Not My Kind of Portrait

Blurmore

We visited some friends who have 5 kids. I try to do a portrait of them every time we visit. Saturday was a beautiful, running around, playing in the grass sort of day, so that was the kind of portrait we did. This was lit by a single sunpak ring light held off camera. 1/100th f4 ISO 100 17-55 EF-S IS. PP was a little bit of vignetting and a diffuse glow layer set to overlay. C&C welcome.

joshhuntnm

I really like that. Those are all one family???


Are you just standing above them? I am curious how you didn't get your feet in the picture.

Is it slightly hot/overexposed? Or is that my monitor?

Swartzy

Ya know.....that is an unusual portrait...but it sure does work....looks like those kids were having a blast. I think you chose the best pose What better way to get them looking at you than laying on the ground..

Blurmore

joshhuntnm wrote:

I really like that. Those are all one family???


Are you just standing above them? I am curious how you didn't get your feet in the picture.

Is it slightly hot/overexposed? Or is that my monitor?

I'm standing on a plastic playhouse, on a deck above them. The PP and the overlay layer REALLY makes it close to the edge and contrasty, but I don't think it is technically over, probably your monitor...you get it calibrated yet? Thanks for the comments.

joshhuntnm

Blurmore wrote:

I'm standing on a plastic playhouse, on a deck above them. The PP and the overlay layer REALLY makes it close to the edge and contrasty, but I don't think it is technically over, probably your monitor...you get it calibrated yet? Thanks for the comments.

I have not calibrated my monitor. It (my monitor) is a bit bright. That is on my list, but it seems a LOT of things are on my list these days.

I really like this shot.

SloYerRoll

Great shot. THe kids faces/foreheads are a bit hot though. Technically, a shot doesn't have to be fully blown to be hot.

Yes, my monitor is calibrated weekly.

joshhuntnm

SloYerRoll wrote:

Great shot. THe kids faces/foreheads are a bit hot though. Technically, a shot doesn't have to be fully blown to be hot.

Yes, my monitor is calibrated weekly.

In Blurmore's defense, I suppose hot is, to some degree, in the eye of the beholder.

Blurmore

SloYerRoll wrote:

Great shot. THe kids faces/foreheads are a bit hot though. Technically, a shot doesn't have to be fully blown to be hot.

Yes, my monitor is calibrated weekly.

Thanks,

I too work on a calibrated monitor. If it is a little blown it was done in post not in camera, I'll keep it like this until I see it in print. I was planning on doing this on metallic paper, if the effect is too much I can always go back to the raw.

SloYerRoll

joshhuntnm wrote:

hot is, to some degree, in the eye of the beholder.

It always is

Rhinotherunt

I think it is cute and I like it, but I would like it more if the grass was not soo dark. Just an opinion.

BriShay

I love it!!!!

dawssvt

Very nice shot - it seems a little hot to me too, but none the less - a great shot

Grumpy_one

Blurmore wrote:

We visited some friends who have 5 kids. I try to do a portrait of them every time we visit. Saturday was a beautiful, running around, playing in the grass sort of day, so that was the kind of portrait we did. This was lit by a single sunpak ring light held off camera. 1/100th f4 ISO 100 17-55 EF-S IS. PP was a little bit of vignetting and a diffuse glow layer set to overlay. C&C welcome.

How and whats that? Thanks!

Blurmore

UH...its a photoshop thing.

The trick is to duplicate your background layer, make sure you have white and black selected as colors (black foreground), then distort > diffuse glow that duplicated layer. The trick is to adjust the clear amount and glow amount just to the point that the subject's faces are glowing. Then apply the filter, set the blending options to overlay and adjust the opacity to your preference.

It adds "local" contrast to the faces. It doesn't help all portraits but it can help flat portraits a lot.





I shot these head shots with only a sunpak 622 diffusion head bounced off of a white wall, the originals had slightly directional light but with the addition of the diffuse glow layer they tighten up contrast wise on the shadow side of the face to they point that they ALMOST look like they were shot with a softbox, the lack of good catchlights give them away.

davidweaver

Looking at it on a calibrated monitor: it looks fine. Kids' skin is smooth and highly reflective. Even running a screen layer with a mask to bring out the sometimes works, but you might give it a try as an experiment. The image looks true to me. Nice job!

It will be interesting to see this on metallic and lustre to compare.

Blurmore wrote:

Thanks,

I too work on a calibrated monitor. If it is a little blown it was done in post not in camera, I'll keep it like this until I see it in print. I was planning on doing this on metallic paper, if the effect is too much I can always go back to the raw.