Some body paint and models.

Took these photos at a local photo show today. Use a 5D II with the 70-200 F2.8 IS II.

Mostly at iso3200-6400.





















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Canon 5D II & 7D and a D7000 on order.

How much sharpening added to these images??

The first thing I noticed was this same dark spot in two of the models' eyes. What a coincidence.





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Yaamon strikes again!

Love your work.

Regards,
Humayun

camera4me said:

How much sharpening added to these images??

Click to expand...

On the resize for web I used 25-35% smart sharpened with a radius of .8.

All the images were shot in raw and converted using cs5 and I had to play with the wb on processing that's why some may look slightly different. I had the camera on auto WB.

The first three photos was a softbox that had 6 cfl type bulbs inside as the main light and another to her left.

Only photo seven was used with a strobe and wireless trigger.

All the other use a constant lighting. The first two photos and the last two of body paint not sure of the small softbox light. The lights looked liked my daylight cfl bulbs temperature with a blue cast.

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Canon 5D II & 7D and a D7000 on order.

Please don't take offense, but I really don't think that any of these shots make any of the ladies look especially good, except maybe the first two, and even these are not more than OK. I'm sure that the ladies themselves are very good looking in person, but photographing them to look more interesting or attractive would require better lighting, makeup and posing than what you have shown.

I hope I have not hurt anyone's feelings here, because I know how difficult criticism can feel; my work has been criticised many times by my clients, my assistants, my wife, my children, heck, even my own mother. It's never an easy thing to take, but I just thought I'd tell you that you may be on the wrong track here.

I don't know what your level of experience is, but the first thing I'd try if I were you is to look at lots of beauty shots in women's fashion magazines, slick men's magazines, and model comp books from model agencies. I think you'll get a better feel from seeing them as to how better to light people.

Some people think that photography is more the art of what you don't show, rather than what you do. Think of that in terms of lighting. If everything is evenly illuminated, nothing is important and many things that you'd rather not see are clearly visible. Or put another way, when you start thinking about lighting, don't start with the idea to illuminate everything, think about starting out with darkness and only add light to the places that will be most flattering or reveal what's most interesting, depending on what you are attempting to communicate. Just thought you'd like to know.

Good luck.

Regards,
David
Keep learning; share knowledge; think seriously about outcomes; seek wisdom.

I agree with David,

I think all these women are fantastic but as you said in your title that these were some models and some body paint. So that is in fact what i see and what you photographed. So when i look at the photos i do NOT see portraiture. Portraiture has to have expression and interesting lighting. the lighting you used is OK but it illuminates the faces without sculpting and defining the faces. Moreover, the expressions on the women are ALL totally OFF. It seems from the sour looks or even blank stares that they really don't want to be there doing that activity. They look exploited. I'm all for glamor and beauty in portraiture and think you picked great subjects, used great gear, and had great paintings but did not orchestrate the pieces into a complete package to say what you really wanted to say.

This was at a photographic show and not at any type of studio setting. This was in a huge hall.

I had no control over the lighting and to use what they had setup. All I was able to do at times was to have them pose how I wanted with a little direction.

The first set of light was a soft box with 6 cfl type bulbs inside. No strobes. Only one set of a few photos was shot uisng a strobe set. Then they position a beauty dish and addition strobe for the back ground light this was on the 7th photo.

I could not position the lighting in anyway.

It was not my show and I'm sure they don't want the photographers and public to be moving around their equipment.

Thanks for the advise about the lighting as I'm always open to learning. I actually bought a set of dual strobes because I used them at the same show last year.

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Canon 5D II & 7D and a D7000 on order.