out from the shadow

[jonnyquest45]

i was using desk lights to get a feel I am getting strobes soon.

I was wondering if i am getting this style right. I did a high pass with hard light to add a bit of depth.


Camera Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 25 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
Orientation Horizontal (normal)
X-Resolution 240 dpi
Y-Resolution 240 dpi
Software Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh
Date and Time (Modified) 2011:03:23 20:09:23
Exposure Program Manual
Date and Time (Original) 2011:03:23 18:31:23
Date and Time (Digitized) 2011:03:23 18:31:23
Max Aperture Value 3.5
Metering Mode Multi-segment
Sub Sec Time 99
Sub Sec Time Original 99
Sub Sec Time Digitized 99
Color Space Uncalibrated
Focal Plane X-Resolution 5315.436242 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution 5342.32715 dpi
Custom Rendered Normal
Exposure Mode Manual
White Balance Auto
Scene Capture Type Standard
Compression JPEG (old-style)
Coded Character Set UTF8
Date Created 2011:03:23
Time Created 18:31:23
Global Angle 30
Global Altitude 30
Photoshop Quality 12
Photoshop Format Standard
Progressive Scans 3 Scans
XMPToolkit Adobe XMP Core 5.0-c060 61.134777, 2010/02/12-17:32:00
Rating 0
Metadata Date 2011:03:23 20:09:23-04:00
Lens 18-200mm
Lens ID 153
Image Number 0
Flash Compensation 0
Sidecar For Extension CR2
Color Mode 3
ICCProfile Name Adobe RGB (1998)
Format image/jpeg
Original Document ID xmp.did:FC78EACB07206811B866F98561868B23
History Action saved
History Instance ID xmp.iid:FC78EACB07206811B866F98561868B23
History When 2011:03:23 20:09:23-04:00
History Software Agent Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh
History Changed /
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Derived From Original Document ID xmp.did:FC78EACB07206811B866F98561868B23
Color Transform YCbCr

[jonnyquest45]

maybe i did not ask the right questions. how is the exposure?
I was going for a bit of a mystery look did that come across?
any thing you would have done differently?

[graciousness]

It's way over sharpened, that's the bigger problem, I think. It's hard to look past this issue on the photo and answer the exposure question because the main key on photos is the focus on the subject, and that's the main problem.

Did you find the original photo not well focused, hence tried to fix this during post processing?

The desk lamp seems to be too low for the ISO @200....maybe that's why the image was not sharp enough? Perhaps, a much higher ISO would have been better, I mean, noise on a photo is better than over-sharpened via edit.

I'm just a beginner and could be completely wrong with my assessment, am sure someone else will point out the issues. I can only draw out what I think is/are the issues from my own experience with trying to shoot in low light indoors and my attempts at corrective editing.

[Alexs]

Hi jonnyquest45,

Wrt what graciousness mentioned:
The highpass on hard light would have caused the oversharpening, however i do believe that it is a matter of taste and the look you are going for. Sure there are indicators to tell if an image is oversharpened, but I feel at the end of the day it is all down to taste.

Brad Trent (Brad Trent - Damn Ugly Photography) employs that highpass filter technique to great effect, and maybe you can give his site a visit for some tips or something to aspire to if you like the look.
Just a suggestion.

In response to what you asked:
I haven't looked at your histogram (that seems like a crime going by some of the threads I've seen!) but just eyeballing it I would say that the subject is properly exposed. The histogram would show a tendency towards the left anyway with large parts of your image being black.

In terms of composition, I think that "mystery" feel is conveyed, although maybe a little desaturation or colour adjustment might play with that feel more. The subject's left shoulder is in view - not sure if you meant to leave that in there or if you should mask it out to blend with the darkness.

Anyway, that's just my opinion(s)! Have fun and when you get that first flash/strobe, welcome to flash photography! It's an exciting experience

[gturner]

I am going to pass on the PP work. I think you could use a touch of light in the RHS of your face, even if it just to pick up more of the brow and cheek. That will give some definition and interest rather than completely back "hole".

[jonnyquest45]

I was going for the nike slash gatorade look. a gritty look.

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by jonnyquest45

I was going for the nike slash gatorade look. a gritty look.

So do you want more noise? Or super-sharpened look that you can see the pores of your skin and the little tiny fibres of your hood?

I think you'll need to achieve that with better lighting set up to other than a desk lamp maximise better lens focus.......

[graciousness]

Although sorry, failed to mention that if you just wanted more noise for an overall grittier look, the higher ISO would have just done the trick.....

[jonnyquest45]

I guess I like that you can see the pores and the fibers. I am not attempting to shoot fashion style with flawless skin. I was going for raw and what you would see in life kinda gritty. I am working on a poker profile shoot in the final shot i want it to be gritty, raw, and seedy with a bit of mystery. I do think the final shots will have the opacity of the hard light taken down to about 30% where this is at 100%. Then end product will be a "Anti Fashion" fashion shoot for a clothing line. I am toying with ideas for the end product. I think a good kicker light might help a bit as well.

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by jonnyquest45

I guess I like that you can see the pores and the fibers. I am not attempting to shoot fashion style with flawless skin. I was going for raw and what you would see in life kinda gritty. I am working on a poker profile shoot in the final shot i want it to be gritty, raw, and seedy with a bit of mystery. I do think the final shots will have the opacity of the hard light taken down to about 30% where this is at 100%. Then end product will be a "Anti Fashion" fashion shoot for a clothing line. I am toying with ideas for the end product. I think a good kicker light might help a bit as well.

Then I think you need to invest in a good prime lens (Canon 50mm f/1.8 as a cheap but good start) so that you get those super sharp images that you want and also for the lower numbered focal numbers (aperture) for low-light shots.

I fell in love with photography when I first saw works by Richard Avedon in a gallery. The man shot EVERYONE and yes, did fashion photography. But he did phenomenal portrait shots of celebrities and people, pores and wrinkles and freckles and all, and he could have only have achieved this through proper lighting.

Can I make a suggestion? If you have a proper pool/billiard hall in your parts of town or simply a pub or bar, go there and take photos of people. You'll get black background effects with harsh lighting on subjects/people and great place to just practice shooting under this condition. Just go there and shoot, you'll see what I mean.

Just don't get punched in the face because you are taking photos of people who dont' want to be in front of your camera

To me, anti-fashion is to shoot people in a real environments and not created ones, and 'candid' shots. Most fashion photos are in studios or if not, in scenes where they are told to pose this way or that way. The poker face idea is a great one - why not shoot it that way? It would be in florescent or white light, though, so maybe you want to play around with that.

Regardless though, look into better lens. You'll need it so you don't rely on post processing for the sharper look you are looking for.