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

[Antonio Correia]

Antonio, Both interesting images, and I always like shots of people doing something that is meaningful to them as it gives the shots some context, and I think it affects their expression when doing something they enjoy. I find with the first shot that her hand looks rather large (probably due to the angle and closeness of the camera), and the garment she is sewing is very bright. My eye is therefore drawn too much to the lower half of the image. For that reason, I think the second shot is better.

Thank you Rob for your comment.

She has very large hands indeed. When I was working on these pictures I was telling my wife besides me that this woman was a big one. I mean well dimensioned. It doesn't mean however that I should have kept her hands with that size...

They were both acting for me while I was shooting. I told them to concentrate on the task trying to imagine I was not present.

I have to agree that the first image has too much light on the work of the woman... I have to go and try to fix that later on.
Have I told that I spent some 7 or 8 hours working on both images and that I have worked on them at the same time, side by side ?
I am glad I have both images in TIF format with all the layers .

[carregwen]

She was sitting in front of me at an event stadium. The green at the top is grass - I used a f/2.8 setting which diffused the grass completely as I was sitting very close to her.

"Highlights at the stadium"

[Antonio Correia]

Quite original and interesting...
Good idea
You did very well posting this image. Thank you.
I am sure you were using some long lens...

[Antonio Correia]

I went back to those images and changed them a bit ...
How about now Rob ?
Unfortunately when I shot the pictures I was thinking to use them this way, one besides the other. In fact one was shot with a 50mm and the other with the 24-70 not taking care of the settings.

[carregwen]

I went back to those images and changed them a bit ...
How about now Rob ?

Antonio

You seem to have increased the light around the work garment to lift the rest of the shot. The colours look better, I think, and the skin tones look better. But I think you have lost some of the shadow detail. I didn't edit them, I just reposted the links so we can see the shots together. I tried the liquify tool (CS4) on the hand. It does make it thinner - I can post if you wish.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you for the feed back Rob. I followed your suggestion and the result is here.
Better isn't it ?
But if you wish to post your version, please don't hesitate...

[carregwen]

Antonio

Yes, it looks much better now than the original. It has much more verve. This is the simple edit I did with the liquify tool on the hand. I only did it quickly. What you really need to do is do it on a layer, then liquify the layer and using a mask, rub out the other areas that have been liquified (her shirt in this case) by exposing the layer underneath. Do you have liquify on your version of CS? Are you liquid? It's a very useful tool. I'm sure portrait photographers use it all the time - they would if they were shooting me.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Rob.
I have used that technique quite some times even when apparently it wouldn't be necessary.
This time I did not use the two layers for the job but just one.
Thank you for the help you have been done to me in this image.
I am sure they are going to be a success.


I forgot to say that I also use quite often the Lens Correction with advantage

[Antonio Correia]

[Antonio Correia]

[Alis]

Antonio, what do you do to them that they shine like this? I mean literally shining, so bright, where as far as I remember most of them are done with no flash? Like your last one is a good example. Tell me your secret

[Ashwin]

Antonio, what do you do to them that they shine like this? I mean literally shining, so bright, where as far as I remember most of them are done with no flash? Like your last one is a good example. Tell me your secret

Hi Ali,

Do you find any difference...? ?

[Sahil]

Hi Ali,

Do you find any difference...? ?

Wow. How did you do that? This pic has really popped up. Mind sharing what all you did to the original pic?

[carregwen]

Wow. How did you do that? This pic has really popped up. Mind sharing what all you did to the original pic?

Sahil

He probably just used a curves and colour satration layers - as you need to do with many shots. I think in this case he may have overdone it a bit. The original has a bit of a blue cast to it, it seems to me. Most shots can be improved by adding more contrast and colour in Photoshop. Here is my version of before and after. Not sure what the fstop was but this could have done with more blurring of the background behind the main subject.

[Ashwin]

I enjoy all the comments.....

[Sahil]

Thanks Rob. I also tried curves on that pic after posting my comment and read about it THOROUGHLY this time. I love seeing before-after pics. I Like to see the magics of PP.

[Antonio Correia]

Antonio, what do you do to them that they shine like this? I mean literally shining, so bright, where as far as I remember most of them are done with no flash? Like your last one is a good example. Tell me your secret

Come on Alis, are you pulling my leg ?
Look how sharp and shining is your own image. It is very nice indeed. I can remember those photos you were taking some time ago... A small desaster compared to what you are doing today. Now, your photos are very nice, sharp, popping with lots of light and very agreeable to look at.
-
In fact most of my pictures don't have flash. The kind of shots I take is not compatible with that equipment. These days I am moving more and more to CS4 using however LR to keyword the photos and beginning to jump into Camera Raw from inside CS4 through the use of Smart Objects.
I post here the original image and the layout of the layers on this picture. You can see that the layer is a Smart Object and I have used Levels and Curves with a small mask.
I then save the file in TIF format and crop and export from within LR.

A rather laborious process indeed. But I now try to make the photos with much care - even more - and dedicating myself to them, longer until I get a some what pleasant result. Or rather, a result that pleases me.

Sometimes I even work a bit on LR to make the image pop more, where I apply the Brightness and the Contrast commands at ease.
Even sometimes I work on the Vibrance and Saturation. As Rob said somewhere and correct me if I am misinterpretating, CS4 tends to densify the colors and I try to contradict that.

Regarding the black and white image, the basic procedure is basically the same. I tended to "darken" the person and the hole picture to emphasize the mood and give a different feeling to it.
In this image (the woman's one) I clearly remember that I used the Camera Raw to darken the handkerchief she is holds without affecting the hole picture.
I act and work relaxed: if it works fine great, if it doesn't work it's also great. In between I learned something.

[Antonio Correia]

I think that Masks is a key concept. Am I wrong Rob ?

Masks allow us to lighten areas keeping others dark or untouched. Or vice-versa.
Alis could have kept our young boy very bright while darkening the background and introducing there a bit of blur.
Today I was reading while I was waiting in a cue about Channels on Beginner's Photoshop volume two, a British magazine I bought here.
Also important is to sellect areas. But this is also using Channels.
So much to learn. Time is so short.
A quick iPhone shot with no worries about color temperature.

[carregwen]

I post here the original image and the layout of the layers on this picture. You can see that the layer is a Smart Object and I have used Levels and Curves with a small mask.

Antonio

I think that's the best way to do it. I only discovered it recently. I apply the curves correction to the whole shot then in the mask I use a soft brush and remove the areas that don't need the curves (or whatever layer adjustment you make). Normally (say in a portrait) this would be the background, which you want to leave muted. The good thing about CS4 is when you add an adjustment layer it automatically adds the mask, and you can always go back and edit things before you finally flatten.

[carregwen]

... Am I wrong Rob ?

Never, mon ami, never!