Thanks to CharlesU

[dtnorman]

OK, first, not what you think. Dang!

But, serious, I went to a workshop with CharlesU here in NC; and he's great. :) Models are too bad either :p

However, I did learn some lighting techniques and was able to practice (lighting!) with an incredibly talented and beautiful 12 YEAR OLD (Mother was, of course, present). For those who might ask, two white lightnings (1200) -- one in a softbox (f11, generally), as main at 45 right of camera, and one through a white umbrella directed mostly to the backdrop (1 - 2 stops less), with some fill to the model, and one 160 Photgenic for hair (probably too bright, but I'm learning). Used a silver reflector sometimes; although I switched to the white side later.

Enjoy. One great model ... especially at 12! Already made an appointment for 6 months ;)

And, sorry for the copyright notice, did it using BreezeBrowser Pro and didn't reset things. Oh, well.

#1
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1803_std.jpg
#2
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1782_std.jpg
#3
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1773_std.jpg
#4
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1751_std.jpg
#5
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1740_std.jpg
#6
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1738_std.jpg
#7
http://www.dnabizbuilder.com/galleries/holt/img_1744_std.jpg

And, I better stop at this point.

Thanks for viewing and commenting.

David

[dtnorman]

And, NO, Charles, you can't have her name!

Well, maybe in 6+ years. :lol:

David

[Dirty Shirt]

Great work and thanks for sharing!

[Airedale1]

That's a great face! She reminds me of the kind of girl you would see in a Norman Rockwell painting.

[Jetmech1]

Pretty girl. Very nice job. The pics looks great.

[charlesu]

Hey David,
Glad to see you shooting!! Your pics look great. She's a very cute little girl. And you did her justice with the lighting here. The only suggestion I have offhand is to move her further away from the background. Not always possible in a home studio situation, though. This will let the wrinkles in the fabric disappear or fade. The other thing you can do is to blur them in PS (which is pretty easy).

Good stuff, buddy! Keep on posting!!

Charles

[dtnorman]

Thanks for the kind words ... you are quite perceptive. The only way I could have moved her away from the backdrop was for me to step about five to eight feet OUTSIDE my house. Oh, well -- a studio like yours some day, huh?

I really appreciate what you showed me that day ... more to come?

David

[dtnorman]

Oh, yeah ... and with some additional time I will use PSCS and, perhaps, Gaussian blur to 'fix' the backdrop issue. Just wanted to get a few shots out here in cyberspace.

David

[charlesu]

Thanks for the kind words ... you are quite perceptive. The only way I could have moved her away from the backdrop was for me to step about five to eight feet OUTSIDE my house. Oh, well -- a studio like yours some day, huh?

I really appreciate what you showed me that day ... more to come?

David

More to come? You betcha!! Stay tuned. We'll do a shoot sometime in early May. Probably the first weekend. I just need to put it in ink...so to speak.

[Titus213]

Great lighting and a cute kid (probably just about too old to like being called cute).

[Maureen Souza]

These are wonderful photos...great lighting and she is a real cutie pie.

[Kerbouchard]

These look good. I received a comment on another site on a photo with a similar catchlight -- "raise the catchlight."


And I'll preface my next comment with a statement that I don't know if my thought is based on a different style of portrait or general portrait shots. The contrast between the main light and the fill light is minimal and might ought to be more pronounced. The fill light should be just that: a fill light. I don't know the ideal stop differences between main and fill, but I personally like to see a fill that is a bit darker (specifically regarding the last four).

[dtnorman]

Kerbouchard

Thanks, I agree with both your comments: (1) catch light higher in the eyes, and (2) little less fill light. Appreciate the comments and your viewing.

David

[poke]

ooooo... #5 is 12 going on 21... I feel sorry for her dad, with a cute girl like that for a daughter, he is bound to have ulcers already.

My daughter is 6yrs old, and I'm already having to warn the boys off :D

[drisley]

I agree, the pose in #5 is perfect, and the last 2 are also very good too.
Btw, does CharlesU have as much facial hair now as he does in his avatar?

[jgbeam]

That's a gret set of portraits. Very nice work. You are probably right about the hairlight - I don't think you needed it at all with the blond hair and light background but it was a good experience to put all your tools to work and see what they do.

Jim

[dtnorman]

Well, Yes, CharlesU bears a striking resemblance to his avatar. In fact, I initially thought they were one and the same ;) A real dog, you know.

And, I have seen him foam at the mouth. :evil:

Seriously, though, Charles does some wonderful work and his workshops are great training grounds.

[drisley]

I wish I could go to a CharlseU workshop :(