This one is for Vladimir

[speedneeder]

Vladimir,
Per your inquiry the other day in my pro photo look thread, I made this BillGekasesque photo.
Made with one 28" soft box with one YN-560 with YN trigger, one YN-560 as optical slave with home made cheezit box/cocktail straw snoot, one promaster reflector I got for Christmas, one curtain from my living room window, and one free copy of the GIMP.
I think from this, you can see that the answer to your question 'can I make photos like this', the answer is yes!

Then again, you may disagree with my results. What do you think?

[Colin Southern]

Vladimir,
Per your inquiry the other day in my pro photo look thread, I made this BillGekasesque photo.

Brian Brian Brian - you just can't take one look at someone elses quality work, and expect to emulate it overnight!

Oh - you already have - OK forget what I just said

[speedneeder]

Colin, I am very flattered by your comment! I realize I still have much room for improvement, but I am improving

P.S. keep an eye out for my next emulation of my favorite portrait artist, which I plan to call Colinesque II.

[Andrew1]

Looks like pro work to me Brian. Excellent lighting and tone control from side to side. Very well done.

[speedneeder]

Thanks Andrew!
I once spent an entire day driving up Fraser Valley - I will never forget that awesome drive
I didn't have time to detour to the island though

[Colin Southern]

Colin, I am very flattered by your comment! I realize I still have much room for improvement, but I am improving

Hi Brian,

You're doing just fine - and it gets easier and easier with practice and experience - and the results get more consistent. I did a staff shoot the other day - get the lighting up as per usual - set the reflectors up. Used a light meter to tweak the levels (although close, again from memory) - took the first shot and - no need to adjust anything. In post-processing - again - no adjustments to levels. Next day I way shooting some dresses for a catalog - same deal - just too easy

P.S. keep an eye out for my next emulation of my favorite portrait artist, which I plan to call Colinesque II.

Very flattering, although why anyone would want to copy this boring old f**t I'll never know.

[Colin Southern]

Looks like pro work to me Brian. Excellent lighting and tone control from side to side. Very well done.

+1 to that.

My personal test is "how would this look printed on canvas & hung on a wall" - and the answer to that in this case is "great". Definately pro quality.

PS: Sorry - one small thing ... I think the blue shirt is slightly distracting - how do you think it might look desaturated to grey?

[Goldcoastgolfer]

+2

[speedneeder]

PS: Sorry - one small thing ... I think the blue shirt is slightly distracting - how do you think it might look desaturated to grey?

That is SO funny! After I did a couple of test photos, I told my son hey, let's go look at some different shirts in you closet!
Well, I did find a grey shirt and was thinking hey that would look good, but apparently my 12 year old (this is his birthday photo) had outgrown it, so we stuck with the blue
I will give your saturation idea a try.

[Colin Southern]

That is SO funny! After I did a couple of test photos, I told my son hey, let's go look at some different shirts in you closet!
Well, I did find a grey shirt and was thinking hey that would look good, but apparently my 12 year old (this is his birthday photo) had outgrown it, so we stuck with the blue
I will give your saturation idea a try.

Selecting shirts and changing the hue can be used for all sorts of things - including punishments; had a chappie once who liked to give me a hard time -- by the time I'd finished retouching his photo, his "business blue" shirt was a VERY bright PINK

[Donald]

Like the experts above are saying (or sort-of saying) - You're scoring bullseyes now. Excellent work.

[speedneeder]

Colin,
I tried to desaturate JUST his under shirt, but then I thought the blue in his flannel shirt looked off, so I desaturated it too, and thought, well that looks odd all grey like that, so I ended up desaturating the T and the flannel by 60%. I do like this version better and I thank you for the idea.
Note, when I showed this photo to my wife, the first thing she said was "he looks like he has a black eye" lol, which actually now that she said that, he does! Don't you hate when people do that!? So I touched up his face around his left eye too

[speedneeder]

Like the experts above are saying (or sort-of saying) - You're scoring bullseyes now. Excellent work.

Thanks Donald

[vladimir]

Vladimir,
Per your inquiry the other day in my pro photo look thread, I made this BillGekasesque photo.
Made with one 28" soft box with one YN-560 with YN trigger, one YN-560 as optical slave with home made cheezit box/cocktail straw snoot, one promaster reflector I got for Christmas, one curtain from my living room window, and one free copy of the GIMP.
I think from this, you can see that the answer to your question 'can I make photos like this', the answer is yes!

Then again, you may disagree with my results. What do you think?

I am totally flattered to have a thread addressed to me personally!
I am totally happy to have inspired you to produce a wonderful birthday photo for your son! (Of course - the "inspiration" credit belongs to Mr. Bill G. more than it belongs to me, but still... )
It's totally Pro looking!
I am totally sorry to not have noticed this thread for a couple of days. Please, send me a PM next time you dedicate a thread to me , or I may miss it completely...
When I can produce a photo like this - I'll feel much better about myself as a photographer.
I think it's very very well done!

[speedneeder]

Thanks Vladimir.
I am thankful to you for showing me a cool website and indeed you did inspire this photo, not Mr. Gekas. (I do appreciate his photography).
I will be most thankful when YOU fulfill your ambition

[Colin Southern]

Colin,
I tried to desaturate JUST his under shirt, but then I thought the blue in his flannel shirt looked off, so I desaturated it too, and thought, well that looks odd all grey like that, so I ended up desaturating the T and the flannel by 60%. I do like this version better and I thank you for the idea.
Note, when I showed this photo to my wife, the first thing she said was "he looks like he has a black eye" lol, which actually now that she said that, he does! Don't you hate when people do that!? So I touched up his face around his left eye too

Hi Brian,

I was thinking just the "under-shirt" (if that's what you call them!) (just put a selection around it) - but I think your idea probably works slightly better as it stops the colour of the shirts drawing the eye away from the face.

[speedneeder]

Hi Brian,

I was thinking just the "under-shirt" (if that's what you call them!) (just put a selection around it) - but I think your idea probably works slightly better as it stops the colour of the shirts drawing the eye away from the face.

T-shirt more commonly, though I wasn't sure if you used that terminology on your side of the world
Have a great day!