody style is getting it all to translate once there is A) compression and B) the file is being viewed at anything other than full screen. I was losing his right arm (camera left) for a while. Must have exported the jpeg at least 10 times. All that annoying last minute tweaking.
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Wonderful mood, US. I think it would have been an interesting result to have just his hands and face/upper torso visible too.
 
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Love them both. Great work. Were the wardrobe accessories purposeless selected to match the backdrop or was that just a happy coincidence? (camo shirt in the first, and the feather in the second)
 
northrop said:
Love them both. Great work. Were the wardrobe accessories purposeless selected to match the backdrop or was that just a happy coincidence? (camo shirt in the first, and the feather in the second)
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The wonders of photo magic. I'm glad you asked this question, as it makes me feel better about my work, let me tell you why:

They're both composites, the first composites that I've really ever done and then released. I just looked around online for textures. Basically they're both "cement/concrete textures" I found while searching online. Bing has a "free to modify, share, and use commercially" filter as part of it's image search engine so I looked around and grabbed things that were appealing to me and were of 'sufficient' resolution.

So to answer your question, yes, the backgrounds were selected to match the visual style I was looking for, and to match what they were wearing. As was the color. However, they were wearing whatever they were wearing. I didn't choose their wardrobe. They're both artists. Mark Minor especially really crafts his "looks" when he goes out. Lots of accessories, lots of hats, lots of layers.

After I selected which textures I was going to use, I used gaussian blur appropriately to infer the shallow depth of field I was using, as well as making the background feel as though it had a bit of distance from the subject. Then using the color picker and blending modes I altered the colors of the cement. In both cases, I picked the color to match the subject. Then I used another layer and blending mode to add a "lighting effect". And finally to really make the background feel as though it were part of the image, I created a shadow by using the person selection, filling it in with black, using gaussian blur to make it feel organic, and finishing it off with yet another blending mode. I used other other small details that I've never tried before as well, such as adding noise to the background and blurring it.

The nice thing is that with Photoshop, I can alter any one of those layers. It was done 100% non-destructively. Handy of course as obviously I spent an inordinate amount of time tweaking it. Now that I've created the workflow though, doing it again is pretty quick. Figuring out how to make it look right was the real trick. Believe it or not, all of this stuff really isn't complicated, it was a bit time consuming though.

I'm still learning about compositing. I'd really like to get to the level where I can really take an image of a location, and an image of a person and marry them together. That takes a lot of work/knowledge but can be a critical skill to gain jobs. I don't really want to become a "composite specialist" though. I think I'll always prefer to be on location for a shoot, but that can't always be done. Knowing these other tools is really useful.
 
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UnknownSouljer said:
The wonders of photo magic. I'm glad you asked this question, as it makes me feel better about my work, let me tell you why:

They're both composites, the first composites that I've really ever done and then released. I just looked around online for textures. Basically they're both "cement/concrete textures" I found while searching online. Bing has a "free to modify, share, and use commercially" filter as part of it's image search engine so I looked around and grabbed things that were appealing to me and were of 'sufficient' resolution.

So to answer your question, yes, the backgrounds were selected to match the visual style I was looking for, and to match what they were wearing. As was the color. However, they were wearing whatever they were wearing. I didn't choose their wardrobe. They're both artists. Mark Minor especially really crafts his "looks" when he goes out. Lots of accessories, lots of hats, lots of layers.

After I selected which textures I was going to use, I used gaussian blur appropriately to infer the shallow depth of field I was using, as well as making the background feel as though it had a bit of distance from the subject. Then using the color picker and blending modes I altered the colors of the cement. In both cases, I picked the color to match the subject. Then I used another layer and blending mode to add a "lighting effect". And finally to really make the background feel as though it were part of the image, I created a shadow by using the person selection, filling it in with black, using gaussian blur to make it feel organic, and finishing it off with yet another blending mode. I used other other small details that I've never tried before as well, such as adding noise to the background and blurring it.

The nice thing is that with Photoshop, I can alter any one of those layers. It was done 100% non-destructively. Handy of course as obviously I spent an inordinate amount of time tweaking it. Now that I've created the workflow though, doing it again is pretty quick. Figuring out how to make it look right was the real trick. Believe it or not, all of this stuff really isn't complicated, it was a bit time consuming though.

I'm still learning about compositing. I'd really like to get to the level where I can really take an image of a location, and an image of a person and marry them together. That takes a lot of work/knowledge but can be a critical skill to gain jobs. I don't really want to become a "composite specialist" though. I think I'll always prefer to be on location for a shoot, but that can't always be done. Knowing these other tools is really useful.
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Excellent works! If you didn't explain, I would not know that they are composites, which how all great composites should be.
 
sorry to hear about this picture / identity theft.
hope everything turns out well for you!
 
shadowlord said:
sorry to hear about this picture / identity theft.
hope everything turns out well for you!
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Anh N. said:
Hoping everything work out for you EQ.
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Thanks for the support! It's resolved, wont detail how, but he's been dealt with accordingly. In the end, I didnt really lose anything, but it's a firm reminder that slimebags exist on this planet.

A selection of the best from the past couple of weeks

Atlantis by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Complex by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Ratio by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Big City Feel by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Climax by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Chelsea & Max I by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Octagonal by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Fulgurite by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

A Perfect Rainbow by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Can't Decide by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Summer Begins by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Grand by Empty Quarter, on Flickr

Chelsea & Max II by Empty Quarter, on Flickr
 
Even though I don't have access to GenMay, I am glad to hear it worked out. Always love to see your work.
 
Lot of great pictures everyone!

Empty_Quarter, that rainbow shot is great.:cool:
 
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