Since water season is approaching, I thought I'd post some of my favorites from last season in hopes of receiving advice on what I might be able to improve upon. CC welcome.
tntcorp wrote:
hey brad - #2, 3, 5, & 6 are appealing to me, perhaps b/c of the clarity of the subject.
on the remaining images, are you reducing the clarity through post-processing or is the topside lighting the cause of haziness.
with all the electrical lighting by the poolside, did you have any special safety clause in the model release?
thank you for sharing the setup.
tom
Thanks. Clarity comes from shooting in a pool, which cant be beat. The darker shots were taken in a creek, which is inherently dark and murky. But I do enjoy shooting in natural bodies of water since they add a variety to the clarity shots of a pool along with natural surroundings.
No special clauses in the release forms but I do use a battery pack for the strobe instead of a direct socket as a precautionary measure, and hope to never experience what it might be like if it were to fall into the pool.
These are great! Thanks for posting the setup. I find #4 a little disturbing, almost looks more "threw her in the water" than dreaming. I do really like the light in #4 with the rays piercing through so vividly.
In #5 I am distracted by the fish - some are tropical fresh water while others salt water. Technicality I know, but for me a distraction. I like the work otherwise.
Squirrely Eyed wrote:
These are great! Thanks for posting the setup. I find #4 a little disturbing, almost looks more "threw her in the water" than dreaming. I do really like the light in #4 with the rays piercing through so vividly.
Maybe you can get the dogs to pose in the pool.
With underwater portraiture typically you get what you get and have very little control over anything. But that's what makes it fun....the randomness. I often take 300-400 pics in any given session and have several to choose from. These are just some of my personal favorites.
I tried with my dogs....gave up.
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padrelar wrote:
In #5 I am distracted by the fish - some are tropical fresh water while others salt water. Technicality I know, but for me a distraction. I like the work otherwise.
#5 is actually a composite image taken in my pool. The fish weren't actually there, and were added at post. I'm no fish expert though, and simply added them randomly.
Adam - thanx for the response and apology for addressing you as brad... not sure why.
Than for clarifying those images in the creek.
Synchronized swimmers should make great models for this style of shoots... 😊
tom
Adam_A wrote:
Thanks. Clarity comes from shooting in a pool, which cant be beat. The darker shots were taken in a creek, which is inherently dark and murky. But I do enjoy shooting in natural bodies of water since they add a variety to the clarity shots of a pool along with natural surroundings.
No special clauses in the release forms but I do use a battery pack for the strobe instead of a direct socket as a precautionary measure, and hope to never experience what it might be like if it were to fall into the pool.
These are quite stunning indeed!!! It will be interesting to see what you do this summer
To me, 1,4,7,8 have the best feelings of "a lady swimming". The other shots, although perfectly captured and presented, are "too professional" ... the clarity and style of these (for me) seem to ruin the lovely "water nymph" feeling of the ones in the stream.
Cool, thanks for posting the behind the scenes, looks like a lot of thought and prep went into them. Those halogens by the pool would make me really nervous.
Beautiful results. Standouts for me are #3 & #5. Always a bonus to see the setup, even if few will use the underwater equipment.
I think #1 would look really good without the reflection up top. Keep and use the reflection version too, just add the non-reflection as an additional shot.
Looking forward to your upcoming season.
So how long does your model stay underwater at a time? How long can she hold her breath? Surface for air, or take air underwater with scuba gear?
tonyfield wrote:
These are quite stunning indeed!!! It will be interesting to see what you do this summer
To me, 1,4,7,8 have the best feelings of "a lady swimming". The other shots, although perfectly captured and presented, are "too professional" ... the clarity and style of these (for me) seem to ruin the lovely "water nymph" feeling of the ones in the stream.
You prefer the natural body water shots. I enjoy shooting both in natural water and the pool. I tend to do more composites with the pool shots. But natural waters offer a change of scenery, with more light rays and gritty feel to them, which are equally pleasing IMO.
Thanks!
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stevez32 wrote:
Cool, thanks for posting the behind the scenes, looks like a lot of thought and prep went into them. Those halogens by the pool would make me really nervous.
Yes, I have to take strong precautions when using the lights by the pool. Things are pretty tied down (and the dogs are put in the house during shooting).
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Jim Rickards wrote:
Beautiful results. Standouts for me are #3 & #5. Always a bonus to see the setup, even if few will use the underwater equipment.
I think #1 would look really good without the reflection up top. Keep and use the reflection version too, just add the non-reflection as an additional shot.
Looking forward to your upcoming season.
So how long does your model stay underwater at a time? How long can she hold her breath? Surface for air, or take air underwater with scuba gear?
Thanks. I've only done a few shots without reflections, now that I think about it. Different models are different. Some can't stay under for very long, nor keep a natural facial expression. Some can stay under longer than me and appear quite comfortable at it. A good model can make a huge difference in the outcome.
No scuba gear. I've only shot in shallow waters. We both just take a breath and go under for 1-3 shots or so, then come back up for air. Then repeat.
