Zeyad Salon 3

NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
edited March 3, 2010 in People
The last from that little slapped-together shoot in Ayman's little salon. As I said, a lot of fun and excitement for all, and a lot of learning for me... in a very short space of time (and area!). We are looking forward to doing it proper as soon as the hair grows back! I can see (some of) the faults in all the four shots I posted, but how much do they make these shots unusable for advertising, poster size in a white portrait frame, set in the top 2/3?

Any crits and tips gratefully received (the hat is empty to date!:huh).



801069571_wXxnA-L.jpg







Neil




.
"Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

http://www.behance.net/brosepix

Comments

  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,955 moderator
    edited March 2, 2010
    Hi Neil,

    My impression of all three posts is that the highlights in the hair are too bright, either because the hair was overexposed or because it was over-sharpened.

    FWIW.
    My Pics
  • SwartzySwartzy Registered Users Posts: 3,293 Major grins
    edited March 2, 2010
    Simply tone the hair down allowing for immediate view of his eyes. This is the best of the 3 and worth the extra ps work. I like it.
    Swartzy:
    NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
    Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
    www.daveswartz.com
    Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited March 2, 2010
    Thanks Richard and Swartzy. Very nice to get some reactions!thumb.gif

    Yes, the hair! Well, it is certainly "emphasised"!mwink.gifD None of it is blown, I hasten to say, on the defensive!eek7.gif The intention being to draw attention to the hairstyle/cut, and to place them (or more likely future versions) in a new salon being planned, I left the hair highlights as prominent as they are. If they had been portraits, I would have been looking at them quite differently.

    That's not to contradict you at all, but does it make any difference to your acceptance of the hair when you see them in that context? If not, then indeed I must change my approach!thumb.gif

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • SwartzySwartzy Registered Users Posts: 3,293 Major grins
    edited March 2, 2010
    My opinion...heh, and for what's that worth...if the shot is to representative of the hair, then the hair is the product shot. That being the case, the crop at the top of the head is purely a no no. The processing (as it appears to be processing) is a bit oversharpend and technically not blown, the desired look should be that of inviting. Select that area in PS, change the blending mode to "multiply" and lower the opacity for a more consistent blend....and if you have the whole head without such a tight crop, revisit that and start again. This particular angle is not quite representative for salon, so possibly you may have a few other looks, vantage points or poses. Make the hair believable as someone who saw this in a magazine would want to frequent that salon. Keeping that in mind will steer you in the right direction.
    Swartzy:
    NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
    Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
    www.daveswartz.com
    Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited March 2, 2010
    NeilL wrote:
    801069571_wXxnA-L.jpg

    Neil:
    Looks to me like the hair light is either too close or too hot. If it had been further away or diffused, it would have been alot better. Also, if these are going to be hung in a hair salon, to show different hair styles, I wouldn't cut off the top of the head. Just my observations.

    GaryB

    I see Swartzy beat me to punch on the crop. rolleyes1.gif
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited March 3, 2010
    Swartzy wrote:
    My opinion...heh, and for what's that worth...if the shot is to representative of the hair, then the hair is the product shot. That being the case, the crop at the top of the head is purely a no no. The processing (as it appears to be processing) is a bit oversharpend and technically not blown, the desired look should be that of inviting. Select that area in PS, change the blending mode to "multiply" and lower the opacity for a more consistent blend....and if you have the whole head without such a tight crop, revisit that and start again. This particular angle is not quite representative for salon, so possibly you may have a few other looks, vantage points or poses. Make the hair believable as someone who saw this in a magazine would want to frequent that salon. Keeping that in mind will steer you in the right direction.

    Swartzy, you are a very experienced guy, photos and compositing, I respect what you have to say (though can't guarantee I'll always do it!mwink.gif).

    There is only a touch of sharpening, and some increased contrast. Skin smoothing was the biggest edit.

    I will apply what you suggest in another version and post it anon.

    Very appreciative of your input.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited March 3, 2010
    BroPhoto wrote:
    Neil:
    Looks to me like the hair light is either too close or too hot. If it had been further away or diffused, it would have been alot better. Also, if these are going to be hung in a hair salon, to show different hair styles, I wouldn't cut off the top of the head. Just my observations.

    GaryB

    I see Swartzy beat me to punch on the crop. rolleyes1.gif

    Gary, many thanks for looking and commenting!

    As you can see from my reply to Swartzy, I'll do another version and try to mitigate the problems you see.

    Yes, the hairlight was all of too close, too hot and not diffused!eek7.gif I couldn't get away with it, could I? But, the guy is also wearing highly reflective gel in his hair - it's very appreciated in these parts (Middle East), even in an "ordinary" shot it would look like an atomic zap!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited March 3, 2010
    This is about as far as I can go with it, and keep the hair from looking flat and the highlights from being gray and the shadows blocked. I've brought it back a touch, but it's still not ideal. I can't beat the really emphatic light and the emphatically extroverted hair gel! But I'm in a much better position to deal with all these things when the hair grows back!


    801528313_VCz8Y-L.jpg






    Neil




    .
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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