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phamster wrote in post #8478125
those are all very valid points.. i just like the harsher back lighting.. i have some that i took with out the back light and i didn't like it.. look really boring..

well here are some more from tonight's shoot.. am i posting too much?

1.

....

Not sure if I should tell this as you seem to take the critique too personal. But since you posted it here you are:

I am afraid this is not a back lighting. ( you probably ment rim lighting) This is a side lighting that completely disformed the young father's face. There is nothing natural or flattering in this.
I understand every one is different and someone might like the shot though

Vad wrote in post #8478710
Not sure if I should tell this as you seem to take the critique too personal. But since you posted it here you are:

I am afraid this is not a back lighting. ( you probably ment rim lighting) This is a side lighting that completely disformed the young father's face. There is nothing natural or flattering in this.
I understand every one is different and someone might like the shot though

Vad,

i take C an C very well.. heck that is how i learned.. i have only done photos for about 1 year and 2 months..

so all of this is new to me... i jumped into this photography as a hobby and just a little over a year.. it has consumed me with joy and new direction..

i still work as a full time engineer by day and by night i have my nose into either a camera, working a photo shoot, reading books.. or scheming up my next shoot.

so please let me know what you think and how to improve..

the lighting i was going for is a hybrid of Joey Lawrence twilight lighting, with out the make up..and rim lighting..

anyways it is all good..

phamster

Vad...that doesn't look bad, nor does it disform his face. Trying to shoot with rims lights and people with collars can be hard, since the color goes up, near to their face. The solution for this would be to have the lights up higher and pointed downward. I dig rim lighting a lot, along with separation from the background.

george m w wrote in post #8466870
You guys are posting some good stuff ! The one above of the cutie with the silver sedan is really nice.

And Petey....you've got some awesome stuff going on also.

Thank you bro

JakPot wrote in post #8467023
petey- i'd love to see some of your stuff without the funky colors. I think especially this last one would be a lot better.

Too many band's have "normal" looking photos. I'm really digging the cross process look as of late.

george m w wrote in post #8467081
....ha ! ha ! ....see, there 'ya go: I think that is what makes that shot. The hair style, the shirt...it all screams that 'vintage look'....so the color tone completes it for me.

So there you go Petey: it's "art"....because different folks are interpreting it differently. Success.

I agree. I think it goes well with the band and their music.

phamster wrote in post #8479285
...
so please let me know what you think and how to improve..

As I said in the previous post the lights seems to be too much to the sides
so the cheeks receive too much light. With rim lighting you need to move them more behind the subject. It is trickier as the lights/stands may show up in the photo. Normally people use boom arms for that. If it is imppossible than use some other technique, after all the rim lighting is only one of many ways to make a good photo.
Also I noticed the lights are coming upwards. Normally they'd better be positioned higher than the model.

There is some amazing stuff in this thread.

GenuineRolla wrote in post #8479856
Too many band's have "normal" looking photos. I'm really digging the cross process look as of late.

I agree. I think it goes well with the band and their music.

i'm not arguing that point, and I know you're giving them images that are different. I think the portrait of the guy alone is a great portrait by itself. I just think the cross processing starts to get gimmicky sometimes, that's all.

I havent posted but a couple pics in here so figured i would post another. Just did this the other night as part of a photo shoot on the truck in the background for a truck magazine. The chair, fridge and cans were just sitting to the side of this lot so we moved them and set everything up. Don't worry, i kicked the chiar over to make sure nothing was living in it first. LOL

C&C please! Only my second shoot with my 3 bees.

Burrellimages wrote in post #8482258
I havent posted but a couple pics in here so figured i would post another. Just did this the other night as part of a photo shoot on the truck in the background for a truck magazine. The chair, fridge and cans were just sitting to the side of this lot so we moved them and set everything up. Don't worry, i kicked the chiar over to make sure nothing was living in it first. LOL

C&C please! Only my second shoot with my 3 bees.

Nothing to critique ! The shot is perfect! If anything I would move aside that dude ( was it you ? ) a bit. The truck seems to blend with the guy. But maybe it was the idea

No that wasnt me, it was the truck owner. I wanted the truck kind of tucked in the background. The magazine i was doing the photo shoot for always likes the truck owners photo, but usually a mug shot style, so i tried something different.

phamster wrote in post #8479285
Vad,


so please let me know what you think and how to improve..

the lighting i was going for is a hybrid of Joey Lawrence twilight lighting, with out the make up..and rim lighting..

anyways it is all good..

phamster

Phamster,
I get that you got the lighting style you were going for. But I think that style doesnt fit the subject. The blownout highlights on the side of their faces may work for a vampire movie poster, but they dont really flatter a young family. The shots of the little boy are overlit to the point where the lighting technique is obvious, and this is a shot where subtle would work better. I understand the need for background separation, but these are just too much for me.

flash69 wrote in post #8475275
EOSBoy - that shot looks very good to me. Can you give us details of the setup?

Thanks! Hmmm let me remember....I used 2 AB400s pointed towards white backdrop at around f/8. But made sure to place her a couple feet from the backdrop to prevent white wash (used a flash meter towards her back that read f/5.6)
An AB800, camera left in a huge softbox reading at f/8 as key and another AB800 camera right in a huge softbox @ f/4 as fill. I made sure not to overexpose the background. I wanted some detail there. (I'm not a big fan of pure white BGs)

TMR Design wrote in post #8475282
Hi Patrick. Nice shot. Pretty girl.

Thanks! She's my girlfriend. I forced her to pose for me or I'd power bomb her. Works everytime...

TMR Design wrote in post #8476277
I do have a question on this above shot Patrick. Were you using a gel on a white background or did you not set a custom white balance, OR are we seeing the color temperature shift from setting white balance at a high power level and then dropping the power on the strobe? It looks like the magenta shift from using the strobe at a low power level.

I have an answer! I set a custom WB via 18% gray but decided to add a little color. (Purple is her favorite color.) I did select - color range in photoshop and snagged the background and changed the color balance. I was too lazy and didn't feel like feathering or carefully tracing around her body, so I changed the opacity of the purple to around 20ish % so it wouldn't bleed onto her body or look tacky. I suppose the low opacity made it noticeable, yet subtle at the same time...

Hmmm, I could have blown out the background and made a solid color layer/gradient layer and set my main layer to multiply to replace the white...I'll do that next time.

gonzogolf wrote in post #8483941
Phamster,
I get that you got the lighting style you were going for. But I think that style doesnt fit the subject. The blownout highlights on the side of their faces may work for a vampire movie poster, but they dont really flatter a young family. The shots of the little boy are overlit to the point where the lighting technique is obvious, and this is a shot where subtle would work better. I understand the need for background separation, but these are just too much for me.

Gonzo.. my friend.

those are all good points.. this shoot went like this.

the threating clouds were there.. mother was all about getting shots done.. she was on vacation this week and was leaving today some where so we had no choice but to shoot it in 30 mins..

so i put my lights up and went about my chimping - after 4 shots..i had a balance i liked and i showed her.. she loved it.. so really i didn't even think about the vamp vs.. family aspect..

dark clouds dictated us to go a head..

in the end i received a text from her saying she was thrilled to all get out - after i emailed her the proofs..

but i do understand your points.. if i had just a little more time i would have put my 15 inch soft boxes on and went softer.. time was just not on my side nor hers..

here is another shoot - i did these tonight..

1.

Phamster,
Dang brotha....you're taking it on the chin today ! Why all the critisism from the masses ? What I like about your shots is that you are taking ordinary everyday folks, and trying different stuff with them. You're breaking the mold....and that needs to be done sometimes. I like it...you are are creating 'total photos"....by that I mean, there is more to them than just the subject(s). All these other elements: sky, clouds, trees, grass, bushes....it's all adding to overall effect. It's good....keep it up, I'm learning and getting some great ideas from looking at you stuff. It's ART folks....it's all about individual interpretation. Break out and try new angles, new lighting, new settings. Yeah there will be failures....but there will also be some that make you go, "why didn't I think of that...?"

I love Phamster's style! I would not change a thing!!