The Witches

D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
edited October 18, 2013 in People
I am working on a collection of pictures for a Halloween, a local organization wants to publish them in a magazine. So I was asked to work something out. I got the two best models and we did work this one out.
I would appreciate your comments, so that I have some feeling if I am hitting it before showing it to the magazine. TXS for viewing.
i-CQbM86H-X3.jpg
A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer

Comments

  • BilsenBilsen Registered Users Posts: 2,143 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2013
    Love this D3. How in hell (pun intended) did you light this. I needed you for the Harty Potter shoot I just posted.

    Anyway, my only reservation is the dog. It just looks fake somehow.
    Bilsen (the artist formerly known as John Galt NY)
    Canon 600D; Canon 1D Mk2;
    24-105 f4L IS; 70-200 f4L IS; 50mm 1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 55-250 IS; 580EX & (2) 430EX Flash,
    Model Galleries: http://bilsen.zenfolio.com/
    Everything Else: www.pbase.com/bilsen
  • HelvegrHelvegr Registered Users Posts: 246 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2013
    This is pretty amazing. My brain is having a hard time with that dark round shadow to the bottom right of the dogs head. Looks like it is from one of the posts on the left, however I'd like to almost think this is moonlight or something given the creepy nature, but its such a hard shadow for something like moonlight.

    Nice work, not something I would be able to pull off, thats for sure!
    Camera: Nikon D4
    Lenses: Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR II | Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 | Nikon 50mm f/1.4
    Lighting: SB-910 | SU-800
  • Midknightc3Midknightc3 Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited October 15, 2013
    I'm with Bilsen...how the hell did you light this? And was the dog really sitting there like that? I think it would work fine for a magazine as I would kind of expect it to be photoshopped, but it looks like a statue with rubber front legs headscratch.gif Otherwise I think this is pretty stunning!

    Clark
    I recommend wearing trashcans on your heads to avoid any accidental exposure to knowledge - Dogbert
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2013
    Thank you for your comments , what I get is that the dog needs some additional work.

    For those of you who are interested on how I did light it.

    - These are a few shots with a light that I moved around and then overlay the pictures.
    - Taken by full daylight but at ISO50 @ an old cemitary, so that everything looks like it is dark.
    - Then I proceeded with the main subject light followed with the accent light.
    - In total I had seven shots

    The most importend aspect is that one has the final picture in mind, knowing what the light must look like and then build uo your light towards it. This picture has indeed not all the light accurate as where one naturally would expect it, but then again it is a fantasy shoot.

    Of course shooting on a cemetery requires the needed respect and care.


    Bilsen I have seen your Harry P. pictures and I do find them lovely. You got the scene and the models, now it is the artistic creation of light that will bring the mood. During that process I always play with light and shadows, as one says you can not have without the other one (Light and shadow). And don't care If the light is a bit off in the total picture.... so it is sometimes in real live...


    All TXS for your comments


    Regards Steve
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2013
    Incredible image!!!!!

    Now just to clarify: The cemetery, dog, witches are all separate images. The dog, and witches being shot in a studio then layered / blended into the cemetery image. Is this correct?

    No matter how you did it...wonderful!!!

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2013
    Sam wrote: »
    Incredible image!!!!!

    Now just to clarify: The cemetery, dog, witches are all separate images. The dog, and witches being shot in a studio then layered / blended into the cemetery image. Is this correct?

    No matter how you did it...wonderful!!!

    Sam

    Dear Sam,

    Indeed this is a composite image, and the reason is simple ...shooting pictures with models and animals on a cemetery is just not practical and legally not possible. So I needed to be a bit inventive.

    So I sketch what the final picture needs to look like. I then scout the models and the location.
    In this case I went to a local old cemetery, I looked around for while and took a series of 7 pictures with different lighting (flash - Broncolor) to simulate the darkness.

    In the studio I completed the pictures of the two models trying to match in the light / focus distance etc... as on the cemetery.

    It is a lot of planning and work, but it works. At the end I combined the different shots.

    In fact it is a bit of practice to create coherence between all the shots and how to plan them...

    I love to work like this, some will not like it and call it " not real photography", but I can assure those that it takes a lot of photography skills and one really needs to know the light and how it behaves. Furthermore the Make-up Artist need to be told how I wanted the models to look like. I went for the gothic look. The styling is another aspect that I had to set and select. So all by all, I had to be the photographer, the stylist and the artist..... That is a lot ....

    I do agree that the final shot looks a bit like a fantasy shot, but that is also the intend.

    If I could make the shot in one go, I would but if that is not possible then I try to be creative...
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2013
    You are a Master Photographer. It is wonderful.
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2013
    wow.
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2013
    Even if you leave it as is, it's a home run and will thrill the magazine. The fact that it is a composite is not at all obvious. If you told me it was a single shot with 4 or 5 lights I would believe you. Maybe tone down the dog and it's perfection.

    bowdown.gifbowdown.gifbowdown.gif
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • puzzledpaulpuzzledpaul Registered Users Posts: 1,621 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2013
    The only comment I'd add to previous is regarding what the LH model is pointing at.
    If something happening in the sky (say) ... fine, but if the intention was for her to be pointing at the other model ... her eyes don't appear to be looking that way.

    Minor nit for an image that I'm sure the mag will be thrilled to get.

    pp
    Website

    Flickr
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2013
    Thanks for the explanation!

    As to it being a real photograph....................Who cares? I would never look at this image and think it needs to be done in one shot.

    The end result is fantastic!!!

    Here is one I have had some fun with, people will ask if that's my dog. When I tell them it's a coyote, many will ask how I got him to lay there. rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gif

    The non-planing and quality are no where near the wonder and quality of yours!!!!
    i-JRnrDnL-L.jpg

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Sam wrote: »
    Thanks for the explanation!

    As to it being a real photograph....................Who cares? I would never look at this image and think it needs to be done in one shot.

    The end result is fantastic!!!

    Here is one I have had some fun with, people will ask if that's my dog. When I tell them it's a coyote, many will ask how I got him to lay there. rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gif

    The non-planing and quality are no where near the wonder and quality of yours!!!!
    i-JRnrDnL-L.jpg

    Sam

    TXS Sam, and a nice shot/combo... Just add a few shadows and the coyote will fit in nicely. Light and Shadow are like the Horse and carriage . How was it again ? You can't have one without the other one (good old Frank Sinatara)

    See you
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • Bryce WilsonBryce Wilson Registered Users Posts: 1,586 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Spectacular image. Can tell a lot of work and planning went into it.

    Only thing that bothers me is that the dogs front legs look odd. But that may be the intent.
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