Author Book-jacket Shot

Darter02Darter02 Registered Users Posts: 947 Major grins
edited September 10, 2013 in People
I happened to meet Alex Bledsoe by chance as we're both transplants to the same small town in Wisconsin, and we both have intrepid 5-year-olds who introduce themselves to people. He's a scifi/fantasy/fiction writer, and we've become good friends. He needed a new "Author's Image" for use on books, promotions, etc. These are the two chosen for publication.

We were purposely going for a warm light scheme. Set up was two Canon ex580 II on stands. One high and to the far left firing into an umbrella, another lower to the right with a softbox, both gelled with 1/4CTO. It's been a few months but I think I used my super long hotshoe cord, and the built in Master/Slave functions of the gear. Camera was the Canon Mrk II + EF 35mm f/1.4L

IMG_7062_Alex-Bledsoe_2013-01-09%20%281%29-L.jpg

IMG_7105_Alex-Bledsoe_2013-01-09-L.jpg

Critiques very welcome.

Comments

  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2013
    Light and location spot-on in both thumb.gif Only slight photo nit is the shading of his eyes in #2, because of the glasses. Maybe dodge a bit of that out so the skin tone matches even where his bifocals are, and clone out the frames shadows?

    I really like the second one, but not sure about the "Alas poor Yorick" of the first - obviously, it was planned and what you wanted, but not sure it "reads" out of context!
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2013
    Nice work!!
  • Darter02Darter02 Registered Users Posts: 947 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2013
    divamum wrote: »
    Light and location spot-on in both thumb.gif Only slight photo nit is the shading of his eyes in #2, because of the glasses. Maybe dodge a bit of that out so the skin tone matches even where his bifocals are, and clone out the frames shadows?

    I really like the second one, but not sure about the "Alas poor Yorick" of the first - obviously, it was planned and what you wanted, but not sure it "reads" out of context!

    Good point on the glasses. Glasses can be troublesome at times. My biggest hurtle is that went I got into photography I soon made friends with photojournalists. They took me under wing and drilled the old, "no unnecessary" editing into my skull. They'd be appalled I added vignetting! "Touching up something... oooo...

    As for the skull one, that one is just him being a goof. It's an old replica hominid skull I have in my office. A relic from my museum days. I think he wants to just use it for fun stuff.
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2013
    Yeah, but this isn't PJ :) Posed portrait plays by - and will be judged by - different rules :D
  • Darter02Darter02 Registered Users Posts: 947 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2013
    divamum wrote: »
    Yeah, but this isn't PJ :) Posed portrait plays by - and will be judged by - different rules :D

    I hear you. I need to look at how I process images again. Perhaps this winter I'll experiment with new styles of processing.
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