Square cropped portraits (SCPs) - Archive

[Antonio Correia]

I wasn't going to say anything, but since you asked ...

Fear not my fearless collegue! To be honest, I'm impressed with your consistent quality; your images are always technically perfect (meaning exposure, toning, sharpening, presentation etc) - a sure sign that a person understands how to get the most out of both their camera and computer.

In terms of "artistic merit" they look great too, although I'm really not qualified to pass any further form of judgement on them as what you shoot is a completely different genre to what I specialise in. Work to be proud of for sure.

Thanks Colin !

[William W]

Hi William, Nice picture!! love the lighting set up. Could you share your set up with us. Cheers

Thank you.

Sorry I have taken a time to get back, I needed to get the old file out.

I was walking and found this girl lying on her side, on a deck chair, beside a swimming pool at a resort. I was on holiday in Queensland, Australia. She was very close to the pool and there was a large, thick canvas green umbrella shading her. The sun was behind her and slightly to camera right at about 40 degrees elevation – about 1600hrs Summer time – the illumination on the side of her face is from the reflection from the water in the swimming pool. The hair light is the direct sun.

The Camera elevation was about 3ft higher than her head and the background and back light is predominately the water / reflection – which is intense.

There is too great an EV range on her face with that lighting, I held a white towel - draped over my left arm, below the camera to bring some light, front-on, as a fill.

Tech Specs:
Camera 5D + 50mmF/1.4;
Shooting 1/50s @ F5 @ ISO100 HH
Post: Sharpening / Burn Camera Left Background to White / Slight Contrast Boost

It was shot with the intent of an High Key B&W final product.

***

I took another.



I asked the girl to sit up and move to turn a little to face the pool more. There are very thick bushes behind her.

Turing the head slightly allowed more even light, but still keeping nice modelling, but without needing any reflected fill (no need for the white towel).

For the second shot, I wanted a more Low Key result and less contrast – originally it was cropped 5x7 (vertical format) - just above the line of her breasts, which I promised her: but I have re-cropped it to conform to this thread being square, and in doing so, the square format is not that bad even, though it was not my first thought.

Tech Specs for this second image:
Camera 5D + 50mmF/1.4;
Shooting 1/125s @ F8 @ ISO100 HH
Post: Sharpening / Slight Contrast Boost / Slight Brightness Boost

It is interesting to note just turning her head to face the pool that little bit more, pulled nearly 2¾ stops more than reflecting a white towel – it just shows how intense, sunlight from reflected water can be - actually probably only 2 stops because - I was about 1/2 a stop out in my manual exposure calculation . . . I did boost the Exposure a little out of the RAW conversion in the Second Image - unlike the first image, where I was happy with the JPEG straight out of the box.

Both images were Spot Metered, in camera. I originally couldn’t remember, but I now know this as a fact from the EXIF data - and this metering is one of my common procedures. I would have taken an highlight and shadow side reading from each side of the face and manually computed for the output I wanted, i.e. the high key would have been a “bit over” to ensure blowing the background and the low key a “bit under” to ensure the back ground going to black.

I can’t remember but for the second shot I most likely also would have taken a spot reading on her hair, on the sun highlight side. She is a very dark brunette – almost black – and white peaches and cream soft, almost white skin.

I wanted to keep the detail in the highlight on her hair, camera right but still have a black background, beyond and have her face and hair camera left go to black.

Basically, I saw this girl “in B&W” and I wanted two images entirely the opposite of each other.

She liked both photographs, but she liked the 5x7 of the second better: she said it is more “sexy”. I sent her a print of both.

I hope that assists and answers all the “how I did it” questions – anything else, just ask.

WW

[Colin Southern]

I was walking and found this girl lying on her side, on a deck chair, beside a swimming pool at a resort.

Hi Bill,

When I first glanced at your reply I thought you were saying that the reason your reply was delayed was because you found a girl lying on her side by a pool (Martini in hand; shaken, not stirred perhaps!).

Hope you were wearing the right dress on that occasion

[William W]

Hi Bill, When I first glanced at your reply I thought you were saying that the reason your reply was delayed was because you found a girl lying on her side by a pool (Martini in hand; shaken, not stirred perhaps!). Hope you were wearing the right dress on that occasion

Well,

After I posted that the first time, you will have noticed I edited it to corrcet a spelling mistake and also added a little bit more information about the exposure details for the second image . . . I was at the office at the time. . . as I re read the post I had a thought, "Hmm, I bet Colin won't get past the girl on the deck chair sentence" . . . I knew I would pay for full disclosure.

Well I have just arrived home and you have not disapointed me

One nice thing about here (CiC) is we all have a sense of humour.

Cheers for now, I am being called for dinner . . .

Bill

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you... I hope that assists and answers all the “how I did it” questions – anything else, just ask. WW

William, thank you for such a detailed explanation.
And for posting the result of so much work by the pool ...

[Colin Southern]

Well I have just arrived home and you have not disapointed me

Aww man ...

... I'm getting SO predictable in my old age!

[Antonio Correia]

Aww man ... ... I'm getting SO predictable in my old age!

Age is not only wrinkles ...

[Antonio Correia]

EXIF embedded

[Alis]

Any comments on the lighting? Appreciated already...

Thanks!

[aia21]

Hi sedali,

I think the right hand lower corner of the photo has a strong reflection from the light which really distracts form the subject. I would suggest trying the photo cropped non-square such that you loose all of the right hand side so you get the right hand side looking like the left hand side does at the moment. That would lose the reflective blue distraction...

Otherwise I like it.

Best regards,

Anton

[Antonio Correia]

... Any comments on the lighting? Appreciated already... Thanks!

Hello Ali
The lighting is nice and so is the photo.
However, let me insist that it still is a tad harsh.
Or it's only me ...

Anyhow this is a big improvement since the first pics we saw here. And that is good, Ali.

May be you could have bounced the flash on some white surface around... but in this case one must be aware of the color reflected which can have some not so good results on the white balance.

-
Yesterday evening, I showed the first photo I post here to my friend Paulo. (The image has been posted before somewhere here in SCP).
As usual - and he is doing very well - he criticized the picture about the background. The colors were too bright and distracting.
Sinsible to his critics I re-worked the picture and in fact it improved quiet a lot.
Thank you Paulo.

What do you people think ?

[peterb533]

I think the light is a bit harsh but I do like the expression and composition. All comments welcome.

[Antonio Correia]

I think the light is a bit harsh but I do like the expression and composition. All comments welcome...

Indeed it is harsh !
There are occasions where we can't do anything but to photograph with bright sunlight because that is the situation we are in and we can't run to a shadow. If it ever exists.
It does happen to all of us.

One way to overcome this problem can be to turn the back of the model to the Sun and shoot against it. Then, the help of a filling flash is pretty useful or even holding a white towel so that it produces a quick reflection area to light the shadows.

May be you could try to get some more detail from the shadows and apply some blur to the skin to soften it. In Lightroom there is a special "Adjustment Brush" with the settings "Soften Skin". I have applied it to a the Portuguese young beauty and as you can see, it works great.
OK, I know she is very young and her completion is great but ...

You did a great job not getting reflections on her glasses.

[Alis]

[QUOTE=Antonio Correia;14084]

... Any comments on the lighting? Appreciated already... Thanks! /QUOTE]

Hello Ali
The lighting is nice and so is the photo.
However, let me insist that it still is a tad harsh.
Or it's only me ...

Anyhow this is a big improvement since the first pics we saw here. And that is good, Ali.

May be you could have bounced the flash on some white surface around... but in this case one must be aware of the color reflected which can have some not so good results on the white balance.

Thanks, a lot, Antonio. I agree the light is too much. However, with kids, it is hard to make choose a FEC quickly without losing the moment. Is there a rule of thumb for how much fill in flash you need to get it just right? I am guessing not but that would be great if there was

To be honest I like your original version of the Monk better. I think although the background was busy it was livelier. Now it is too dull and sad.

[Alis]

Hi sedali,

I think the right hand lower corner of the photo has a strong reflection from the light which really distracts form the subject. I would suggest trying the photo cropped non-square such that you loose all of the right hand side so you get the right hand side looking like the left hand side does at the moment. That would lose the reflective blue distraction...

Otherwise I like it.

Best regards,

Anton

Thanks, Anton. I agree with your comment. May be I can do some adjustment in PS and fix that problem.

[Antonio Correia]

Fencer shot some hours ago.

Thank you for watching.

EXIF embedded. Image also posted in the Team Challenge

[Colin Southern]

Fencer shot some hours ago.

I think you might have just started the next photographic revolution with your SCPs Antonio!

[Antonio Correia]

I think you might have just started the next photographic revolution with your SCPs Antonio!

really ? huuummm ! I am not that important...

[Antonio Correia]

This is one of my pre-historic portraits. At the time I never thought to make SCPs at all.
I have been digging in my back up disk and I found this photo among others I will be posting randomly, from time to time.

EXIF as usual

[Antonio Correia]