how do i get people shots like these?

wheresdavid · September 5, 2007

The below photos are from Phil Borges. I am trying to figure out how he got the shots. they all have the same feel. in all the shots he has simple faraway backgrounds, it looks like he has good DOF and it also looks like he is using flash (what kind i don't know) in all the shots. Also I am assuming there is quite a bit of post production

Can anyone tell me how to get shots like these? Is that a fair question? I am in places where I have very interesting subjects and would like to tell a story similar to Phil's.

cheers,

Dave

**Photos removed by mod. Please view the link.

if you would to see more of his great photos here is a link to his website
http://www.philborges.com/collections.html

cheers,

Dave

pyrtek · September 5, 2007

You can get that kind of color effect by combining a B&W and color version
of the picture (start at about a 50% opacity value and experiment from there).
Since he seems to be leaving the background completely B&W you can just
add a mask and make sure that all of the background is 100% and only the
person is at 50%.

EDIT: Actually, it looks like even the clothes are 100% B&W.

wheresdavid · September 7, 2007

Thanks for the info. But i am still wondering how he made the subjects almost stand out of the picture. I am guessing that it has to be some type of lighting technique.

pyrtek wrote:

You can get that kind of color effect by combining a B&W and color version
of the picture (start at about a 50% opacity value and experiment from there).
Since he seems to be leaving the background completely B&W you can just
add a mask and make sure that all of the background is 100% and only the
person is at 50%.

EDIT: Actually, it looks like even the clothes are 100% B&W.

gus · September 7, 2007

Dave i have removed the posted photos. We dont post photos of others work without permission.

Tks Gus

mr peas · September 7, 2007

Why not email the author, most photographers are willing to share how they made their photos, unless they're total jerks. He seems like he's cool though. Try it:

Phil Borges Studio, Inc.
5603 W. Mercer Way
Mercer Island, WA 98040
phone: 206 . 275 . 2318
fax: 206 . 275 . 2417

email us with questions or comments at:
questions@philborges.com or comments@philborges.com

pyrtek · September 7, 2007

wheresdavid wrote:

Thanks for the info. But i am still wondering how he made the subjects almost stand out of the picture. I am guessing that it has to be some type of lighting technique.

They seem to be crosslit from either the right (the first and last pics) or the
left (the second pic). To be honest, it looks like they're Photoshopped into
new backgrounds, although it's difficult to establish for certain because they're
too small.

k2butter · September 7, 2007

You can get that kind of treatment effect in PP with Lightroom or photoshop... lightroom would be nice because you can make a preset once and apply it to all the pictures.... lovely pictures...

k2butter · September 7, 2007

pyrtek wrote:

You can get that kind of color effect by combining a B&W and color version
of the picture (start at about a 50% opacity value and experiment from there).
Since he seems to be leaving the background completely B&W you can just
add a mask and make sure that all of the background is 100% and only the
person is at 50%.

EDIT: Actually, it looks like even the clothes are 100% B&W.

I was playing around and did this today, when you do this it does make the subject really pop, if the lighting is good, it will pop them out of the photo even more... My photo skills can not compare to the photography you posted (his photos are incredible!)... so I am not going to embarrass myself with my attempt!

But it does make the subject stand out....

photocat · September 7, 2007

k2butter wrote:

I was playing around and did this today, when you do this it does make the subject really pop, if the lighting is good, it will pop them out of the photo even more... My photo skills can not compare to the photography you posted (his photos are incredible!)... so I am not going to embarrass myself with my attempt! But it does make the subject stand out....

I wished you would post... I would like to see what you did. I am interested in knowing how you did it too...
I agree with you that his work is beautiful. I think he makes it look easy, but I wonder!

photocat · September 7, 2007

On the subject of the moderators: it hardly can be offending for a photographer to have his name and site put on a photographic website to discuss...
It would be another matter if he would be posted without credits, but he got credits here, and I think it is legit to post the pics. I think moderation sometimes goes to far... (sorry, had to say it...)
I wished someone would post my photographs, I would BEG them to leave them up... instead of having them taken out by moderators... It is all about ego you know... photographers sometimes have low ego, they need exposure!

wxwax · September 7, 2007

Hi photo, we are consistent in our respect of copyright here. It's a huge issue in the photo community and we think it's important to be good citizens.

End of hijack!

photocat · September 7, 2007

I had a look at his website, and if you look at his setup, it is hardly a beginner. Just what I thought: he makes it look easy, but he is a guy knowing what he is doing, and working with knowledge of photographic skills.
I think his pics are good in camera already, all he does is retouch them for color. I am convinced that even if I would put some of my photographs in black and white in lightroom, and put sepia on the portrait, it still would not look as crisp and well taken as what Borges does or did... He is a master, I can only mimic him...

pyrtek · September 7, 2007

photocat wrote:

I am interested in knowing how you did it too...

Since k2 quoted me when saying she tried it out, I assume she meant the
technique I mentioned earlier in the thread. If that is so, then it's really simple.

1) You start with the color image.

2) Use your preferred method to convert it to B&W. Do this on a separate layer.

3) You now have two layers - the original color image and its B&W version.
Change the opacity of the B&W layer to about 50% and you'll already see the
effect happening. Keep playing with the opacity until you're satisfied with the
result.

Since the effect is selective (in this case only the people were partially colored)
you can add a mask to the B&W layer to control which parts of the image are
affected by it.

k2butter · September 7, 2007

Ok, I will share, but I am just warning you, I played around for only about 20 min with this (quickie) it is NO WAY is like what this photographer did, he has incredible subjects and fantastic texture in the photos, all of which I feel contributes to the way the people look---- I think it would be better if the subject were in closer, face shots... and it there was a more interesting background.

This was done with 2 layers, one was black/white one was color. I selected the child, then in versed it and got rid of the color back ground (delete). Then I just adjusted the opacity to 37% (probably could be turned down a bit more).... then flattened it... played around a bit with some contrast... that was it... there is probably better more effective ways, I am a novice here... but you can see where the subject sort of looks as though she were not originally in the picture....

k2butter.smugmug.com

k2butter · September 7, 2007

pyrtek wrote:

Since k2 quoted me when saying she tried it out, I assume she meant the
technique I mentioned earlier in the thread. If that is so, then it's really simple.

1) You start with the color image.

2) Use your preferred method to convert it to B&W. Do this on a separate layer.

3) You now have two layers - the original color image and its B&W version.
Change the opacity of the B&W layer to about 50% and you'll already see the
effect happening. Keep playing with the opacity until you're satisfied with the
result.

Since the effect is selective (in this case only the people were partially colored)
you can add a mask to the B&W layer to control which parts of the image are
affected by it.

Yup, that is what I was trying to do...

Thanks for the tips!!!! I love this effect!

k2butter · September 7, 2007

photocat wrote:

I had a look at his website, and if you look at his setup, it is hardly a beginner. Just what I thought: he makes it look easy, but he is a guy knowing what he is doing, and working with knowledge of photographic skills.
quote]

Totally 100% agree!

gus · September 7, 2007

photocat wrote:

On the subject of the moderators: it hardly can be offending for a photographer to have his name and site put on a photographic website to discuss...
It would be another matter if he would be posted without credits, but he got credits here, and I think it is legit to post the pics. I think moderation sometimes goes to far... (sorry, had to say it...)
I wished someone would post my photographs, I would BEG them to leave them up... instead of having them taken out by moderators... It is all about ego you know... photographers sometimes have low ego, they need exposure!

Whilst you may wish to have your photos posted on another site im sure many others would not. We have to respect other photographers not knowing how they would feel or react to having their photos used somewhere without their knowledge regardless of the innocence.

Its not an issue to simply post a link in a thread & ask the question. Im sure no harm is ment but the internet & © law is something we would rather not be involved in.

photocat · September 7, 2007

Ok, I will share, but I am just warning you, I played around for only about 20 min with this (quickie) it is NO WAY is like what this photographer did, he has incredible subjects and fantastic texture in the photos, all of which I feel contributes to the way the people look---- I think it would be better if the subject were in closer, face shots... and it there was a more interesting background.

I don't think it is his subjects and backgrounds. This is a very good photographer, with skill and knowledge, together with craftmanship and a hasselblad, processed with the paper he knows will give this effect...
This guy brings new meaning to photography craftmanship in my eyes...

Having said all that, I think you can desaturate even a little more, it is more duotone then color... I like your shot very much. Lovely girl, having fun. Love to see happy kids in shots. The ducks fit right in.

pathfinder · September 7, 2007

wheresdavid wrote:

The below photos are from Phil Borges. I am trying to figure out how he got the shots. they all have the same feel. in all the shots he has simple faraway backgrounds, it looks like he has good DOF and it also looks like he is using flash (what kind i don't know) in all the shots. Also I am assuming there is quite a bit of post production

Can anyone tell me how to get shots like these? Is that a fair question? I am in places where I have very interesting subjects and would like to tell a story similar to Phil's.

cheers,

Dave

**Photos removed by mod. Please view the link.

if you would to see more of his great photos here is a link to his website
http://www.philborges.com/collections.html

cheers,

Dave

David, I think you are correct that he is using a flash or a reflector to illuminate the subjects in the foreground, and the background is slightly under exposed, and thus separated nicely from the foreground.

He then keeps the skin color only,and turns the rest of the image sepia B&W in a desaturated way. The selective color on B&W is a technique that has become overdone since the advent of Photoshop ( my opinion anyway). He desaturates the color in his images, and depends on the fill flash tonality to separate foreground and background.

Nicely done images, but they would make great B&Ws or even good color images also.

His backgrounds are very carefully chosen for their simplicity, and do not compete with the subject at all.

photocat · September 7, 2007

fieldnotes from Borges
Sure hope I don't breech copyrights with this.
It is on his website, in the Tibet series under fieldnotes...

gus · September 7, 2007

PC...please respect other photographers & do not post thier images in D/gin.

photocat · September 8, 2007

As I thought this was all a bit silly, I wrote to Phil Borges, and got an answer.
I am posting the whole email bit here, so for David: it was OK to post one picture and refer back to Phil his site...

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for letting us know of this situation. The truth is, legally, using someone's image publicly, without permission is considered copyright infringement. That being said, you are correct in that we are pleased to have one of our images picked, linked to our website and discussed in a photographic community. As long as the work is represented in a positive manner, is not reproduced or altered or sold, and is credited to Phil Borges, we are usually very happy to have the chance to share Phil's work with others. I don't know about copyright infringement where the field notes are concerned but we have no trouble with your sharing that information - it's all on our website for the public to see any way. I have never heard that sharing a website link was breech of copyright but I can imagine that in today's sue happy world it is better safe than sorry.

I hope this is helpful information. I would not lose sleep over this but it is a good precaution to ask the photographer prior to using their image in any way.

I checked out the thread on D-grin. I can't post but you have my permission to share the following info about Phil's technique. The selective toning of the Tibetan images was all done in the darkroom, the process is listed below as is the information about Phil's equipment, etc. Perhaps with my permission the moderators will allow this information. FYI, the selective toning of Phil's current work, Women Empowered, is all done on the computer.

Kindest regards,

Julia Geier
Phil Borges Studio, Inc.
(206)275- 2318
5603 W. Mercer Way
Mercer Island, WA 98040
www.philborges.com
www.bridgesweb.org

Camera
Hasselblad 500CM
Lenses: 80CT* and 150CT*

Lights
Lumedyne 400ws battery-pack
Diffusion: 2' x 3' softbox

Film
Kodak Tri-X rated at 200 ASA;
developed 1:1 D76 10 min
Polaroid 664

Paper
Ilford Multigrade IV fiber base.
Prints selectively toned with Kodak sepia toner using low tack frisket and photo maskoid

Selective Toning
These black and white silver gelatin prints are selectively toned in sepia toner. They are not hand colored with oils or dyes. I print on Ilford Multigrade IV paper and tone the prints with Kodak sepia toner. The sepia toner changes each silver halide crystal in the print from black to sepia color. I prefer this method to hand coloring because, unlike oils or dyes sepia toning is very archival. Also. this method allows the white areas, where there are no silver crystals, to remain white.
I protect the areas of the print that I don’t want to sepia tone with a sheet of frisket. (Low Tac Frisket can be found at any art supply store) and a liquid product call Maskoid (used by airbrush artists). After making the black and white print, I cover the part of the print I don’t want to tone with the frisket and Maskoid leaving the areas I want to tone exposed. I then immerse the print in the toner and the chemical transformation that produces the sepia color takes place--just in the areas of the print not covered by the frisket and Maskoid.

From: Catherine Lucas [mailto:catduyck@mac.com]
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 2:58 PM
To: questions@philborges.com
Subject: Phil, can I have your attention for a question??? Pleeeze...

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=70507

is a thread on D-grin... A community online, one of our people had discovered your splendid work, and asked on D-grin if anyone knew how you did your shots.
The guy had posted one picture from you, but said it was a picture shot by you, and also wrote down your website, so we all could go and take a look.

On this, the D-grin moderators jumped into action and claimed that putting the image with the according link was breech of copyright.

If you follow the thread, if you have time, you will see that there was quit a talk going on, about how and what...

Finally I asked one of the moderators if I put one of his images on my blog, with a yell that this photographer is splendid, check out his website, whether that would be breech of copyright or whether he would be glad that someone exposed his work and that there even was a talk going on about it...

I took a screen dump of your field notes and posted them on d-grin, stating that they came from your tibet gallery and your fieldnotes, so the people could see how you work.
(I think that we can't do what you do if we fiddle a bit in lightroom and so on...)

Was posting the field notes a breech of copyright? If so, I deeply appologize, and rest assured, the moderators took it down also...

Am I wrong in stating that we have become too paranoia???? Or is it just me being not respectful enough????

On a second note, I got your website earlier already, from an english photographer Paul Harris, so I knew what you did...
I love it of course...

Could you enlighten me on this subject? Or am I doomed to run around with red cheeks for the rest of my days????

With my simple brain I am thinking that I would be so pleased if anybody would pick one of my images, link it up to my website, and if I would be discussed in a photographic community. Is that pure naivité from my side?

I sure hope that I don't wake sleeping dogs with my question to you... I just want to know...

Catherine Lucas, UK

gus · September 8, 2007

PC...you posted a photo on our board that did not belong to yourself but belonged to Phil Borges, its that black and white...thus i removed it. Even in Phils ' terms of use ' it is made perfectly clear that no-one must reproduce his work in any form.

We have NEVER EVER said you cannot post a link to an interesting photographers site even though in Julias reply to you...she indicates that we did not allow a link to his work.

So i hope you understand....post your own photos & feel free to link to others. I will not continue this argument because its clear you do not accept D/grins policy but i will ask you that if you wish to stay in our community then you abide by our rules of not reproducing anyone elses photos.

1pocket · September 11, 2007

Back to the original poster's question, who would have guessed that the results were film and darkroom!

k2butter · September 12, 2007

1pocket wrote:

Back to the original poster's question, who would have guessed that the results were film and darkroom!

shows that he is even more talented in my eyes, I did film a long time ago, it wasn't easy to learn how to get effects with processing... he is truly awesome.

mr peas · September 14, 2007

Man totally old school, I love that. Thanks for sharing!!

how do i get people shots like these?

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