Experimenting with light..

lynnma

In the absence of a model I must turn to Wally the walmart teddy. I would appreciate comments on my lighting attempts (seriously, just cos he's a teddy don't laugh) shot f/4 1/50 ISO 200 using north facing late day window light and my new Lastolite reflector and bounced flash off a high white ceiling...:dunno
Don't be nice... it's not what I need... I want to take shots like Yuri..:wink

GREAPER

First let me say I am not trying to be smart. I think your lighting looks great in this shot. I would like to hear what your setup was. I like it a lot.

pathfinder

lynnma wrote:

Don't be nice... it's not what I need... I want to take shots like Yuri..

If you want to take shots like Yuri, you're going to have to get a more warm-blooded photogenic model.... With model's like Yuris, you don't have to worry about the lighting as much. I asked him if that was natural light, but haven't received an answer yet.

Actually Lynn, I think this is a very nice B&W with good tonality and sharpeness. This must be your new lens, right? I think I may be buying a teddy bear too for a model. I can always cuddle with it at night then too.

lynnma

GREAPER wrote:

First let me say I am not trying to be smart. I think your lighting looks great in this shot. I would like to hear what your setup was. I like it a lot.

thanks greap..late afternoon grey light in front of my glass patio doors. Then Just a large white reflector on the oposite side of the natural light.. I used my speedlite 420 pointed at a very high white ceiling hopeing for some bounce down.. I think there may have been some on the top of his head...

cropped usm channel mixer to black and white. now If I could just find a LIVE bear or human come to that...

lynnma

pathfinder wrote:

If you want to take shots like Yuri, you're going to have to get a more warm-blooded photogenic model.... With model's like Yuris, you don't have to worry about the lighting as much. I asked him if that was natural light, but haven't received an answer yet.

Actually Lynn, I think this is a very nice B&W with good tonality and sharpeness. This must be your new lens, right? I think I may be buying a teddy bear too for a model. I can always cuddle with it at night then too.

thanks path.. yes it was.. did you mean to post twice by the way.. you loved the shot so much you wanted to see him twice right?? and I do not take him to bed at night to cuddle.. he's a professional path.. you can't cuddle professional models... they sue you for harassment..

Andy

it's hard to tell... because fur and skin are different, dontcha know? anyhow, i do like the lighting here, it's fairly even imo, which for a bear, in bw, isn't bad. you can't really compare to easily to a human subject, becuase of the mix in tonality the human skin has, combined with the shadows created by effeective lighting.

yuri shoots mostly with window's light. try a north facing window, with a reflector, or two, and no flash. and a human (husband of lynnma?) if you can

ps: cute bear, even if he is from a store that allows the sale of .357 magnums but not playboy

lynnma

andy wrote:

it's hard to tell... because fur and skin are different, dontcha know? anyhow, i do like the lighting here, it's fairly even imo, which for a bear, in bw, isn't bad. you can't really compare to easily to a human subject, becuase of the mix in tonality the human skin has, combined with the shadows created by effeective lighting.

yuri shoots mostly with window's light. try a north facing window, with a reflector, or two, and no flash. and a human (husband of lynnma?) if you can

ps: cute bear, even if he is from a store that allows the sale of .357 magnums but not playboy

Hey.. don't knock wally world.. we live in da country here.. Husband of lynnma went today (he goes nearly every day.. we'd be out of business without it) and bought a load of stuff and a toaster.. put the toaster on the bottom of the cart? underneath? Loaded up the car and comes home only to find toaster still in car park on cart. So him calls Wally World and says "can you just go see if it's still there and grab if fer me please?" but alas .. t'was a gonna.. them says "just bring yer receipt in husband of lynnma and we'll give yer another one". And by the way.. I'm a crack hot shot..

ps thanks for comments on Wally Bear.. husband of lynnma won't sit.. him gets edgy and bored and wants go play Halflife on hims puter.

Andy

lynnma wrote:

And by the way.. I'm a crack hot shot...

\


:yikes

damonff

nice b/w

lynnma

damonff wrote:

nice b/w

thanks Damon

wxwax

Well, let me be the one then. I think his nose is too bright, so there. And maybe his left jowl, too.

lynnma

wxwax wrote:

Well, let me be the one then. I think his nose is too bright, so there. And maybe his left jowl, too.

yes Sid... you are right as usual... back to the drawing board

cmr164

lynnma wrote:

yes Sid... you are right as usual... back to the drawing board

You might try more diffusion, but it is really tough when the part closest to the light and closest to the lens is also the lightest part.

Mitchell

lynnma wrote:

another try...with a husband of lynnma.. lighting the same.. north window, one reflector, no flash. Hair is white normally so it's a problem.. No photoshop, usm and a little curves what do you think of the lighting attempt..

How about another reflector at the lower right? The extreme left side is getting blown with underexposure on the right side.

mitch

lynnma

I redid him (he's getting very grumpy now) and did'nt crop so hard..

comments welcome please .. any improvement?

rutt

lynnma wrote:

I redid him (he's getting very grumpy now) and did'nt crop so hard..

comments welcome please .. any improvement?

I like this a lot better than the one you showed me the other day. I like the sweater and shirt. I like the window light. I'd like to know the details of lens, exposure, aperture, iso, &etc. I can see that it has been cropped and you have lost resolution. Fine for web posts, but not so fine for prints.

His eyes aren't tack sharp. I wonder why. Could be lens open wide and focus on nose or chin. Could be long exposure and he didn't sit still. Could be too much cropping. Could be that you couldn't restrain the glam PS tools. You answer.

But that is a technicality. This is a good composition and you flirted just right so he didn't mug and looks natural. That's hard to do.

The really hard thing is to learn to shoot so you don't have to crop. I can't consistently do this, but master photographers amost always seem to. Think about Leibovit's use of negative space in the portrait of Alice Walters or Hillary Clinton. Or wait until you get the book and see Claudia Kennedy or Joni Mitchell. That's what I aspire to learn.

wxwax

Yeah, curious about the softness.

Nice pose and expression, Lynn, and a perfect neurtral background that works with his pale features and light hair. He looks very handsome. For my money, you still need more light on the right side. Or a change in orientation of subject and light. Or a more subtle transition from light to dark. To my eye it looks like he has this dividing line right down the center of his face. Others may disagree, though. And is his left side hair too hot?

lynnma

wxwax wrote:

Yeah, curious about the softness.

Nice pose and expression, Lynn, and a perfect neurtral background that works with his pale features and light hair. He looks very handsome. For my money, you still need more light on the right side. Or a change in orientation of subject and light. Or a more subtle transition from light to dark. To my eye it looks like he has this dividing line right down the center of his face. Others may disagree, though. And is his left side hair too hot?

Hey thanks guys for comments.. very good. I'm learning as I go.. the light was very very white.. bouncing off the snow in the courtyard .. he was too close to the window.. I did crop but not hugely.. I think the "softness" has to do with my settings 1/13 f4 iso 200 70mm .. I'd say it was the f4 that did it.. I wanted as much light as poss - did'nt use the flash. I was trying for a dramatic effect of dark on the right side (my right) and light shining of the light side.. it did'nt come off the way I wanted. I can't say I'm happy with it.. I'll keep at it.. I need warmer light and as you say rutt try and get it so I don't crop ... big problem with me.. you must be sick of looking at him by now but he's the only one apart from Wally the bear who will sit. Got a brand new Lastolite reflector and stand too my living room starts to resembe a studio ps rutt.. I did'nt give in.. no glam stuff. Just usm and a bit more on his eyes.. I can see the softness to tho...

rutt

1/13 is slow for a portrait. I think that's probably the cause of the softness. He'd have to be very still for that not to blur and his eyes are the hardest part to keep still and when they do move they move fast.

pathfinder

lynnma wrote:

Hey thanks guys for comments.. very good. I'm learning as I go.. the light was very very white.. bouncing off the snow in the courtyard .. he was too close to the window.. I did crop but not hugely.. I think the "softness" has to do with my settings 1/13 f4 iso 200 70mm .. I'd say it was the f4 that did it.. I wanted as much light as poss - did'nt use the flash. I was trying for a dramatic effect of dark on the right side (my right) and light shining of the light side.. it did'nt come off the way I wanted. I can't say I'm happy with it.. I'll keep at it.. I need warmer light and as you say rutt try and get it so I don't crop ... big problem with me.. you must be sick of looking at him by now but he's the only one apart from Wally the bear who will sit. Got a brand new Lastolite reflector and stand too my living room starts to resembe a studio ps rutt.. I did'nt give in.. no glam stuff. Just usm and a bit more on his eyes.. I can see the softness to tho...

Lynn - You can get a little warmth in the color by adding an 81a or 85 filter in photoshop in Image>Adjust>Filter> 81 or 85 and adjust the slider to taste.

I think the commands are correct I am not at my desktop right now. And I agree 1/13th is too slow, even for the more steady female hand


Stop down to f5.6 as before, move the background further back, increase the ISO to 200 ( image noise cost next to nil) and then shoot at 1/60 or faster if you can. I hope to join you on this quest - I have ordered a pair of lights with umbrellas to shoot with also. Can't let you and Fish have all the fun!

lynnma

rutt wrote:

1/13 is slow for a portrait. I think that's probably the cause of the softness. He'd have to be very still for that not to blur and his eyes are the hardest part to keep still and when they do move they move fast.

yes.. indeed.. I'll work on that.. thats probably the problem.. subliminally I was focused on f4 (cos I can ) and trying to let in loads of light.. I'll have to get more light...and maybe up the iso.. dont wanna tho..