Going Glam

[Maritimer1]

To quote Cindi Lauper "Girls just want to have fun"... Two photos taken during a girls' dress-up night at Studio Myra's Front Room. Lights included a table lamp set on a piano as a hair light and a floor lamp in lieu of anything else we should have had. (Colin posted in another thread that he, too, had some rather different set ups when he first started out, so I don't feel quite so bad!) I did use my flash, but set it a reduced amount.

We had such a good time. Lots of laughs and lots of new looks compliments of my daughter's collection of old clothes.

C&C always welcome.

Myra
Forgot to add: PP in Cs4


Canon 40D with EF 50m/1.8II
Manual Exposure: f4 1/200 iso 100 Flash 430EXII



Canon 40D with EF 50m/1.8II
Manual Exposure: 3.5f 1/200 iso 100 Flash 430EXII

[jiro]

Your first image is a sure winner for me. Good job, Myra!

On the side, I think image #1 would look nice, too in b&w. As an unknown author once said - ""If you're photographing in color you show the color of their clothes - if you use black and white, you will show the color of their soul."

[ScoutR]

Nice work Myra. I too love #1.
I'm certainly not fit to comment on portraits, but in #2 I think if it was not so dark at the bottom it might be better. On my screen it is so dark that her hand looks in an awkward position because I cannot see without really squinting that it is on a ledge. The dress also fades into the background.
It looks like you have a lot of fun with these shots, I hope you keep doing them

Wendy

[Donald]

because I cannot see without really squinting that it is on a ledge.

I can't see a ledge either.

But, apart from that ........these are good. Clever idea. The tight crop around the face in #1 works wonderfully well. Good stuff.

[Maritimer1]

Ah, good points about the B&W. It looks OK to me because I know she is sitting on a piano bench by the piano with her other hand just behind her on the bench; but, if one didn't know that, she looks like she is floating. The darkness all around was deliberate, though. Trying to evoke a mysterious atmosphere

Thanks for the C&C. Great way to learn!

[MiniChris]

Ah, good points about the B&W. It looks OK to me because I know she is sitting on a piano bench by the piano with her other hand just behind her on the bench; but, if one didn't know that, she looks like she is floating. The darkness all around was deliberate, though. Trying to evoke a mysterious atmosphere

Thanks for the C&C. Great way to learn!

Light up the piano keys a tad more and the piano bench (but just as it leads to her hand - no more) then lose the lantern - you can do both in post process...I did a quick and dirty and I think it helps add more mystique beacuse it is only her, the piano and darkness...ooohhhweeeeoooooh - oh, before I forget, do your editing in RGB rather than Gray if you have that post process capability.

[djg05478]

Very nice work...and I bet it was a hoot getting them . The second is indeed mysterious. I think she would look fine on her own without the piano keys or the lantern. And personally I don't mind if everything around her fades into inexplicable darkness (but thats just me).

[Katy Noelle]

Hi, Myra! This does sound like you had fun - old clothes and all! #1, too, looks like an old illustration/drawing of a fashionable woman from the '20s or '30s. Do you know the ones, I mean, I wonder - it 's the fur and the sweep of the hat and the sweet smile with the playful eye and the net, of course. It seems to have so much movement from left to right but I keep coming back to the eye and bits of lashes and lips. Fun! The only thing that I wish is that there was less shine on her face - didn't ladies from this era use powder and have a softer, more smooth and polished look.

I really like #2, too, except for the shininess of the lamp. It seems not photographed well and doesn't add anything to the mood - a lighted candelabra would have, though. As it is, it keeps drawing my eye and seems to compete with her - it breaks the moodiness of the "mysterious" background.

Anyway, I LOVE to play dress up! Lucky you!!!

[wilgk]

very nice Myra - sort of 'film noir' type style or genre which is seriously cool.
I think Chris' suggestion for the lighting on the second one works really nicely.
well done

[Donald]

I like what Chris has done on the piano keys and bench, but I think I'd maybe keep the lamp. The bottom of the image going into black is fine, but to have such a big expanse of black running up that side of teh frame as well is, I think, a bit too much.

But, that still doesn't detract from the fact that the mood of this and the close-up colour, are wonderful. It's like people very generously said about one of mine last week, what we're doing is talking detail about an already brilliant set of images.

[jiro]

...It's like people very generously said about one of mine last week, what we're doing is talking detail about an already brilliant set of images.

That's a very good observation, Donald.

[Maritimer1]

You are all so helpful and kind. To say I appreciate all the feedback is an understatement. When someone likes a photo, it's affirming; and when someone can offer suggestions on how to improve it, well, that is just icing on the cake.

Katy, you are so right! After processing these, I had one to do that had a serious amount of shine. (The girls and I discussed better make up techniques for our next session!) After searching, I came across a tutorial that was very helpful. If anyone wants it, just PM me and I'll send the link.

Chris, I like what you did. Thanks! The lamp seemed to add to the time period... but maybe not It was sitting on the piano with other Christmas decorations so I just moved it down by the keys. By editing in RGB, do you mean when going from colour to b&w? That is likely a DUH question, but that is where I am Donald, I am wondering if some sheet music, instead of the lamp, would have been better as it would have been a bit lower. Now that I look at the photo again, it appears that she is looking at the lamp.

OK, back to processing the hockey photos from Friday and Saturday. No glamour there!

Myra

[Donald]

Donald, I am wondering if some sheet music, instead of the lamp, would have been better as it would have been a bit lower.

Good idea. I think it's just about breaking-up that left-hand side of the frame.

[MiniChris]

You are all so helpful and kind. To say I appreciate all the feedback is an understatement. When someone likes a photo, it's affirming; and when someone can offer suggestions on how to improve it, well, that is just icing on the cake.

Katy, you are so right! After processing these, I had one to do that had a serious amount of shine. (The girls and I discussed better make up techniques for our next session!) After searching, I came across a tutorial that was very helpful. If anyone wants it, just PM me and I'll send the link.

Chris, I like what you did. Thanks! The lamp seemed to add to the time period... but maybe not It was sitting on the piano with other Christmas decorations so I just moved it down by the keys. By editing in RGB, do you mean when going from colour to b&w? That is likely a DUH question, but that is where I am Donald, I am wondering if some sheet music, instead of the lamp, would have been better as it would have been a bit lower. Now that I look at the photo again, it appears that she is looking at the lamp.

OK, back to processing the hockey photos from Friday and Saturday. No glamour there!

Myra

You converted from an RGB to Grayscale and in doing so, lost a lot of the pixel information. if you are in photoshop, you can edit in channels by adapting the Monochrome button in the lower left...you work in gray, but stay in color.

[Peter Ryan]

It's all been said - great work and more importantly great fun.

[Katy Noelle]

Myra, I don't know how well you know me but, I'm rarely stuck on my opinions (only if it's defending one of my own photos.... occasionally. ) I just love brainstorming and this is a pretty fun idea to think about.

After I wrote my last comment, I went off to do something and this picture sprang to mind. (I used it on my blog at mother's day. I think that it's actually an illustration from the '30s of an Edwardian lady.) I think that their faces are similar and I have the same feeling of movement from left to right along the sweep of the hat.



These two "pictures" are different in so many ways but they do give me a similar feeling and I just thought that I'd share it. Yours seems more "Poirot", though.

Then, there's this silly thing. The candelabra is Shannon Crystal that I found for a song and a dance. It was taken with my point and shoot AS it was dying. I just wish that I could lend it to you. Talk about adding to a sense of "glam"!



... of course, everyone has their own vision - this is mine but, it gives me such a feeling of a chanteuse. Oh, I guess that it's such a fun idea to me because I'm a singer and have been in this situation.... sort of.

Thanks for humoring me!