NON Square Cropped Portraits - (nSCP's) - Archive

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Originally Posted by Alis

It looks nice, Antonio! That is what I like about shooting raw. As I learn more, I go back and search through the old files and discover things :)

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Indeed :)
When I came back I was very disappointed because I could not get what I thought I would like.
Now that I know 1 mm of the 1 kilometer - if I make myself understand - of CS I can do something out of them.

I am trying these days a new way of work: image manipulation. Veeeery slooowly... Veeery sloooly...
Here I inserted the wall on the right on the original photo as the light of the two images was allowing me to do so.
I mean the vertical engraved stone. Do you see any imperfection now that you know it ?
:)

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Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/...21eddec5_z.jpg

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This is a very nice composition antonio! :) I like it very much as it is! :) This is one of my most dreamed of places to shoot! You're a very well travelled guy! Cheers to you! :)

And hello all again! :)

I would like to share another NSCP as i know i can count on you guys for constructive crits. This is my friend's E shoot somewhere in our place.

EXIF

SHutter Speed: 1000
Aperture: 2.8
Off cam flash: full power
WB: 5600 K

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/...8be0fcc9_z.jpg

Thank you guys in advance!

Hi Richard,

This is an interesting shot, but one that looks 'wrong' to me, by which I mean it looks too much like a composite.
The (small) scale of the people vs the (large) scale of the background makes them look like miniature models like you get on a wedding cake. Especially as it is aggressively cropped mid-calf (lower part of leg), seemingly to hide the plastic base they might be cast into if really made of plastic. Another thing that lends to this theory is the highlight sheen on the girl's cheek and man's forehead and the upward angle of the shot.

If you were aiming for that look as a special effect for some reason, all well and good.

If you weren't, then I'm sorry, but that's how it looks to me. It may well be that the background foliage is just not one I am familiar with and I imagine it to be closer and smaller than it really is. The more I really study it, I think I do see that it is not a composite - I'm sure they are real poeple, the net or veil wrapped around them is a giveaway to that.

I'm not sure about the overall composition, there is an unfortunately placed dark vertical dividing line up the background foliage which I don't think helps, it could be adjusted in PP I guess.

I hope that was helpful,

thanks dave for your points on the photo it was actually very helful and i am very much honored at your points. :)

The photo is not a composite and a very little PP is done on it. :) The sheen was caused by the strobes aimed at the couple. :) They were actually perched on a large rock and the green foliage at the back is a tropical mountain.

What can I say after Dave ?
Very little, in spite of not agreeing with that plastic version. :)
I really don't like the flash so strong but Richard has a tendency - let's call it a style if you wish - to do so.
I don't like the cut legs either and the selection of the couple is not well mastered for the moment. I do have the same problem by now. :o
However, this is more the kind of images I like most, opposed to studio ones where everything is in place. :)

Example are these two man who were working near my house and whom I shot after asking. I do like this image very much to be honest. :)
How do you see it ? Too red ? Too magenta ? What ? Please. :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/...14e1b8c4_z.jpg

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Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

Example are these two man who were working near my house and whom I shot after asking. I do like this image very much to be honest. :)
How do you see it ? Too red ? Too magenta ? What ? Please. :)

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WB (colour) looks OK to me Antonio,

Possibly a little less saturation, or a slight raising of the shadows might help.

I assume this was natural light and with no fill (flash or reflector) provided?

But I really shouldn't assume anything with your pictures, should I? :D :)
No, not after last time. Definitely not. ;)

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

WB (colour) looks OK to me Antonio, Possibly a little less saturation, or a slight raising of the shadows might help. I assume this was natural light and with no fill (flash or reflector) provided? But I really shouldn't assume anything with your pictures, should I? :D :) No, not after last time. Definitely not. ;)

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Thank you Dave. In fact I didn't use any reflector or flash. The available light was coming from the right and the area was wide open.
The day is hot and the Sun is shinning strongly with no shadows, I mean clouds today.

Thank you very much for your comment. I like to read them, Dave :)

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Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

What can I say after Dave ?
Very little, in spite of not agreeing with that plastic version. :)
I really don't like the flash so strong but Richard has a tendency - let's call it a style if you wish - to do so.
I don't like the cut legs either and the selection of the couple is not well mastered for the moment. I do have the same problem by now. :o
However, this is more the kind of images I like most, opposed to studio ones where everything is in place. :)

Example are these two man who were working near my house and whom I shot after asking. I do like this image very much to be honest. :)
How do you see it ? Too red ? Too magenta ? What ? Please. :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/...14e1b8c4_z.jpg

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thank you antonio for your sugestions and I will surely try to keep it in mind next time. :) as I really wanted to hone my photography in strobes and artificial lighting sometimes i tend to over do every thing. I guess i am still in a learning and perfedtion is waay to far attain for now. But with guys like you it seems to speed things up a bit :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/...e68d0750_z.jpg

Richard

I love the light and the processing on this one. No much else to say really. Excellent work

Steve

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Originally Posted by richard amora

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/...e68d0750_z.jpg

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Richard, thank you for posting this image here :)
It is a really nice picture with a really nice work on the computer :)

It is a creative way to shoot the couple with an inventive use of artificial light in combination with the natural one.
Perhaps you wouldn't need the dark areas neither on the right nor on the left (not referring to the shadow of the couple) but that is something I think it is up to you.

I also like the proportions of the crop but I wonder if I wouldn't place the couple a bit more to our right :rolleyes: That is if you have more "picture" on the left.
Anyhow if you don't, it is not difficult to build some :):) as you master CS far better than I do :)

I will be waiting for more please :)

Work under the Sun

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/...08e948cb_z.jpg

Steve,

Thank you very much for those kind words that you brought out to the photo it hels make my heart lighter knwing that other likes my work too. :)

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Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

Work under the Sun

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/...08e948cb_z.jpg

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thank you antonio for your encouraging words and the suggestions that you share. :) Its good to hear from you guys as I only have two eyes giving me only a few perspective of the frame. But if two or more people could give their insights, better points will be noticed and unseen mistakes will surely be brought into attention. :) Again thank you

The photo antonio, where was this taken? I know that this is construction site but what are they consctructing? Am very much curius with subject does in the photos such as this. The photo creates a caged feeling due to the bars but what i particulary like was the lighting done on the face. Will yuo care to share to us on how was this done? I would really like to know. :)

Thanks and all the best!

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Originally Posted by richard amora

The photo antonio, where was this taken? I know that this is construction site but what are they consctructing? Am very much curius with subject does in the photos such as this. The photo creates a caged feeling due to the bars but what i particulary like was the lighting done on the face. Will yuo care to share to us on how was this done? I would really like to know. :)

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That's a good question about the light on the face Richard, I hadn't noticed before, but you get to thinking; 'if it were a flash (this side of the bars) - why no shadows?' ;) I have a theory, I wonder if I'm right :D

I like the look of concentration on the guy's face.

As to what it is - I believe it to be the steel reinforcing rods that will be (possibly are, by now) inside reinforced concrete. Dunno what they are building though. :)

Cheers,

Photographing people in the Sun is something I have avoided ever since. The harsh lighting that produces great contrast is to be avoided at all costs.
Unfortunately I have seen professional photographers at a wedding to do so when there were around shades available to work.
The result was mediocre it must be said. The client often looks but does not see so ...:o

The man working the rods on the street and there was no way to move to another place.
The computer processing of the image allowed me to achieve some balance between harsh light and shadows. the shirt whicj I could not recover, is rather burned by too much reflection:rolleyes:
If I had an assistant and a portable white awning to shade, the result might have been substantially better. Or maybe there is another way ... I have an idea about that but not now.
Someone has any doubt that we should not shoot in direct sun, unless ... ?
-

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

That's a good question about the light on the face Richard, I hadn't noticed before, but you get to thinking; 'if it were a flash (this side of the bars) - why no shadows?' ;)...

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Not difficult :) In CS# you make a selection of the areas you want "lighter", make another layer via copy and apply curves. Slowly. Softly. Then, Refine Edge. I really don't know much about this tool but... Then a mask to see the layer underneath and apply curves again on this one to darken the background.
I also made another layer to apply some unsharp mask.
The biggest difficulty was to make the selection but after two or three tries I did it.

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

... I have a theory, I wonder if I'm right :D I like the look of concentration on the guy's face. As to what it is - I believe it to be the steel reinforcing rods that will be (possibly are, by now) inside reinforced concrete. Dunno what they are building though. :) Cheers,

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Yes Dave you are right. He is doing the frame work. :)
I told him to concentrate and think about what he was doing as I was shooting some pics. In fact I shot a sequence of three.

Thank you Dave for commenting :) and
Thank you Richard for the same :)

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

That's a good question about the light on the face Richard, I hadn't noticed before, but you get to thinking; 'if it were a flash (this side of the bars) - why no shadows?' ;) I have a theory, I wonder if I'm right :D

I like the look of concentration on the guy's face.

As to what it is - I believe it to be the steel reinforcing rods that will be (possibly are, by now) inside reinforced concrete. Dunno what they are building though. :)

Cheers,

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Hi Dave. :)

Maybe we could play a little game on how the face was lit before antonio give his answers. :)

My guess would be the light came fromt he reflection of the white polo that the guy is wearing.
My second guess would be it was digitally highlighted through PS. :) Whats yours? :)

Ahh looks like steel reinforcing bars after all . :)

Cheers! :)

ohh! :) Antonio had already answered hahaha... :) Thanks for the share of your digital workflow antonio it is very much helpful... :)

Cheers!

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Originally Posted by richard amora

Hi Dave. :) Maybe we could play a little game on how the face was lit before antonio give his answers. :) My guess would be the light came fromt he reflection of the white polo that the guy is wearing. My second guess would be it was digitally highlighted through PS. :) Whats yours? :) Ahh looks like steel reinforcing bars after all . :) Cheers! :)

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Too late Richard :) You were in front of the computer and so was I with some minutes difference. :)

A white panel on my far left side would have done the job:)

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Originally Posted by richard amora

My second guess would be it was digitally highlighted through PS. :) Whats yours? :)

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PP (with CS5) was my first guess - because I have done similar myself (with Elements) ;)

I'm a philistine though; I just grab the burn brush, or do I mean dodge, well the one that makes it lighter :o and wipe it around the face :rolleyes:
I do use a low % though, so I can, as Antonio says, build it up slowly.

Cheers,

I was suggested to make a B&W on this image.
I keep liking it. Stronger in B&W... :)
More in synchrony with their work if I may say so :rolleyes:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/...1ae95ec8_z.jpg