Some of you may get a laugh from this, after all my critiques of late. This is an opportunistic shot of my daughter, Rebecca. Unusually she was ready for an evening out, very early. As it happened, this was the day I took delivery of my first ever beauty dish. In fact I bought two, a 44cm and a 70cm version. My new ELB HS lighting won't be here until tomorrow, so this photograph was shot on one of my 33 years old Elinchrom 66 heads, which are rather limited units, with minimum power being just 3 stops down from full power, so about 75 joules I think. How Elincrom units have changed since 1982. Even at this distance, and minimum power, we had f10, ISO 100. This is not ideal, and despite the modeling light also being on minimum power, it is also a bit too bright, so her eyes are not quite dilated enough. The new light will allow these matters to be addressed as it goes down to 7 joules, 3 stops or so less than the old 66 Head.
I have done some editing but not much and as it is a test shot only I have not cleaned up all the stray hairs. My reason for posting it is to seek advice about how people would process such a shot. Specifically, what workflow, processes and in what order, would you experts suggest, for a portait, for a head shot and for a beauty shot. I was trained in advertising photography, in the days of 10x8 film and Hasselblads fed on a diet of roll film, so my skills are more in photography and lighting than digital editing. Oh, and how best to darken the ear, which is way too bright? I tried burning it in but as expected it is going grey. I know there is a smart way to d&b, but no idea how. Much to learn and so little time.
Thanks guys.
Regarding the ear, your idea was right. You can adjust its luminosity using a curve adjustment layer to burn it. If turns grey, create a hue/saturation adjustment layer on top of it and make it a clipping mask (right click on the hue/saturation layer and select Create Clipping Mask). Then you can adjust the saturation and it will affect only the area adjusted with your curve adjustment layer ;)
It might sound complicated but is, in fact, a very easy process.
For cleaning skin, this video is a great starting point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeVAUaijIjY
By the way, I am sure you'll love your ELB 400. Even being used to a more recent Ranger RX, the ELB 400 was quite a step up in many ways. I just wish Elinchrom would create a version that packs more power. A 1200Ws would be awesome!
I have given them my thoughts on this point and the 50 watts equivelant modelling light power. Outdoors, with diffusing light shapper, against sunshine, at any distance, 300 watts of modelling light or more, please. But yes, I am looking forward to it. Thanks for the advice. I will now watch the film as I did not quite follow the description but expect it will make sense after watching the film.
Well I have spent some 3 hours or so watching the video and trying to apply the content to Rebecca's photograph.. Mostly with success, doing what I already had a fair understanding of, but it all went terribly wrong at the end when he started to more quickly introduce D&B. I got into a bit of a pickle. I'll post it for now as a progress photograph, no d&b so far, unfortunately.
Time for bed and I'll sleep on it.
We need Ian to critique this shot. ;)
You mentioned her eyes not dilated enough, I prefer them constricted as much as possible to show as much eye color as possible. IMO, I think the eyes look great!
Thank you. When some one is attracted to us their eyes naturally dilate and this is a que we subconciously recognise and tends to make us like them. So in a photo of a pretty girl a touch of dilation helps. I know what you mean though, beautiful iris colours and pattening are very attractive too.
Never thought of it that way! But her smile definitely makes up for it! :)
I think the light was too far a way. Distance with a beauty dish should be something around 20-30 inches. If it is too far away it looses its characteristic of hard and softness and just becomes a harsh direct light :) And the catch light in the eyes looks better too...
Now I have received my ELB 400 flash which can be turned down to much lower power settings, I will be able to reduce the power to a level where close working will be possible, so will try it as you suggest. Like most tools I guess it can be used in different ways to produce a variety of results. I did use a piece of A4 paper as a fill-in reflector below her chin in this shot, others were done without fill-in, with the result that her neck was much darker, as expected.
I agree with Oliver Kay, this doesn't look like a beauty dish shot. While she probably has very fair skin it looks blown out and needs more contrasty light. Move it closer and higher above her head to create the contrast then give just a slight reflector fill to soften the shadows slightly.
Yes she does have very fair skin and likes a very pale make-up too. In these images she is actually much less pale than she looks in the flesh. I'll let you guys see the reshoot with the closer distances you suggest and much lower power setting so a wide aperture can be used, f10 in this shot I think.
Why is her ear ghosting and so much softness around her at f10?
Hi Adam, The ear thing is because I tried in PS to both darken it, not knowing the best D&B techniques, and to artificially create the depth of field reduction f10 does not provide. Being a fist test I was experimenting and that experiment was an almost total failure. I used iris blur to create the softness/shallow depth of field effect, which worked well to a point. I also added a radial ND grad to create a vigniette, which might have added to the greyness caused by my rubbish burning. On balance i thinj it is just grey becasue of my D&B tecnique being so rubbish. Some success but quite some failures, too. A good exercise, which has started my PH eduction in these areas.
Much to learn so little time.
I guess my only advice would be studio shooting is studio and natural light is natural light. If you want the DoF commonly found in the natural light then shoot in natural light. If you are doing studio setups and want the shallow look then either invest in an ND filter and go through that pain or use constant lights.
Adam, This shot was taken with my new beauty dish as a practice/famiarisation exercise. However, it was taken with my old flash head. Minimum power of which is still quite high, just 3 stops below full power so about 75 joules. My newly arrived flash will go to much lower power outputs, 7 joules I think, so should make balancing the ambient light situation and the flash about 3 stops easier, and the aperture about 3 stops wider, so around f4, and that would allow a shutter speed 1/20th.
As I mentioned it was not a serious portrait, just a opportunistic shoot with the beauty dish but before my new flash kit arrived. The shoot was brought about because Rebecca was all made up and had some time to kill.
If it had been a serious shoot I would have rigged at least more light to brighten the room to f10 or perhaps a tad less.
Next I will try again with my new flash kit but also to work in dull winter daylight, balancing being once again the challenge.
Thanks for the interest.
One thought about the ear, how about popping it in ACR, adding a gradient from the right and adjust the exposure so the change in light is dual and softer than a direct burn.
Then add a mask in PS and remove the gradient with a soft brush from the body, background and any areas of the face you don't want affected.
just another take on it.
What is ACR? Sounds like it might be a good approach, Thanks,
Sorry Ian, Camera RAW in Photoshop :)
Thanks. For some reason I never seem to use ACR, just LR.
I'm the opposite, guess it's just the tools you learn on and get used to.
I am not sure there is much difference, from what little I know of ACR.