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Thoughts On The Lighting In This Pair Of D300 Photos?


whoz_the_man_huh

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<p>D300 (Neutral mode with zero saturation and sharpening) -> Capture NX 2.1.0 (only conversion from RAW to JPG):<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www3.telus.net/public/svalmont/_3006691.jpg">Full res photo A</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www3.telus.net/public/svalmont/_3006715.jpg">Full res photo B</a><br /><br /><br />I've been told these photos lack zip, spunk, mojo, what have you.</p>

<p>Can I blame this on the gray sunlight? Is there anything I could have done differently on this overcast Saturday?</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<p>Cal</p>

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<p>A cloudy overcast sky as the main light produces this kind of image without any harsh shadows because of the diffuse lighting from a really large source. I think it quite fits the mood, or said another way, I like the low-contrast mood it creates. The only other way would be to use "key" flash(es) to overpower the natural light, with additional flash/reflector to act as the fill, and use the ambient atmospheric lighting also as the fill/highlights. Here's a <a href="

example</a> from a photographer that does this (watch his entire series, not just the first one).</p>

<p>You could tweak the contrast just a tad bit higher in this image if you so wanted. Also, looks to me that the skin tone is a slight bit pinkish. But overall, great shots.</p>

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<p>Shadows are the photographers friend. The Dutch master painters knew this 400 years ago. <br>

I recommend watching Joe McNally and Bob Krist on the Nikon DVD called "A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting" or the book called "Light Science & Magic" by Hunter, Biver, and Fugua.</p>

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<p>I think fill flash is quite unneeded in this shot as it's purpose is to fill in the shadows, and with overcast lighting there are very little shadows to fill in. To make it punchier it would have been efficient to add off camera lighting to create more light and shadows. But I like it as it is. For a souped up version you could do this in post:</p><div>00THTV-132341684.jpg.4a383bff16e28405900a23254680c1be.jpg</div>
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<p>Pete, WHOA.</p>

<p>Can you please let me know how you did that? To me the picture looks stunning now. It seems you've injected a vast dose of mojo into the background - while not only maintaining the natural tone of the skin but also adding depth and detail to it!</p>

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<p>No harsh shadows = no need for fill flash. I like your pictures as they are. The need for post processing is a matter of taste. But if you want some "mojo", you can increase the contrast and saturation using PS, or set you camera to "vivid" mode.</p>
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<p>Cal, it only takes a few minutes to do it but it takes much, much longer to explain so I'll only point you in the right direction.</p>

<p>It's a combination of global (everywhere) and local adjustments (select parts).</p>

<p>Background is a color burn adjustment layer (adjust fill % to taste) where I paint with black and use gaussian blur (25-70 pixels) to smooth out my paint job.</p>

<p>Overall I increased the saturation slightly and increased the gamma with a curve.</p>

<p>The 3D look which shows in the face is a global adjustment using a bleach bypass process (increases contrast by blending original with a B&W version) and diffusion applied to the lighter parts of the image using a luminance matte.</p>

<p>I added some shine in the hair by painting with a very light color (in this case light pink) on a soft light adjustment layer (fill% to taste) and using gaussian blur to smooth it out (10-25 pixels or so).</p>

<p>I also like to put some uneven light on the subject similar to lighting with a cucoloris. Technique is the same as above (painted soft light layer blurred).</p>

<p>It's not as difficult as it may sound at first and there are many ways to achive similar results. I use a wacom to paint so it can be hard getting the same results with just a mouse.</p>

<p>Some selective sharpening on the final results can also be used to make the subject standout and avoid making the out of focus areas look harsh. Apply with a light hand or it will look overdone.</p>

<p>There you have the mojo recipe :-)</p>

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<p>Holy mackerel. Sorry for making you type all that, Pete.</p>

<p>It was very kind of you to share your technique but it seems far beyond what casual photo tweakers like myself are capable of. Unless I'm mistaken, you're a professional Photoshop artist who charges a high rate for his services and is worth every penny.</p>

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<p>Here's my retouch:</p>

<p><a title="PS4 Retouch by SuperFriend, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/basenjidude/3508499167/"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3552/3508499167_5da6b0e38c_b.jpg" alt="PS4 Retouch" width="1024" height="680" /></a></p>

<p>Increased contrast with Levels, increased Vibrance, increased Saturation, added a "Diffuse Glow" to the face , removed the bag under the left eye, touched up a few facial areas with Healing Brush, sharpened the left eyebrow and eye lashes, and added a vignette to emphasize the model and bring down background illumination.</p>

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<p>Calvin... I agree Pete's work here is awesome... And you should know that you can do pretty much all the same things in Capture NX2 -- particulary if you get Nik's Color Efex pro plug ins. Since NX2, I find I use photoshop very little.</p>
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<p>i'll agree, pete. that's fantastic work. but i think that my main complaint with the first photo is that the composition is a little bland. center subject, not much going on, but nice blur in the background. i think that the second picture is far incer, with that diagonal shooting across, subject off center facing into the frame, strong lines with legs and arms. i think applying some of the photoshopping to this one might produce more pleasing results. but 'gray' light can be some of the best light to do portraits in. if you would like to increase the contrast, get yourself an sb600 and throw some hard light across the side for alittle more contrast, and maybe increase the xposure a little. my two cents, but i do like that second one you have.</p>
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