Arun and Kimspics -- Thank you both. That particular picture has certainly become a family favorite. Now if I could just get the cat to hold still too . . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digidave
I'm no Moderator but I would say in a situation such as this, that more than 1 picture is okay. I would classify this thread as a tutorial & you are showing multiple examples of your lighting technique. I find these threads of yours quite informative & hope you don't give up on them.
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Digidave -- You may not have a moderator title, but you're certainly one of our most senior members (I mean that as a compliment, not a crack at your age
). I guess tutorial is probably a good description of what I'm doing. Perhaps if I do more along the same lines I will change the title to something a little more descriptive (i.e. "How to shoot your wife -- A tutorial"). Glad you're enjoying them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peeperita
i'm sorry that you felt dissapointed with the lack of feedback.....in this section of the forum a lot of people will come look but might hesitate to comment as it is not in a critique section....i know i tend to shy away from anything more than a "nice shot" comment here as well, because gnerally speaking, posters aren't looking for comment.....
try critique....
peeper
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Peeper -- I wasn't so much looking for comments on specific pictures (although those are always appreciated) as I was trying to have a discussion about portrait lighting by posting some examples of what I had tried. I really like the new critique forum and will certainly post there when I want help on a single picture.
And I'm glad you're one of our new critique moderators. Your advice on my pictures and those of others has always been very educational.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pkd14u
Oh these are great! I like the color version of your wife alone better than the B&W. I think it's because she's got such beautiful eyes, it's a shame to take the color out. I wonder if a little desat would work for that photo leaving the eyes alone but perhaps taking down some of the other colors? Anyway, great photos and thanks for telling us how you did it. I'm getting itchy to try some of this stuff myself!
pkd14u
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Pkd14u -- Something like this? I decreased the saturation of everything except the eyes by about 50, then shifted the color of the eyes and sharpened them slightly.
I appreciate the suggestion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandie
When taking portraits, I like to capture something special about that person. With adults it wasn't too hard to get them in the studio with a 'prop' that meant something to them (instrument, special clothing, food, costume, etc) and get a pretty good shot, but when I started photographing more and more children the studio didn't work for me anymore. Kids are not natural in a 4x4 square with big lights pointed at them.
I started taking them outside to play and just shooting them. It is trickier to get a 'technically' perfect shot, but the emotions and natural faces more than made up for it. So, I started doing the same thing with adults, putting them in their envirnoments and shoot with as much natural light as possible and as little intimadating equipment as possible. It worked for me, I started getting the portraits I always wanted.
I haven't made a living doing portraits in over 10 yrs, because my career went off on another path all together, but I still love doing them as gifts and just for my personal enjoyment. All I use is a camera, a white sheet or blanket, a fold-up reflector or two, and a fill flash when absolutely necessary.
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Sandie -- Thank you so much! This type of discussion is exactly what I had in mind when I started working on these threads. I know what you mean about working with kids. I don't have any of my own, but I've shot some for friends and it's a whole different ballgame. It was quite a scene to try and crawl around on the floor with our friend's 1 year old, the whole time trying to reposition my flash, keep her attention, and keep her happy.
I'd love to see some of your natural light portraits. I would bet that your experience in the studio makes it possible to get results with natural light that would be educational to many here.