p.47 #1 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
abadger wrote How's the skin if you don't mind me asking?
Looks like Manny Ortiz' style. If that was the intention, you nailed it. There are so many ways of treating skin, and none is necessarily "the best", it all depends on your intention, if it looks like you (and/or the model) wanted it to look, then you reached the golden standard. You're the best judge.
p.47 #2 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
vdo1 wrote:
Looks like Manny Ortiz' style. If that was the intention, you nailed it. There are so many ways of treating skin, and none is necessarily "the best", it all depends on your intention, if it looks like you (and/or the model) wanted it to look, then you reached the golden standard.
Thank you for the feedback. Honestly I have seen one or two brief lighting tutorials from him on youtube but haven't seen his images. That is encouraging...will definitely take a look. Perhaps this is the case of it being a popular style of editing he uses that just rubbed off on me from many sources, IG etc. I haven't found my own style just yet either.
This was one where I tried a little dodge and burn first aid because the facial highlights were a bit wrong (again, lighting properly would have helped). Reshaped the color patterns under the skin to emulate somewhat proper lighting. But based on a prior comment, wasn't sure if the skin was overdone or not. Sometimes when you are deep into it and have been looking at it for a while, it is hard to step back and evaluate without someone else taking a look. So again, I appreciate the feedback.
p.47 #3 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
abadger wrote:
Thank you for the feedback. Honestly I have seen one or two brief lighting tutorials from him on youtube but haven't seen his images. That is encouraging...will definitely take a look. Perhaps this is the case of it being a popular style of editing he uses that just rubbed off on me from many sources, IG etc. I haven't found my own style just yet either.
This was one where I tried a little dodge and burn first aid because the facial highlights were a bit wrong (again, lighting properly would have helped). Reshaped the color patterns under the skin to emulate somewhat proper lighting. But based on a prior comment, wasn't sure if the skin was overdone or not. Sometimes when you are deep into it and have been looking at it for a while, it is hard to step back and evaluate without someone else taking a look. So again, I appreciate the feedback....Show more →
- he goes for warm, saturated (but not overdone) colors
- he uses a "glamour glow" effect on the skin
- he keeps a hearty dose of contrast between highlights and shadows as to imprint a strong tridimensionality to the face
- he goes for warm, saturated (but not overdone) colors
- he uses a "glamour glow" effect on the skin
- he keeps a hearty dose of contrast between highlights and shadows as to imprint a strong tridimensionality to the face
Thanks for the link! Yes I do like this look and try to get some level of dramatic contrast when I can. (Also the ‘lightblaster’ thing with the slide is interesting...)
p.47 #6 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Hey Adam! Just my personal opinion and hopefully constructive take here. I don’t think the retouch is necessarily “overdone.” You have plenty of natural skin texture and I think the highlight side looks good! It’s hard to know for sure without seeing the raw, but it looks like you might have a bit too much dodging on the shadow side. Also, the highlight on the camera left cheek is a little bit low imo, whether that happened in camera or in post. If you burn basically right where that highlight is currently and then lightly dodge above it to help connect the highlight on the temple to the faint glowing ball closer to the nose, I think it will look much better!
abadger wrote:
On this one I worked on brightening up shadows and the face. Lighting is not perfect and I would have liked to have a front reflector or something to fill a bit more. How's the skin if you don't mind me asking? Working on these things.
p.47 #7 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Also yes to the light blaster! I’m going to become a projector evangelist.
abadger wrote:
Thanks for the link! Yes I do like this look and try to get some level of dramatic contrast when I can. (Also the ‘lightblaster’ thing with the slide is interesting...)
p.47 #8 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
fuzzykeys wrote:
Hey Adam! Just my personal opinion and hopefully constructive take here. I don’t think the retouch is necessarily “overdone.” You have plenty of natural skin texture and I think the highlight side looks good! It’s hard to know for sure without seeing the raw, but it looks like you might have a bit too much dodging on the shadow side. Also, the highlight on the camera left cheek is a little bit low imo, whether that happened in camera or in post. If you burn basically right where that highlight is currently and then lightly dodge above it to help connect the highlight on the temple to the faint glowing ball closer to the nose, I think it will look much better!
I think it was poor lighting re:highlight being disconnected but well noted and I will see if I can’t fix it up, along with the other items mentioned. Going to do some research on what is ‘ideal’ for lighting contours so I know what to look for. As always, very much appreciate your feedback.
p.47 #9 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
abadger wrote:
On this one I worked on brightening up shadows and the face. Lighting is not perfect and I would have liked to have a front reflector or something to fill a bit more. How's the skin if you don't mind me asking? Working on these things.
p.47 #10 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
On a second look, yeah I think you are definitely right and it’s just that the camera left light source is creating a little bit of a weird highlight/shadow pattern in the context of the dominant camera right source. Is this one or two strobes and what modifiers did you use?
abadger wrote:
I think it was poor lighting re:highlight being disconnected but well noted and I will see if I can’t fix it up, along with the other items mentioned. Going to do some research on what is ‘ideal’ for lighting contours so I know what to look for. As always, very much appreciate your feedback.
p.47 #11 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
fuzzykeys wrote:
On a second look, yeah I think you are definitely right and it’s just that the camera left light source is creating a little bit of a weird highlight/shadow pattern in the context of the dominant camera right source. Is this one or two strobes and what modifiers did you use?
Strobe in a large octabox camera right double diffused, speed light through umbrella camera left. Part of the idea here was to take the white backdrop and make it darker by angling the lights more horizontally to the subject (this just being a gradation and not actually making it dark yet). But at the same time you lose lighting in front and so in retrospect I might have used a giant reflector in front of the model to fill the face a bit if this is what I had to work with.
Ultimately it was a class I was assisting with so I didn’t have a ton of time to adjust and get it right for my own purposes. Like with this model, I think I took a total of maybe five shots on the day. So I realize it’s not exactly the way I might have tweaked it if I had the time to review images on the spot. As it was I was just shooting test images between students. But used the shots as an opportunity for editing practice, growing/learning. And liked this one enough to share for feedback.
I have a few more of my own shoots coming in the next couple of weeks...maybe some better stuff to share then!
p.47 #12 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
That is great info and it’s a great shot! I am just nitpicking upon your invitation haha. Ok so, I think I am better understanding the objective, setup and challenges now. So, two light setup with low or no ambient in the exposure and you wanted to minimize BG spill, but moving the fill light closer to the lens axis was spilling too much on the BG because the BG was very close to the subject in a small space? Meanwhile with no fill, the shadow side is pitch black, but you are going for a high fill density airy soft look. Yeah that definitely can be a difficult scenario. Based on my limited experience, the first thing I might try is having the bigger/softer light source on the fill side, which can give you some grace and more room for error because even if it is technically creating a second shadow, it will be larger, softer, dimmer and less obvious. #2 is basically the same concept, but using a large passive silver bounce that is larger than your key (love my cheap Neewer 40x60 reflector for this) on the fill side and then using your second light on axis as a big and soft but very low powered fill. That would give you more control over the catch lights but if it spills too much light on the BG even at low power, that doesn’t really help you.
abadger wrote:
Strobe in a large octabox camera right double diffused, speed light through umbrella camera left. Part of the idea here was to take the white backdrop and make it darker by angling the lights more horizontally to the subject (this just being a gradation and not actually making it dark yet). But at the same time you lose lighting in front and so in retrospect I might have used a giant reflector in front of the model to fill the face a bit if this is what I had to work with.
Ultimately it was a class I was assisting with so I didn’t have a ton of time to adjust and get it right for my own purposes. Like with this model, I think I took a total of maybe five shots on the day. So I realize it’s not exactly the way I might have tweaked it if I had the time to review images on the spot. As it was I was just shooting test images between students. But used the shots as an opportunity for editing practice, growing/learning. And liked this one enough to share for feedback.
I have a few more of my own shoots coming in the next couple of weeks...maybe some better stuff to share then!...Show more →
p.47 #13 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
fuzzykeys wrote:
That is great info and it’s a great shot! I am just nitpicking upon your invitation haha. Ok so, I think I am better understanding the objective, setup and challenges now. So, two light setup with low or no ambient in the exposure and you wanted to minimize BG spill, but moving the fill light closer to the lens axis was spilling too much on the BG because the BG was very close to the subject in a small space? Meanwhile with no fill, the shadow side is pitch black, but you are going for a high fill density airy soft look. Yeah that definitely can be a difficult scenario. Based on my limited experience, the first thing I might try is having the bigger/softer light source on the fill side, which can give you some grace and more room for error because even if it is technically creating a second shadow, it will be larger, softer, dimmer and less obvious. #2 is basically the same concept, but using a large passive silver bounce that is larger than your key (love my cheap Neewer 40x60 reflector for this) on the fill side and then using your second light on axis as a big and soft but very low powered fill. That would give you more control over the catch lights but if it spills too much light on the BG even at low power, that doesn’t really help you.
You’ve assessed this situation accurately. We did also have the shadow problem with the front fill on the background. But maybe switching up the light sources would work. Maybe bouncing up instead of straight forward. I would have to play with it a bit to see if it looked right. These are all ideas that I will store in my back pocket for future shoots - thank you!
p.47 #15 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
abadger wrote:
You’ve assessed this situation accurately. We did also have the shadow problem with the front fill on the background. But maybe switching up the light sources would work. Maybe bouncing up instead of straight forward. I would have to play with it a bit to see if it looked right. These are all ideas that I will store in my back pocket for future shoots - thank you!
How big is the space? Mine is 22x30 and even that is small for full length shots as I use 85mm equivalent focal length most of the time. In smaller space, if you want to control spill, no umbrellas, and then make sure you have grids on the modifiers. In your shot, right side octabox is too high. You can't see its catchlight in the eyes. Left side umbrella is wrong choice. Use a gridded stripbox or just a foamcore reflector. I would have let her left side fall into shadows to slim the face. Making white turn gray in small space is again harder so start with darker gray bg. Moving sources closer to the subject also helps.
p.47 #16 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
My pleasure man! Your portraits are getting so much better so quickly!
abadger wrote:
You’ve assessed this situation accurately. We did also have the shadow problem with the front fill on the background. But maybe switching up the light sources would work. Maybe bouncing up instead of straight forward. I would have to play with it a bit to see if it looked right. These are all ideas that I will store in my back pocket for future shoots - thank you!
p.47 #17 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
abadger wrote:
Thanks for the link! Yes I do like this look and try to get some level of dramatic contrast when I can. (Also the ‘lightblaster’ thing with the slide is interesting...)
Don't forget to have some fun too. I mean, also try something weird / unconventional at the end of the session. Suggestion: umbrella placed behind the subject like in the 5th "tip" from Miguel here:
And, who knows, maybe the model will like the results....
p.47 #18 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
bobby350z wrote:
How big is the space? Mine is 22x30 and even that is small for full length shots as I use 85mm equivalent focal length most of the time. In smaller space, if you want to control spill, no umbrellas, and then make sure you have grids on the modifiers. In your shot, right side octabox is too high. You can't see its catchlight in the eyes. Left side umbrella is wrong choice. Use a gridded stripbox or just a foamcore reflector. I would have let her left side fall into shadows to slim the face. Making white turn gray in small space is again harder so start with darker gray bg. Moving sources closer to the subject also helps. ...Show more →
I'm not exactly sure how big the room was in dimensions but felt smaller than that. I don't think full length with an 85 was possible as I was back against the wall with the 55mm to get (unlighted) shots of her full length. I might pick up a stripbox one of these days for these scenarios. And yes, the octabox was up to the right, maybe 45 degrees or something like that. But too far to her side. I agree that bringing everything in a bit closer would have helped.
In my own space I have used the umbrella with minimal spill in a pinch. I might throw a dark cloth over part of it to flag it or if someone is with me, can hold a black 'flagged' reflector behind it to reduce spill. But it is not optimal for sure for this scenario. Plus I am usually pulling the subject away from the background a bit more when possible if I need it to be dark. A lot of moving parts to consider and practice will help.
I mean, also try something weird / unconventional at the end of the session. Suggestion: umbrella placed behind the subject like in the 5th "tip" from Miguel here: