Promotional shoot (C&C please!)

divamum

Fun, but tiring. Full story (and teaser shots) here

So I've processed the following shots. In a perfect world, they all would have been better lit/more sparkly/better styled/etc etc etc but given the 48hrs notice and a busy schedule this week, I'm kind of amazed I came up with anything! Of course, this is where *experience* plays a big part - I'm sure for somebody who's doing this as a full-time job, it's no big deal to slot in a quickie (and realistically, fairly simple) shoot, but for me, very little is routined yet, so I have to think about every little thing. Many of which I FORGOT to think about, but given the circumstances, I can live with them, despite the mistakes of da n00b.

In any case, here are some options that we're considering. They will be used for a brochure and probably the program, but are unlikely to be used larger than 4x6ish. Reshooting is NOT an option; reprocessing may be. Bring it on! (And thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou for the input so far!!)

(To borrow from Heather: C&C+Diva=:lust )

1. White bg


2. With some textchahhhhhh...




3. Cheezy vignette, but possible appropriate in the context it will be used


4. Happy lighting accident and I love the comp on this (how we got our heads lined up so perfectly I will never know, but somehow we did!). Expression perhaps a bit dead, however.


5. My husband said this looks more like a cop-shop-drama promo than musicians :rofl I had fun processing it for a more extreme look. (I've always been told my eyes were big, but hers are like SAUCERS. Plus, it makes me feel about 110 and 9ft tall standing next to her, but there we have it :lol3)



6. The red and denim was a great idea in theory. In practice? Not so sure.... (even though the expressions are nice I'm worried that it might look either C&W or like a rather mediocre family shot... :rofl)



Lastly, whoever recommended the free "Magic Skin" action a while back - I LOVE YOU! Omg, you saved me SOoooOOOooooOOO much time today, because that thing is great for quick edits like this needed!!!!! :bow :lust

adbsgicom

Nicely done!

I like 1&2 -- I think it is your best pose of the group.
She looks unsure of herself in #3
#4 is working for me (her head). Don't know why, exactly.
I agree w/ you DH on #5. Nice image though, cool vibe. :cool
#6 may be too casual for what you want.

I think you lose too much hair detail in the dark backgrounds, which may get worse when you create ads, depending on the medium.

Swartzy

#3 hands down....lose the heavy vignette but do burn the edges...in other words, make it a bit not so tight, especially at the bottom of the frame. You want those nice shadows on your faces to pop the light. I do love #4 too....really like the rim lighting. This would work very well too. Your look in #3 is commanding is what draws my eye to yours.

Qarik

I like the lightng best in 3..the posing best in 1 and smiles best in the last one. Just layer those 3 in PS and you have winner!

If I had to choose just one..probably #2 as a compromise.

kidzmom

Hey what are you talking about NOT sparkly! OMG, 3 SHINES! I love it!!! Love it!!! Absolutely glittering! I love what you've done with the others...the texture is fab in #2 and #5 looks like you are both on stage performing! These are WONDERFUL Divamum!

kini62

All the shots look very nice, but none will fit a 4x6 crop. Does 4x6 just mean a small photo rather than actual dimensions?

Gene

lilmomma

You're such a Diva, divamum! 3 is my fav, and I agree about the vignette being a little much, but only a little. I don't know if 5 if appropriate or not for what you're going for but it looks fun!

divamum

Thanks all. Yes, by 4x6ish I meant "small" rather than specifically that aspect ratio; they're currently cropped to 8x10 just in case they need to be printed at any point (since 8x10 is standard for promo materials)

At the moment, 3 is the frontrunner (with the vignette reduced a little, although I did still want to keep the "spotlight" effect), although my colleague really likes the Starska and Hutchette shot, #5 (I did that one as much as a JOKE as anything - omg, when will I learn NEVER EVER EVER to show people shots I don't really want to use, even if I think they're interesting for assorted reasons?!!!???!!).

Anyway, thank you all SO much. I really look forward to doing this kind of shoot again - ideally from only one side of the camera, and with a little more time to think about what I'm doing and get my thoughts in order. SO many things I could have done more effectively with just a little more advance notice and carefully thought-out method. (Technique, technique, technique. Just because I have acquired a little does NOT mean it's reliable under pressure yet!)

kidzmom

Ya done good!