Square cropped portraits (SCPs) - Archive

[Alis]

Will I do?

I initially thought the same thing Alis, but decided that the space above her head was needed and bizarrely, that I think it helps balance the direction of her eyes. Which is daft really because it obviously isn't what she is looking at.

Cheers,

Thanks, Dave. Absolutely, you will! There I meant although I am asking Antonio, I thought it is more a question to Susan who took the picture

Anyway, so my question is, why not the whole window. It may be that there was something close to the window that she could not include and that is why the window is cut in the middle but then why not clone the whole window?

[Dave Humphries]

Anyway, so my question is, why not the whole window.

Because then it would be a picture of two subjects and inevitably the girl would take up less of the frame.

It may be that there was something close to the window that she could not include and that is why the window is cut in the middle but then why not clone the whole window?

You're right, only Susan knows why.

However, I think it just works as it is, as I said above, for some inexplicable reason (well, I can't 'explic' it ) it balances where the eyes are looking.

Cheers,

[Antonio Correia]

... the space above her head was needed and bizarrely, that I think it helps balance the direction of her eyes. Which is daft really because it obviously isn't what she is looking at...

Yes. I think she is not really looking at the window - in fact the window is rather behind her - but she is looking into that direction what makes the window so important in the hole picture.

[Antonio Correia]

... Anyway, so my question is, why not the whole window. It may be that there was something close to the window that she could not include and that is why the window is cut in the middle but then why not clone the whole window?

And here resides the charming of the image.
You have to pose a question. It is not all there waiting for you to see.

It makes you guess, wonder, ask. speculate.
Not so obvious picture as mines...

[Antonio Correia]

I have had the opportunity to show some not so good or even bad pictures of mines here.
This one I post now is one of those examples.

And why don't I like the photo ?
Because of his hand is on the way expressing nothing at all, with no meaning.
This is reason enough to send it to the garbage.

But I wanted to show it to you anyway because it may contribute to a change of ideas and/or concepts.

I am now on the way to select some of the best from yesterday session. I will post another later if I got a decent one. Which in fact I think I have ...

But for the time beeing

[Alis]

Light bounced off the wall (believe it or not, used StoFen diffuser on a 580EXII). It usually messes up the picture but this one turned out not too bad.

I think it is too magenta but was not sure about it:

[Susan]

Interesting, I was actually thinking the opposite. I was wondering if it should be cloned. Interested to know why it is there actually and not cropped?

Susan?
Antonio?

And I agree with Antonio about the feel of the picture, I think it is the pose, the shirt she is wearing, and the blonde hair; pretty much everything in it I guess

the model's genre is pin-up. i liked the juxtaposition of her clothing, hair choice, the old 50's tile glass window against the graffiti. i also had her eye direct you to the window
for this upload, i actually cropped a bit of the window out -

[Antonio Correia]

This is a nice portrait Alis !
It looks just a bit too magenta but very very (twice) acceptable.

I would perhaps apply a little of vignetting to enhance the youg man's face. But that's just me and my vignetting mania...

And thank you for posting !!!

[Alis]

This is a nice portrait Alis !
It looks just a bit too magenta but very very (twice) acceptable.

I would perhaps apply a little of vignetting to enhance the youg man's face. But that's just me and my vignetting mania...

And thank you for posting !!!

Thanks, Antonio. I agree about the color cast and will have to take it out.

[Amberglass]

From a recent hired photo shoot for a local tennis program's website and brochure.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Amberglass for having posted here.
Your photos are nice and well shot. The moment is excellent when you included the ball in it.
The payers on both pictures demonstrate a lot of concentration.

However, may be you could lighten up a bit of the player on the first photo.
Or may be it is just my monitor, but we, I mean I can't see it enough.

[Amberglass]

It may be your monitor. Because several people on my end says it's fine. A friend of mine said the same thing until I went over to his place, and re-calibrated his monitor. Then he said it was even better than before,.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Donald for posting your picture.
We can clearly see that it was shot during the night or in a dark ambiance.
I am sorry there is no detail in the shadow but I personally like the expression. Kind of "Oh I'm going to miss that ball ..." that is if I have understood correctly.
May be you could make another very very thin white canvas to enhance the black one ...
Have a nice working week.

[John C]

This may not be what you have in mind as a square-cropped portrait but I think it still qualifies.
The annoyed look was because I had disturbed him from a nap in a flower basket hanging from the back porch. Lit by a bright overcast sky from above and behind me. After this one frame, he refused to look at me again.

[Antonio Correia]

... The annoyed look was because I had disturbed him from a nap ... After this one frame, he refused to look at me again...

Well in fact, a portrait is not necessarily for Humans and I would like this to be only for them but what can I do ?

OK this time I allow you to post this picture here

The cat is nice and I like his mustache. And so is the picture

But haven't you got a Human Portrait to post here ?

Thank you for posting.

Please have a look at the rules.

[Antonio Correia]

Harsh light is always a problem for me.
But when I don't have time to ask my model to pose in the shadows I shoot anyway. Then, I work the picture on the computer using both LR and CS.
Here, in location, I was careful with the background which had a minor clone for some kind of spot on the somewhere in the field.
I am sorry she is not looking at us ...

[Alis]

Harsh light is always a problem for me.
But when I don't have time to ask my model to pose in the shadows I shoot anyway. Then, I work the picture on the computer using both LR and CS.

Can you tell us what you have done to this picture in PP? Or it is your secret?

Looks like you used a warming filter in CS for this one, right?

[Antonio Correia]

Can you tell us what you have done to this picture in PP? Or it is your secret? Looks like you used a warming filter in CS for this one, right?

Hello Alis
Thank you for your feed-back.
No, there is no secret at all. I explain what I have done.

In LR I made two virtual copies. On the first I target for the background, and on the second I targeted for the boy's face.
I opened the two files on CS having the lighter one under.
I created a mask on the upper layer - the darker one - and erased until I had the right look.
I saved as tif and it popped up in LR as usual.
Made small adjustments and there we are.

This procedure can also be done only in LR.
My biggest problem - read ignorance - in CS is the perfect selection of areas. Oh well, I will learn as time goes on...
I have been looking at these videos. Excellent accent - for me that is - and good clips to learn from.

I post here the original raw file. Sometimes I can't get good results with this procedure.
Later - if I remember and I am sure I will - I will post about a picture where I can't do it properly.

Have a good working week !

[Alis]

In LR I made two virtual copies. On the first I target for the background, and on the second I targeted for the boy's face.
I opened the two files on CS having the lighter one under.
I created a mask on the upper layer - the darker one - and erased until I had the right look.
I saved as tif and it popped up in LR as usual.
Made small adjustments and there we are.

Interesting! Thanks, Antonio for the details. I actually discovered to do the exact same thing you just explained, after looking at yours and other pictures on other sites. I kept thinking there is no way you can capture something like these in camera! Here is an example from a week or so ago. Looks much better than the original mainly because the background is not washed out anymore:




My main problme with this method is to make it look natural by selecting the forground better and making the changes look more subtle! Which is I think the problem with digital processing everywhere.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Alis for your lines about this matter.
I post now one of those harsh photos.
I couldn't do better than what you see here. At least for the moment. In fact, some time ago, I couldn't do even this kind of picture
I post three pictures. The first is the original file exported without any work on it.
The second is using the method I explained earlier and the last one is what I would call an escape, a run away, done to disguise the bad work done on the capture.
Even the black and white is bad.
It was a tremendous place: vertical Sun, no shades, salt on the ground to increase the reflection. Something like snow under bright vertical Sun.

Just one more line:
The issue is to capture the image on the camera correctly since the beginning.