Light #5 - High contrast

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by ccting

What are the photography terminology used in this tutorial? Mind to explain in detail for each of them? And, why such "flattering" is favaroble? etc etc.. That makes better readiness for noobs and non-native speaker like me to understand. Well, use simple plain English.. ;D

I've seen so many of your "wordy technical rants" and now you want us to speak in simple English? Exactly what part of this tutorial don't you understand? Tell us so we can try to help you.

[RichardTaylor]

@ccting

Re terminology - See this thread Especially post #7.
How photographers/you describe light?


Re people pics.
Full sunshine - high contrast. No control over the subjects (except to say "smile") and limited control over my shooting position.
.

#1 Bad


#2 Bad




#3 Good...Same day (Bright sunshine) . Open shade - in the doorway of a motel room.I had small control over the subject placement (she is my wife) and some control over my shooting position.



Camera Canon EOS 40D
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 140 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[ccting]

Originally Posted by autofocus

I've seen so many of your "wordy technical rants" and now you want us to speak in simple English? Exactly what part of this tutorial don't you understand? Tell us so we can try to help you.

What you understand (Not equal) what i understand...

You may write about A... and I may understand that as B....

That's my problem.. ;D

Actually explaining about glossary and terminology is very important to align the understanding between writers and readers, especially .. between people from different culture... hMM..My english is very poor,, and I only understand.. ABC well.

I still don't understand why "High contrast" portraits that have hard shadows on objects create "distraction" for photographers, but not me.. ????? What kind of lighting the photographers intent to get for portrait? Any taxonomy of portrait lighting, and what are the special term for that special kind of portrait lighting.

Hmm, in short, what are the criteria to identify good portrait lighting, in systematic way.. (a checklist perhaps)... So.. when to have high contrast portrait ?

I hv gone through Itten's contrast composition. And it seems conflict with portrait lighting ...

"Images of females showed an overall leftward bias, while those of males did not demonstrate a significant overall bias, which is consistent with previous research (Humphrey & McManus, 1973; Nicholls et al., 2002a)." (Thomas, Burkitt, Patrick, Elias, 2008).. Why photographers have overall leftward bias lighting for female portrait???

The more i read, the more headache i gain.. the more confusing i am.. I don't have the photography cells in my body.. ;D

[RichardTaylor]

Most of my portrait shots are on vacation or "events" and shot in uncontrolled environments where I have no control over the lighting, subject and limited control over shooting position. I do have control over my exposure, how the frame is filled and most importantly when to take the photograph.

As always it depends on the subject and how you want to show that subject.

Some subject are beautiful and some are not. That's what I want to show and a lot of that can be done by contrast.

Some examples.
Larger images are on my Flickr stream.

#1 A Dancer at a Latin American music festival.
Lighting conditions were diffused sunlight - It was before the festival was washed out.
The pic has been PP'd to soften the background a little more and concentrate the light on the face..



Camera Canon EOS 40D
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 180 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias -2/3 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

#2 At a medieval festival.
Bright sunshine - cloudless sky and high sun .
A lot PPing processing to get even this.



Camera Canon EOS 40D
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 390 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias -2/3 EV

#3
Same event as #2. This time the lady was in shade - so no contrast problems.



Camera Canon EOS 40D
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 400 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias +1/3 EV

#4
Same event, a bit latter in the afternoon.
Bright sunshine. Notice the difference on both sides of the helmet.
Lost of post processing on this to get a 1/2 decent exposure and that "gritty" look.



Camera Canon EOS 40D
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 330 mm
ISO Speed 640
Exposure Bias -1/3 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

--------------------------------------------------

Shooting mostly candids, and never ever a planed portrait session, means no lighting check lists (at the moment).

However I do keep in mind, without dwelling on it, and this applies to a lot of subjects.

#1 Soft light makes things very easy both when shooting and PPing..
#2 If the lighting is harsh be prepared for a lot of post processing and/or moody pictures.
#3 Back lighting can make for some wonderful shots (this will be another thread)
#4 When shooting -
#3a fill the frame with the subject (notice I was using long lenses).
#3b Any distracting elements - If so remove them by changing your POV or DOF.
#3c Can you see the subjects eyes? That may help a lot.
#3dc Pick your moment.
#3e Always be ready to shoot an know your camera/lens intimately as those "moments" may be very fleeting.

You may find this multi part tutorial "capturing the moment" of interst.
Capturing the "moment" (1)

I am not aware of Itten

Shoot some portraits of family & friends. Analyse them critically - ask your subjects to analyse them or post some of them in our Critique forum (be sure to read the rules)
This thread may help.
How to Critique #1 - The basics.


Hope this helps.

[autofocus]

@ccting:
The trouble with analyticals is that they often get bogged down on the various process options available to them, and to them, these processes become more important than the ultimate solution. They also wrestle with this process so much that it's done at the expense of the solution. In short, 2+2 becomes more important than 4, and why is it better than 3+1. Decisions, if ever reached, are typically drawn out, and rarely done in a timely manner. In photography, as in art, there are well established tenets that have been in place for centuries. You don't need to know how and why they were established, just know they are there, and try to integrate that knowledge into your work, the finished photograph. Obviously, light, and controlling light is paramount in photography. As Richard explained and showed so well above, it's pretty well established that harsh, direct, full midday sun lighting is not the best for portraits. To me, the "why" part is obvious, and if you continue to dwell on the "why," I assure you, you will be missing many photo opportunities in doing so. Lastly, photography is a bit science and a bit art. And equally important it's also about timing. Understanding the science is important, but that knowledge on it's own will not always result in what's perceived to be a good photograph. I understand there can be language issues here, and I'm sorry you are having a difficult time with this, but I don't think this information could be stated any more clearly than what it already has been.

[Bruce A]

Congratulations and many thanks for time and effort in making these tutorials Richard. They are extremely helpful for hobbyists such as myself and not only are your shots well explained, they are also mostly very decent images especially when, with some, you were really up against it as far as lighting conditions go. Well done indeed!

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks for the feedback Bruce. I am just a hobbyist as well.