I had some free time yesterday some took Rhowan and Harmony to an abandoned building a few kilometres from our village to play around with off-camera lighting. I had intended to shoot some hard-light shots, using a HonlPhoto 1/8 Speed Grid, but after playing around with it for a while I realised that I wasn't making much progress. I did get one shot that I like, that I'll post next, but it required a lot more post-production than I was hoping for.
Anyway, rather than abandon the shoot I switched to using my 41" shoot-through umbrella – which produces light that I find much easier to work with – and ended up with a few shots that I like. If you're interested, the original is here:
One thing you might notice is that the light in the background is much colder than the light from the flash. This was because I used a CTO filter to gel the flash and switched my white balance to tungsten. When I came to post-produce the shot though I decided that it didn't work for this shot, at least not especially well, so ended up converting it to black and white.
I also discovered that shooting impromptu portraits of your kids is a whole lot easier than asking them to stand there while you take numerous shots at different settings. Fortunately, Rhowan does like been photographed, but she was getting rather bored by the time we had finished :)
captured camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?
Eugene: I added a Curves adjustment layer with a mask to increase the contrast on my daughter. Other than that though the post-processing was fairly straightforward.
comment bySalar at 10:53 AM (GMT) on 3 April, 2010
Your kids are very lucky to have you as a photographer.
When they grow up they are going to have great images to look back on!
comment byCarlos Garcia at 07:06 PM (GMT) on 3 April, 2010
David
I like the original as much as the processed. The blue color of the background is very interesting and a nice contrast to your "model". By the way, you really should pay such a talented model! :)
The black and white has a crisp look and highlights Rhowan's beautiful face.
Nice...
C.
comment byLightningPaul at 08:12 PM (GMT) on 3 April, 2010
I love this shot! Really great. Though I love the colors of the original image even more. A combination of the original and the processed one would be awesome.
comment byDan Kaufman at 02:45 AM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
I absolutely love the post-processing B/W conversion of this portrait of Rhowan. The dynamic range of zones is beautiful. And I agree too with the challenge of "controlled setup shooting" vs. impromptu. Especially when the model subjects are family.
comment byDREAMS OF LIGHT at 09:22 AM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
Excellent b/w.. and a very nice model..
Happy Easter ! God bless you..
comment byaiGi.boGa at 10:41 AM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
Precioso retrato, el tratamiento me parece de una calidad extraordinaria¡ Excelente¡
comment byJess Kehrli at 02:39 PM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
She is looking all grown up!! I think I would agree with you about the colour vs black and white. The black and white really fits the mood. The gel does create a neat effect though.
I like the final result and always love seeing the before/ after.
comment byJohn Sargent at 04:28 PM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
Absolutely brilliant photograph. How did you go about finding out if you had access to the abondoned building in the first place, or did you simply chance it? Loving your work!
comment by nick at 04:31 PM (GMT) on 4 April, 2010
This one is very good, David. B&W works very well. She looks very grown-up and serious :-)
comment byMichael Buntag at 08:33 AM (GMT) on 5 April, 2010
Love the BW conversion.
comment bybeeveedee at 01:11 PM (GMT) on 5 April, 2010
very nice. Love the deep tones. Works very well in black and white.
comment byAdrian Park at 03:49 PM (GMT) on 5 April, 2010
The mono version is a superb image but I have to say that I prefer the original in this case! For me, the combination of her expression and the cold, dark area behind her make for more potential narrative. I think it has a little more depth both graphically and conceptually.
The way it works on different levels in colour and mono makes it a very interesting image.
John: nobody seems to bat an eyelid if you go wandering round abandoned buildings in Bulgaria. I guess that most of them are probably owned by the municipality, but nobody has ever challenged me when I've been looking round.
Adrian: I'm going to try the technique again, as it can be very effective, I just wasn't happy with the way in turned out in this instance.
comment byGeoff at 11:09 AM (GMT) on 11 April, 2010
Nice processing David. I really like the way you've lifted detail around the eyes. Nice shot, and I too think a 41" umbrella is a lot easier to work with than a grid spot...
I had some free time yesterday some took Rhowan and Harmony to an abandoned building a few kilometres from our village to play around with off-camera lighting. I had intended to shoot some hard-light shots, using a HonlPhoto 1/8 Speed Grid, but after playing around with it for a while I realised that I wasn't making much progress. I did get one shot that I like, that I'll post next, but it required a lot more post-production than I was hoping for.
Anyway, rather than abandon the shoot I switched to using my 41" shoot-through umbrella – which produces light that I find much easier to work with – and ended up with a few shots that I like. If you're interested, the original is here:
.../archives/lighting_diary_3.php
One thing you might notice is that the light in the background is much colder than the light from the flash. This was because I used a CTO filter to gel the flash and switched my white balance to tungsten. When I came to post-produce the shot though I decided that it didn't work for this shot, at least not especially well, so ended up converting it to black and white.
I also discovered that shooting impromptu portraits of your kids is a whole lot easier than asking them to stand there while you take numerous shots at different settings. Fortunately, Rhowan does like been photographed, but she was getting rather bored by the time we had finished :)
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
62mm
f/6.3
1/40
manual
n/a
evaluative
100
580 EX II (1/2 power)
RAW
ACR
minor
I like this portrait and the post-processing. I see why you converted to B&W here. Did you have to do a separate layer mask in post-production?
Eugene: I added a Curves adjustment layer with a mask to increase the contrast on my daughter. Other than that though the post-processing was fairly straightforward.
Your kids are very lucky to have you as a photographer.
When they grow up they are going to have great images to look back on!
David
I like the original as much as the processed. The blue color of the background is very interesting and a nice contrast to your "model". By the way, you really should pay such a talented model! :)
The black and white has a crisp look and highlights Rhowan's beautiful face.
Nice...
C.
I love this shot! Really great. Though I love the colors of the original image even more. A combination of the original and the processed one would be awesome.
I absolutely love the post-processing B/W conversion of this portrait of Rhowan. The dynamic range of zones is beautiful. And I agree too with the challenge of "controlled setup shooting" vs. impromptu. Especially when the model subjects are family.
Excellent b/w.. and a very nice model..
Happy Easter ! God bless you..
Precioso retrato, el tratamiento me parece de una calidad extraordinaria¡ Excelente¡
She is looking all grown up!! I think I would agree with you about the colour vs black and white. The black and white really fits the mood. The gel does create a neat effect though.
I like the final result and always love seeing the before/ after.
Absolutely brilliant photograph. How did you go about finding out if you had access to the abondoned building in the first place, or did you simply chance it? Loving your work!
This one is very good, David. B&W works very well. She looks very grown-up and serious :-)
Love the BW conversion.
very nice. Love the deep tones. Works very well in black and white.
Excellent portrait
Wanderful
The mono version is a superb image but I have to say that I prefer the original in this case! For me, the combination of her expression and the cold, dark area behind her make for more potential narrative. I think it has a little more depth both graphically and conceptually.
The way it works on different levels in colour and mono makes it a very interesting image.
Thanks all :)
Carlos: shhhh! ;)
John: nobody seems to bat an eyelid if you go wandering round abandoned buildings in Bulgaria. I guess that most of them are probably owned by the municipality, but nobody has ever challenged me when I've been looking round.
Adrian: I'm going to try the technique again, as it can be very effective, I just wasn't happy with the way in turned out in this instance.
Lovely portrait. The girl looks so serious and mature yet so young…
i do like the original hues but you've done a great b&w conversion.
I really like the overall effect achieved here.
Nice processing David. I really like the way you've lifted detail around the eyes. Nice shot, and I too think a 41" umbrella is a lot easier to work with than a grid spot...