Square cropped portraits (SCPs) - Archive

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Kent,

I really didn't (still don't) know that much myself, but having recently read Sean's Camera Flash: Exposure tutorial recently, and done some myself (error, trial and more error ) on spiders.

At least I appreciate the problems now.

Cheers,

[Antonio Correia]

... Sean's Camera Flash: Exposure tutorial recently, and done some myself (error, trial and more error ) ...[/URL]. At least I appreciate the problems now ...

Dave you made a good job criticizing the photo from Kent
Your English is very good and fluent
Excellent link to Sean's tutorial. Funny/curious how sometimes we have the information so near and we go elsewhere to get it. Sean's tutorial is great and I am going to read it carefully myself.

You were right about the flash when you say that it

... looks a little over bright, by a stop or so, particularly as the subject is quite pale and so is his shirt, and 'full frontal'...

I also agree when you

... like the sky exposure and clouds in the background, good for this kind of thing.

Another point I would like to make:
More exquisite photography with flash is normally more demanding in terms of preparation.
If you want to bounce the flash you should have a convenient surface and if that doesn't exists then you need an assistant, a tripop, a lighting stand and so forth.
One should try to minimize equipment and maximize results. Obvious, isn't it ?

These days I want to shoot some people working in a house. The house is small and bouncing flash is off question because the colors of walls introduce casts in the image.
(OK I could correct them with the gray card, white balance bla, bla)
Everything is so tight that I have little room for movement. That's why I want to ask someone to come with me.
On the other hand each photo needs an appropriate set up.
Let me explain: if you are going to photograph 3 persons working in the same room/house and doing similar work, you will need 3 different set ups assuming that each person will like to look different from the other.

In the case of Kent I think he should bounce the flash and implement a higher speed.
Why ? To get soft light on the young person and darken the background.
Something like what I have clumsy explained here.

Kent: we are waiting for another SCP please. Thank you.

I almost forgot to say that - I think - in my best flash images, the flash was bounced, like this one already posted here in this very thread. The guy was posing for me and cooperating and this, this is very important !

And the last but not the least sentence: It is easy to criticize but difficult to do something.
But we always can criticize even not knowing how to do.
You may like a suit/trousers/blouse/skirt but you don't know how to sew .

Cheers

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Antonio,

Thanks for the kind words.

I actually found your demo bush shots and the exposures table in the "here" link very useful, not clumsy at all.

Being silly for a moment, with Kent's picture, if both the foreground and the background are too bright, why not just reduce them both in PP

I appreciate there's a lot more involved in the lighting you do than I have to cope with using on camera flash for a spider. I don't even have a flashgun - in time something like an SB-600 might beckon, but for what I shoot at the moment, I can see a longer telephoto being the next kit enhancement I purchase. My current max of 200mm is less than I'd like, 400mm (or more) would be good, but buying Nikon, it will be expensive (enough for two SB-600!)

So for now, I'm unlikely to be able to practise what I (in this unusual case) have commented upon

Cheers,

[Alis]

[KentDub]

Great photo Alis!

Think you ment to put in in the non-SCP thread

[Alis]

Great photo Alis!

Think you ment to put in in the non-SCP thread

We have a new ratio police

But it could easily be a SCP. Actually did not notice it first, a few seconds ago when I was adding a frame to it, I noticed that it is not square!

But Antonio is not here, so it's OK.

[Colin Southern]

I love the "rock star" hair style!

I think that when this man grows up he's going to be comfortble with the celebrity lifestyle, having grown up with cameras always around!

[Alis]

I love the "rock star" hair style!

I think that when this man grows up he's going to be comfortble with the celebrity lifestyle, having grown up with cameras always around!

Thanks, Colin. He was just out of the pool and, instead of swimming in the pool, I was out with the camera!

[Colin Southern]

I still havn't found a good way to figure out how to set the FEC. I might try to do some more agressive retouching as a photoshop refresher, and see if this shot can be salvaged

If you set Custom Function 13 on the 580EX II you can just hit the "button" and spin the select wheel to dial in up to 3 stops of FEC in either direction .

You can do it from the camera too, but it's usually limited to 2 stops, and requires a bit more button pushing.

[Colin Southern]

Thanks, Colin. He was just out of the pool and, instead of swimming in the pool, I was out with the camera!

You need a 1Ds3 so you can shoot IN the pool! (and it'll seem so much more familiar to me when I visit!)

[Colin Southern]

PS: I'll bet I know why it's a SCP - it was originally a vertical shot with him holding an ice-cream!

[Alis]

You need a 1Ds3 so you can shoot IN the pool! (and it'll seem so much more familiar to me when I visit!)

You have to stop, Colin! You are already cost me $10,000, and I am not even a photographer

PS: Actually, when i think about it, it is more than 10 grand already...

[KentDub]

You have to stop, Colin! You are already cost me $10,000, and I am not even a photographer

PS: Actually, when i think about it, it is more than 10 grand already...

Yeah, I've already started wondering if I can get an insurance policy on my gear.... especially if I start to keep it in my car.

[Colin Southern]

You have to stop, Colin! You are already cost me $10,000, and I am not even a photographer

PS: Actually, when i think about it, it is more than 10 grand already...

Count yourself lucky - I think I'm up to 60 or 70

I thought you were just practicing cardiology until you got your big break into photography!

[Alis]

Count yourself lucky - I think I'm up to 60 or 70

I thought you were just practicing cardiology until you got your big break into photography!

But I am sure you have sold 100 times what you've paid so far!

All I do is to pay more every month for the prints!

[Colin Southern]

But I am sure you have sold 100 times what you've paid so far!

I wish!

All I do is to pay more every month for the prints!

You need an Epson 7800 so you can do your own!

[Antonio Correia]

Incredible image Alis. Incredible. You are forgiven for not beeing square. But don't push your luck man.
My first reaction when I saw the image was to laugh because it is so funny and tender at the same time.
Fantastic. I like this. It was shot with your taddy bear wasn't it ?

[Antonio Correia]

Yeah, I've already started wondering if I can get an insurance policy on my gear.... especially if I start to keep it in my car.

Don't keep your equipment in the car during the day.
Never.
Specially in Summer or with high temperatures outside.

[Colin Southern]

Don't keep your equipment in the car during the day.
Never.
Specially in Summer or with high temperatures outside.

I have to say that I keep mine in the boot of the car during the day all year round. My camera bags act as insulators to a degree, and at worst the equipment gets a little warm. To be honest, I worry more about it when it's cold, being the time where fungus could grow (no problems to date). Keeping in mind though that New Zealand's climate is probably quite different to Antonio's, so it probably depends on your climate, and what the gear is stored in.

[Antonio Correia]

I have to say that I keep mine in the boot of the car during the day all year round. My camera bags act as insulators to a degree, and at worst the equipment gets a little warm. To be honest, I worry more about it when it's cold, being the time where fungus could grow (no problems to date). Keeping in mind though that New Zealand's climate is probably quite different to Antonio's, so it probably depends on your climate, and what the gear is stored in.

Yes indeed Colin.

But let me insist: if you keep the equipment on the boot it is because you do have plenty and you can't take it everywhere you go.

But - here comes the but - you have to agree with me that the grease (not the word but you know what I am referring to) inside the lens may be affected and can - with time and frequency - cause damages or/and malfunctions.

You do know that for example if you travel in a hot day with the equipment near the cool air conditioning when you go out in the warm you may have undesirable condensations inside and outside.

Let me tell you what happened one day in Fiji (coming from NZ in fact): It was warm and not raining but a storm was approaching in the horizon.
The humidity in the air was so strong that the video camera stopped and so did the digital photographic camera, a Sony at the time.
This one kept humidity inside ever since.

Sometimes I use the extreme method I "invented":
You are in the Antarctica inside a boat at 22 degrees Centigrade with a certain amout of humidity.
You grab your equipment and go out to (-) minus 20 degrees Centigrade to another completely different environment.
What is going to happen ?

And there is another danger: theft where less friendly hands can see the content of the boot and take the equipment for a walk.

The climate in New Zealand is for sure different from the one in Portugal but the temperatures inside cars may be very low or very high and is not good for the equipment.