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Critiques on lighting wanted.. (img)

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BKKSW

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Hi -

I've been bored lately doing portraits the way most clients want them done.. I started getting more creative with my lighting to get different effects. I'm curious what you think of the results..

Technical details.. Nikon D100, Nikkor 135mm F2 DC lens. 1/125th @ F16. Alien Bee B800 lights. Two used on a white muslin background as background lights three stops over. One used with a 30x60 softbox about three feet from the subject two stops over, and one other light with a silver umbrella light about three feet away one stop under, and one used as a hair light one stop over.. The camera was of course about 15 feet back..

A few people I showed this too (in a Super B print) either loved it or said they preferred normal skin tones, etc.. My model loved it. Any comments appreciated..

BKKSW

 
Hey,

Way too hot. It's one thing to have a hot set, but to start losing body parts due to the light is a bit much. In one way it looks "artsy" and the other way it looks poorly exposed. If it looks at all poorly exposed then the "artsy" part is dead.

Cheers,
Zack
 
It's art, and if you like it, that's what really matters. Not what Zack thinks. I think the humidity gets to him 'way down there in the south. Look away, look away, look away, Dixieland.

Seriously, I will not say it's overexposed, I'll say it's art, it's a style, and go for it. Who's to say Zack is the authority, or I am (except for me, of course ;) )

If you are going to that extreme, I'd go much further- short DOF, more makeup, more color. Have some fum, fer cryin' out loud, and DO NOT ASK the opinions of others for your creative work. If you ask enough people, and try to include every critique, you will become very mediorce. Trust me on this one.

Here are my questions to you:

DO YOU LIKE IT? WHY? Tell us why you felt like shooting this way. What influenced you to make the creative decisions you did? What is you relationship with the model, and did that influence the decision to light the way you did?

p
--
http://www.paulmbowers.com
 
You mentioned that your model loved it. What kind of model is she? From her looks, I would venture that she is not an editorial model. So, that leaves commercial modeling. What is needed in the portfolio of a commercial model is this: "clean looks for a commercial market." As such, this image does not fit the requirements.

Regards,
John Roberts
 
Paul M Bowers said:
Here are my questions to you:

DO YOU LIKE IT? WHY? Tell us why you felt like shooting this way.
What influenced you to make the creative decisions you did? What
is you relationship with the model, and did that influence the
decision to light the way you did?
Click to expand...
No one has ever asked me these kind of questions, I had to stop and think about it I'm guessing these were rhetorical questions but maybe an answer is in order.

Yes, I like it. I lived and worked in Asia most of my adult life. One thing pretty much universal among all the Asian races is the association of white skin to higher class and beauty. Dark skin is looked down on and is usually the result of hard work in the fields and generations of evolution. Most Noh masks would have white faces..

My relationship with this client while one of business was also intimate. Sometimes while looking at her I would only see the outline of her features and the shape of her face, the texture and colour of her skin would go away.. So yes,, it influenced me in the sense I wanted to capture her the way she appeared in my mind,

At the time I remember wanting to open up to F2 but for some reason ended up grabbing the light controller instead, maybe because I was thinking more of light than about camera...

I shot an entire series this way. This particualar shot was the most modest so it's the one I chose to share. Interestingly my afternoon client saw this and fell in love with it, she was also Asian. She wanted the same.. Maybe there's something to it..

BKKSW
 
She does clothes for catalogs and recently started modeling jewelery. I did a bunchof shots with different lighing, poses, etc, just for fun and ideals. Later this week she's coming back with some fancy necklaces to see if I can isolate them in a natural way while keeping this skin tones. If so it might be worthwhile for her portfolio. I might have to use layers in PS to do it.. If someone likes it, it will probably end up driving some company photographer crazy trying to recreate it..

BKKSW
J. Roberts said:
You mentioned that your model loved it. What kind of model is she?
From her looks, I would venture that she is not an editorial
model. So, that leaves commercial modeling. What is needed in the
portfolio of a commercial model is this: "clean looks for a
commercial market." As such, this image does not fit the
requirements.

Regards,
John Roberts
Click to expand...
 
i dont particularly like it, but - if it was creatively inspired - good for you - go for it! and if you like it, your model likes it, and others like it then thats what counts - you know better than i do what and where your market is. one of the good things about a creative venue like photography is that there are no rules and few limits. Have fun and thanks for sharing!
maya
BKKSW said:
BKKSW
J. Roberts said:
You mentioned that your model loved it. What kind of model is she?
From her looks, I would venture that she is not an editorial
model. So, that leaves commercial modeling. What is needed in the
portfolio of a commercial model is this: "clean looks for a
commercial market." As such, this image does not fit the
requirements.

Regards,
John Roberts
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
maya
 
J. Roberts said:
What is needed in the
portfolio of a commercial model is this: "clean looks for a
commercial market." As such, this image does not fit the
requirements.

Regards,
John Roberts
Click to expand...
Try to loosen up on the "requirements" after looking at dozens of portfolios with "clean looks" my eyes start to glaze over and I fall asleep.
In any portfolio (photographers included) there is room for some creativity.
You gotta have some sizzle with the steak %^)
--
Mike D

'The pain goes away on payday' - Larry Fine
 
Kel Toookay said:
Try to loosen up on the "requirements" after looking at dozens of
portfolios with "clean looks" my eyes start to glaze over and I
fall asleep.
In any portfolio (photographers included) there is room for some
creativity.
You gotta have some sizzle with the steak %^)
--
Mike D

'The pain goes away on payday' - Larry Fine
Click to expand...
Mike, perhaps you have never shot images for a model signed with a legitimate agency (and I don't mean a web model). They have strict requirements for very good reasons. I don't set the rules, they do.

Regards,
J. Roberts
 
J. Roberts said:
Mike, perhaps you have never shot images for a model signed with a
legitimate agency (and I don't mean a web model). They have strict
requirements for very good reasons. I don't set the rules, they do.

Regards,
J. Roberts
Click to expand...
Actually J. I have. And if you have ever had casting calls or looked though a stack of boring, by the book zeds and portfolios (yep, actual portfolios) then you would understand what I am saying about the rules .

Obviously, you have to see what the model looks like, but even a little creative spark from the photographer will help the model get more jobs.

Mike D

'The pain goes away on payday' - Larry Fine
 
Paul Ferrara said:
BKKSW said:
I've been bored lately doing portraits the way most clients want
them done.
Click to expand...
I think it'd be interesting to see some of the stuff you've become
bored with.
Click to expand...
Below are some of the images I have releases for. I never ask for releases unless it's for friends, etc.. The last thing a client wants is to see their naked self on Psig or some porn site.. and often porn sites are where they end up no matter where you post them..
Paul Ferrara said:
Paul
http://www.paulsportraits.com
Click to expand...












 
Mike said:
J. Roberts said:
Mike, perhaps you have never shot images for a model signed with a
legitimate agency (and I don't mean a web model). They have strict
requirements for very good reasons. I don't set the rules, they do.

Regards,
J. Roberts
Click to expand...
Actually J. I have. And if you have ever had casting calls or
looked though a stack of boring, by the book zeds and portfolios
(yep, actual portfolios) then you would understand what I am saying
about the rules .
Obviously, you have to see what the model looks like, but even a
little creative spark from the photographer will help the model
get more jobs.
Click to expand...
I've found this to be true. No matter the model, some non-norm pics will catch peoples attention..
Kel Toookay said:
Mike D

'The pain goes away on payday' - Larry Fine
Click to expand...
 
Maya -

Thanks for being honest and for your encouragement.

BKKSW
maya said:
  • good for you - go for it! and if you like it, your model likes
it, and others like it then thats what counts - you know better
than i do what and where your market is. one of the good things
about a creative venue like photography is that there are no rules
and few limits. Have fun and thanks for sharing!
maya
BKKSW said:
BKKSW
J. Roberts said:
You mentioned that your model loved it. What kind of model is she?
From her looks, I would venture that she is not an editorial
model. So, that leaves commercial modeling. What is needed in the
portfolio of a commercial model is this: "clean looks for a
commercial market." As such, this image does not fit the
requirements.

Regards,
John Roberts
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
maya
Click to expand...
 
Mike, BKKSW, and Paul Andre:

Hey guys, if you think that breaking the rules is the primary objective, and that this very overexposed image will work in a commerical models portfolio- then I have some land I would like to sell you. Just be sure to come and see it at low tide :)

Regards,
J. Roberts
 
No one has ever said it's the primary objective, just that a break in the boring pace can be helpful. I'll see soon enough if it works and I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime you can do what works best for you.

BKKSW
J. Roberts said:
Mike, BKKSW, and Paul Andre:

Hey guys, if you think that breaking the rules is the primary
objective, and that this very overexposed image will work in a
commerical models portfolio- then I have some land I would like to
sell you. Just be sure to come and see it at low tide :)

Regards,
J. Roberts
Click to expand...
 
J. Roberts said:
Mike, BKKSW, and Paul Andre:

Hey guys, if you think that breaking the rules is the primary
objective, and that this very overexposed image will work in a
commerical models portfolio- then I have some land I would like to
sell you. Just be sure to come and see it at low tide :)

Regards,
J. Roberts
Click to expand...
J.

Read the post, I said bending the rules.

If the whole portfolio looks like the sample shot, then she will have a problem. But why not have a couple of shots like this that bend the rules once in a while. Would you not hire her if this shot was in her book?
--
Mike D

'The pain goes away on payday' - Larry Fine
 
J. Roberts said:
Mike, BKKSW, and Paul Andre:

Hey guys, if you think that breaking the rules is the primary
objective, and that this very overexposed image will work in a
commerical models portfolio- then I have some land I would like to
sell you. Just be sure to come and see it at low tide :)
Click to expand...
I agree. The presented photo is simply "over exposed". This is NOT the effect the beautfully done high key effects we seen during the 1980's and 1990's - however is possibly a first step to try to figure out that style.

Seems to me that BKKSW should look at some of the fashion model pages to identify this style and the try to achieve a good high key photographs. This will probably require changes in makeup, lighting style and darkroom / photoshop processing.

I would also speculate that an expert (certainly not me) in PhotoShop could turn the image into a very respectable photo.

tony
 
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