A few from this weekend's workshop

Cygnus Studios

InsuredDisaster

I'll take a #2. Nice shot. Like the lead in with the railing.


The purse snatching shot is interesting, but I think the woman on the right is more intersting. The left one is kinda blah Could ahve been stronger.



Just my comments.

bendruckerphoto

#'s 1 & 2 are quite good. Otherwise, I'm not a fan of a lot of the compositions and poses here. Other than 1 and 2, all the others have at least 1 serious flaw preventing me from really liking them.

3) Flat light. I think this is an interesting pose with the chair and a good background. Underexposing the background by two stops and then exposing the subject with flash would have made a great image. As it is here, it's pretty boring. Could be rescued in post, though.
4) Flat lighting, corny pose
5) Stiff pose, shadow on right arm
6) Arm almost blocks face. Wide angle portraits from close up are unflattering.
7) Flat lighting. Shooting up on the subject wasn't a good idea either.

tisun

Some of my shots
Edit: These shots are from the same workshop.

I am a noob at model shoots -- too many shots with cut-off hands, elbows, fingers, and hands in awkward positions. However, there are a few shots that are reasonable. C&C welcome.

1. Going for a James Bond feel


2. Umbrella


3. In front of door


4. High voltage


5. On a WWII gunboat


6. A photog demonstrating a dramatic pose


--Anthony

InsuredDisaster

I find it odd that you didn't start your own topic, but as the models appear to be the same, I guess you went to the same workshop?


1, is interesting, but I think the cars in the background are incredibly distracting and take away some of the James bond feeling.

2 is ok, but for me I think the umbrella just doesn't fit in with the rest of the costume. And I don't know what it is, the lighting, the shape of the umbrella, or what, but the umbrella seems a bit flat.

The rest. None of them really grab me. Is there a theme with #4? I've seen a similar sign in another photo, and there was a theme that tied everything together. The woman really did appear to be high voltage! However, I do like the lighting on the model

With 5, I'm not certain I'm seeing the point of posing her on a gunboat, vs a door, or even on top of a trash can here. I think on a WWII gunboat, perhaps some guns, or something more "Pinup for the troops" feel, if that makes sense, might fit the scene a bit more.


Feel free to ignore me of course!

Darren Troy C

InsuredDisaster wrote:

I find it odd that you didn't start your own topic, but as the models appear to be the same, I guess you went to the same workshop?

2nd that opinion. You're both, I'm assuming, wanting C&C on your individual performances. Tisun, I would consider deleting and starting your own C&C thread. That being said, the "Umbrella" shot is the best image of both groups, by far. That's a subjective opinion, not an objective statement.

tisun

It is the same workshop. Regarding #1, I agree with the cars being too sharp and cause distraction. I wished I had use a shallower DOF. Perhaps, I'll blur them out in PS later.

For #4, we used a reflector and I was amazed at how well a reflector lit up the scene. I had no particular theme in mind.

For #5, I have shots of the model with guns, but the sun was directly overhead and the lighting was harsh. My fill-in flash was not sufficient.

Thank you for the comments and I welcome them. After all, I am learning.

InsuredDisaster wrote:

I find it odd that you didn't start your own topic, but as the models appear to be the same, I guess you went to the same workshop?


1, is interesting, but I think the cars in the background are incredibly distracting and take away some of the James bond feeling.

2 is ok, but for me I think the umbrella just doesn't fit in with the rest of the costume. And I don't know what it is, the lighting, the shape of the umbrella, or what, but the umbrella seems a bit flat.

The rest. None of them really grab me. Is there a theme with #4? I've seen a similar sign in another photo, and there was a theme that tied everything together. The woman really did appear to be high voltage! However, I do like the lighting on the model

With 5, I'm not certain I'm seeing the point of posing her on a gunboat, vs a door, or even on top of a trash can here. I think on a WWII gunboat, perhaps some guns, or something more "Pinup for the troops" feel, if that makes sense, might fit the scene a bit more.


Feel free to ignore me of course!

tisun

I'll start a new thread once I process more shots. Thanks for your comments.

Idlewild wrote:

2nd that opinion. You're both, I'm assuming, wanting C&C on your individual performances. Tisun, I would consider deleting and starting your own C&C thread. That being said, the "Umbrella" shot is the best image of both groups, by far. That's a subjective opinion, not an objective statement.

aktse

InsuredDisaster wrote:

I find it odd that you didn't start your own topic, but as the models appear to be the same, I guess you went to the same workshop?

Cynus Studios was generous enough to arrange the models, model releases and contacted the location for permission to shoot at an old Naval Base for the workshop.
He's a pro that is willing to share his knowledge clapclap Thank you so much!

As for posting in this thread -- he told us to in this thread

Cygnus Studios wrote:

... I have a thread started for some of the pics here. Feel free to add yours to it (that includes everyone from this past weekend)

Thank you again.

aktse

Anthony,

I think you did very well considered this was your first model shoot!

How did you process these images?

And I love the photo of Cal!

tisun

aktse wrote:

Anthony,

I think you did very well considered this was your first model shoot!

How did you process these images?

Thanks, April. Here are my usual processing steps:

1. Adjust WB in LR
2. Adjust Exposure/Recovery/Fill/Blacks in LR
3. Use the Local Adjustment Brush in LR to selectively adjust exposure/brightness of skin (face)
4. Move to PS to adjust overall contrast (e.g., Curves)
5. Add local contrast to areas that are not skin or face using Unsharp Mask with Amount/Radius/Threshold set to 20/50/0 (use a layer mask to isolate non-skin/non-face areas)
6. Duplicate all layers using Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E
7. Remove blemish on skin on new layer using Spot Healing Brush tool
8. Smooth out skin using your favorite method, e.g., (a) duplicate the top layer to create a new layer, then (b) perform a Gaussian blur on the layer below the new top layer, (c) move back to the top layer and add a layer mask, (d) select brush, choose black, select opacity at some low percentage, (e) paint on mask where you want the skin to be smooth
9. Sharpen the eyes
10. Back in LR, use the Vignettes tool to subtly darken the surrounding background

aktse wrote:

Anthony,
And I love the photo of Cal!

He's a great model.

Oh, I would like to thank Cygnus Studios for organizing a great workshop.