Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page…

[seth]

One thing I’ve never understood very well, and maybe it’s because my equipment isn’t top of the line, who knows.  (Because I know how to properly expose and edit, etc.)

Is how do the good pros get their color to look like this?  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=568151249873588&set=pb.123337877688263.-2207520000.1370973782.&type=3&theater

Do you think she’s using a flash at all or just wide aperture lenses?  Or is it just a lot more post than I care to deal with?

[seth]

Oh and youkonoaijin, yours are definitely better.

[iliketag]

Seth, it looks like it’s a combination of a few things. It’s more than likely just natural light in open shade. They may be using a reflector to illuminate her front side a bit better and even out the light. The lack of noticeable catchlights in her eyes tell me that most likely there was not flash fired. Color wise it’s a combination of correct white balance and a quality lens. For instance, I’ve noticed intense color clarity on my L lenses compared to my standard 85mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.4. This doesn’t make them bad lenses, but that quality is different enough that the colors don’t pop as severely.

[Will]

Seth:

It also look like portraiture or portrait professional…  turns the worst facial skin to plastic barbie dolls if you want to.  I refuse to use it but I may eventually be swayed.

[iliketag]

You think so, Will? I didn’t think her skin looked overly edited. I pulled up the woman’s blog to find out what kind of equipment that she uses but, unfortunately, she doesn’t have a post about it. When I looked at the rest of the photos from the girl’s shoot that Seth posted, she didn’t look over processed in many of the shots. It just seems like she has good skin. If she is indeed processed heavily in post, at least it looks natural and kudos to the photographer for it not looking completely noticeable!

[Notaphotographer]

@Seth, I believe off camera lighting was used. Shadows and the One light in the top right of her eye make it look like it to me. I do not think it is over edited. It looks good to me. I often take catch lights out of eyes if they are large or come from multiple sources. Quality lens is also a key here. If you want color like this, out of the box go quality prime or 24-70L if you shoot Canon. Yes it is worth the money. This portrait is pretty well done.. Background is still a bit hot for my personal taste. Willing to bet money though there was an external light source.

[nesgran]

I don’t think her skin is edited, I just think it is a combination of direct light straight at her face, probably with a reflector, and the slight overexposure which tends to make blemishes disappear.

As for the colour, a good lens will do that. That and some very selective saturation boosts. It is obvious this is someone with high end gear that knows how to use it

 

 

[seth]

awesome, thanks for all the info/advice everyone

[alexandra]

First of all I really wanted to say that this forum has provided me with hours of entertainment! So thank you everyone who has contributed!

Secondly, returning to the “Cainsphotography” guy… So yesterday he commented on one of my photos. I’m not sure how he found me – we’re not friends or anything and I never liked or commented on any of his stuff… This was just an “HDR mode” photo I took for fun with my phone from a moving vehicle and edited with an app I bought. Nothing professional by any means.

Anyway, comment to comment he told me that he wanted to specialize in “HDR portraits” and told me to take a picture of myself and send it to him so he could edit it that way. How do I decline nicely without sounding mean? I really don’t want to be turned into an alien… HELP!

Our whole conversation can be seen here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4504161656880&set=a.1287781089376.37886.1675673854&type=1&theater

[nesgran]

Why not just say to him that his HDR portraits are dead in the water and they are an atrocity to photography? Well, maybe leave out the last bit.

Maybe we should mention to him that it is far easier holding the camera the right way around…

 

 

[cameraclicker]

LOL!  With any luck if you ignore him he will lose interest.  Or, you could tell him your boyfriend/husband will help you get a photo in a couple of weeks, as soon as he finishes the project at work.

You are probably already aware HDR is a process that  lets you use multiple images to compress more dynamic range than your sensor can capture into the final image.  I can’t imagine why a portrait would ever require HDR.  For best results you need a subject that remains motionless through the several photos HDR blends into the final one.  It’s not a process that lends itself to portraiture.

[Lauryn]

This guy just gets better and better…
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/10805_352150281578262_92621601_n.jpg Orange Alien

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/935915_352240458235911_572250827_n.jpg Pale Alien

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/601026_352240511569239_1197947294_n.jpg Alien Trying to look like a human

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425189_352240548235902_773894885_n.jpg Gold Alien!

And I can’t think of aa more unflattering pose for this poor girl:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/12560_256145654512059_1915519948_n.jpg

 

[JLiu]

Alexandra – just tell him ‘thanks’ for the offer, but you’re going to pass on that, and thank him again for admiring your work.

Looking at his work, I think his color space is set to AdobeBLARRRGGGHHHHHOMGMYEYES.

[picarusslim]

Oh dear. He’s put “Edited Photos. Reduced Noise, Color Correction, HDR, These photos were not taken by Cainsphotography They are edits for show examples.” yet the person looks like an orange.

Jlui – I think his color space is set to AdobeBLARRRGGGHHHHHOMGMYEYES. CHUCKLE.

[Mend]

Ricky Thomas Cain For an HDR shot its great. I would know I deal with HDR a lot

just because you can use a program that claims to make it HDR, doesn’t mean you know what the hell you are doing. ugh he annoys the hell out of me. though i do keep checking back at his stuff because it makes me feel better about my pictures lol. i’m no where near good enough to charge, but at least my stuff is better than his. I’ve had my phases of bad editing, even a “fake HDR” phase. but even my fake one was better than his. but i try new things and learn how to edit better, not worse like him.

[Author]

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