The Not-Pinup Shoot

marikris · October 29, 2009

Meet Traci. She wanted to do a pinup shoot. I was one of two photographers with whom she spoke. Since she already did a pinup with the other photographer last week (which you can see here, yeay facebook compression of doom: http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs250.snc1/9718_156304025884_123186055884_2781319_5855756_n.jpg and http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs270.snc1/9718_156304075884_123186055884_2781328_6789402_n.jpg ) and I only really have my handy dandy softbox and 580EX, I reinterpreted quiiiite a bit lol.

Instead of Betty Grable, I thought of Rita Hayworth: http://www.scandigital.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Ashley-Rita-Hayworth.JPG

So these are just the teasers. I still have a bunch to process, including scenes with cupcakes and icing. Feedback and/or cc appreciated

1-5 from left to right.

D'Buggs · October 29, 2009

Not baaaad.

I think you met your goal of, "Rita Hayworth" with these.

Love the light you got goin' in #5. SWEEEET.

Don't do FB so I couldn't compare the others work.

adbsgicom · October 29, 2009

Very nice set. Agree the #5 is really wonderful.
I don't really like her look in #4; but the rest of the set is nicely done.
Your little logo is cute... nice job.

Wil Davis · October 29, 2009

Nice job overall…

…but there's something odd with her lipstick on #5…

…did she do her own make-up?

- Wil

marikris · October 29, 2009

D'Buggs wrote:

Not baaaad.
I think you met your goal of, "Rita Hayworth" with these.

Yeay me, SCORE!

D'Buggs wrote:

Don't do FB so I couldn't compare the others work.

Oh right, I forget one actually needs to be her friend to see them, so I edited the links to show just the images of two of her pics. Her studio is part of her house, which is to say she has an AMAZING kitchen. Here's her blog: http://www.mileslove.blogspot.com/ Killer shots.

adbsgicom wrote:

Your little logo is cute... nice job.

Thanks! It was hard to choose which heart brush to use, but I liked this naughty little heart.

Wil Davis wrote:

…but there's something odd with her lipstick on #5…

Heh, I spent a good 20 minutes structuring the lipstick. She has uneven lips, thinner on the right side. The gloss doesn't stay very well on her lips, specially since her toddler woke up. Kept us both on our toes. I'm going to try to see if I can fix that in post.

marikris · October 30, 2009

Oh man, I just realized a lot of my shots that I like are taken from her right side, so I've been really busy trying to fix the lipstick issue in every single one where you can tell. I think I did a good job on this one, certainly better than the rest I've done since last night. This is largely cropped (I'm still working on the rest of it, the battle with Liquefy); I thought it would be nice to show on her facebook page for her friends.

6.

sweet caroline · October 30, 2009

I love 1 and 3. 5 is great, too, but I think it's the shadows in 1 and 3 that I like. I also really like that last one you posted. Fun shoot, and well done!

Caroline

marikris · October 30, 2009

sweet caroline wrote:

Fun shoot, and well done!

Thanks, Caroline! I still have yet to get to the shots with the icing and cupcakes lol. It was both fun and funny

Hackbone · October 30, 2009

Really, really love #6. Great job!

D'Buggs · October 30, 2009

Hackbone wrote:

Really, really love #6. Great job!

x2

But I believe it's now lost the Hollywood 'Ms. Hayworth', era/attributes.

EDIT: I see 6 has been done up for basically advertising. It's fitting.

marikris · October 30, 2009

Hackbone wrote:

Really, really love #6. Great job!

Thanks, Charles!

D'Buggs wrote:

I see 6 has been done up for basically advertising. It's fitting.

I originally wanted to do all of them in that noisy b/w (I'd been drooling at TRAD's Old Skool, but just can't justify the purchase atm, so I wrote my own action lol. I feel like the coolest kid in town whenever I hit F2 and it starts this action hehe). But then I figured it would be better if I give her different looks for her portfolio instead.

Although...I did a bare flash with a HONL grid that I HAD to have in b/w. I'll post it next and you guys let me know what you think, pretty please

D'Buggs · October 30, 2009

marikris wrote:

......I'll post it next and you guys let me know what you think, pretty please

BRING IT!

marikris · October 30, 2009

Haha, snap. I brung, I brung.

I like it a lot, but is the light too hot? She has these amazing Bette Davis eyes lol. I've been staring at this picture for a while, so if you guys notice something amiss or I should note, please do let me know

7.

7A. EDITED (Thanks, Wil!)

Wil Davis · October 30, 2009

marikris wrote:

Haha, snap. I brung, I brung.

I like it a lot, but is the light too hot? She has these amazing Bette Davis eyes lol. I've been staring at this picture for a while, so if you guys notice something amiss or I should note, please do let me know
…snip

Oh dear…

…the eyelashes look sort of, well, slightly, er… um…

…overdone?

Gorgeous girl though…

…and the lighting is great! …well, perhaps a reflector to just put a bit more light on her upper chest (to balance her face…)

- Wil

marikris · October 30, 2009

Hi, Wil! Do you mean it's oversharpened? Overbright? Or do you mean the actual flash is too hot?

Or all of the above lol.

Edit- Hehe I wrote that before your edit. The eyelashes I don't think I can do anything in post if you mean the faux lashes were a bit too dramatic.

Wil Davis · October 30, 2009

marikris wrote:

Hi, Wil! Do you mean it's oversharpened? Overbright? Or do you mean the actual flash is too hot?

Or all of the above lol.

Edit- Hehe I wrote that before your edit. The eyelashes I don't think I can do anything in post if you mean the faux lashes were a bit too dramatic.

Looking at it the texture where her left cheek goes into shadow; you can see the texture of the makeup; looks like a case for slight softening here - Gaussian blur or whatever (or Vaseline on the edge of the lens, back in the days…

), but it could be that it's just a hair too sharp.

There used to be a special "Portrait" lens from Minolta (85mm f2.8 "Varisoft"), in which you could vary the amount of "softness" in the lens. Fabulous portrait lens; ideal for those sitters with the skin texture not quite that of the proverbial "Baby's Bottom".

Sometimes a really good lens can be more of a bane than a boon (esp. in portraiture!)

- Wil

marikris · October 30, 2009

Wil Davis wrote:

looks like a case for slight softening here - Gaussian blur or whatever (or Vaseline on the edge of the lens, back in the days… ), but it could be that it's just a hair too sharp.

- Wil

Ohhh, definitely noted; I see that it's a little harsh. I'll get on that right away.

Vaseline on your lens?! Good grief that's hardcore lol.

marikris · October 30, 2009

Thanks, Wil. I added a 7A to show the edit. If there's anything else that needs work, do please lemme know

D'Buggs · October 30, 2009

I'm with Wil Davis, on this one.
Come back to it tomorrow and I'm sure you'll see what we are. LEAVE IT ALONE>>>>> NO PEEKING!!!

Deal with the insomnia by working on something else, instead of this one.

Nice comp - I likes that.

The Not-Pinup Shoot

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