Home › Forums › Am I a Fauxtog? › I really hope I'm not…
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August 13, 2012 at 10:17 am #2894reactiveloadParticipant
Suggestions/help/criticism is appreciated
http://s1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/Hedeen%20Family%20Aug%2012th/
August 13, 2012 at 11:25 am #2896Open FocusParticipantYour exposure seems to be a little high, I would tone it just just a smidge next time you go out to shoot in sunlight. If not, you get faces with bridgeless noses. 🙂
August 13, 2012 at 3:47 pm #2902stefParticipantYour exposure is off, but it’s consistently off except for one image. That’s a good sign, because that means you probably weren’t stuck in automatic modes. It’s also okay, because that means you shot to the right, and can bring down the exposure without issues of noise. For the most part, it doesn’t look like you blew the whites but there are a few where you did.
You have some basics of portraiture, but are missing a few things. First, you need a scrim. Nothing destroys skin like direct sun.. a scrim will turn the sun into a big softbox. Next, you need a reflector. Lacking a scrim to reduce the light on the shoulders and arms, a reflector can put extra light into the faces. Last, you need to FIND THE LIGHT when given the opportunity or CREATE it yourself, instead of trying to make do.
This shot is squinty, with a furrowed brow http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/Hedeen%20Family%20Aug%2012th/2b3b1598.jpg That’s because you aimed her face into the sun. You’re also too close, causing the shoulder to be all distorted and huge.
This is a better shot, but with a reflector to your right for some directional light to create modeling on the faces, it would been really good, except for the oversaturation you added. http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/Hedeen%20Family%20Aug%2012th/da9414f7.jpg
This shot is completely blown. http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/Hedeen%20Family%20Aug%2012th/1115c493.jpg If you can’t fix it by healing it from another image, it should be discarded. If you had nailed the exposure, it would’ve been a nice picture. Proper settings and a reflector would’ve saved it.
You avoided some of the most common mistakes of having tree branches coming out of dad’s head or missing focus, or overprocessing with filters to try to save the images. You failed on camera handling for exposure, and people handling of posing in poor locations.
So here’s my advice:
Avoid direct sunlight, or mitigate the issues with a reflector, fill flash, shady tree (without beams of light blasting through), or a scrim.
Keep your hand off the saturation knob.
Nail your exposures.
You need some practice, but you are not a fauxtographer.
August 13, 2012 at 4:26 pm #2906reactiveloadParticipantThanks for the input. It stbright off cloudy, so I thought I would be ok. Is their any tips for using as reflector when by yourself. I don’t sell my work, I just do photos for friends, so I can’t hire an assistant, and my funds are limited, at least until wills the Powerball.
August 13, 2012 at 4:28 pm #2908BrownieParticipantStef made some great points and in portraiture, at least commercial portraiture, you need headroom on the frame. This one here lacks headroom: http://s1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/Hedeen%20Family%20Aug%2012th/?action=view¤t=4736acbe.jpg
But everything else has pretty much been said.
August 13, 2012 at 10:27 pm #2924hellomarcyParticipantgoshi feel such a connection with everyone 🙂 cant we all just be friendssssss. it feels like we’re all on a journey to NOT SUCK FAT HAIRY BALLS 😀
August 13, 2012 at 11:12 pm #2928dicksforeyesParticipantShoot raw. Throw your reflectors and scrims and other ancient photography paraphernalia in the garbage.
Sometimes overexposure is good. Sometimes underexposure is good. Shitcan all rules that do not take into account context, like whether or not it looks good.
Discover the curves tool.
August 14, 2012 at 1:21 am #2943stefParticipantHeh, do you really think shooting raw obsoletes old equipment and proper exposure?
Whatevah.
OP: As long as there’s no wind, you can easily use a lightstand and some clamps as a reflector stand. If there is wind, use a fill flash.
August 14, 2012 at 1:53 am #2946dicksforeyesParticipantYes, new equipment obsoletes old equipment. No, new equipment doesn’t ‘obsolete proper exposure’. It makes proper exposure of a far greater dynamic range possible.
August 14, 2012 at 2:33 am #2949jetpixParticipantSo, what you are saying, is that with modern equipment, basic photographic principles, proper lighting aids, etc. are no longer relevant? Just let the camera do everything for you? Wow – classic fauxtographic thinking. “Any idiot with a DSLR . . . .”
I’m not even sure how to begin to respond to that nonsense. I’ll leave most of it to Stef.
Get ready.
August 14, 2012 at 3:56 am #2952dicksforeyesParticipantYes, I will prepare for the earth-shaking revelation he is sure to bestow upon me, you luddite. I can’t wait until cameras on cell phones (or whatever devices we’re carrying around in twenty years) can out-perform today’s entire photography studio. Think it’s impossible? Think harder.
You’re going to be obsolete.
August 14, 2012 at 6:52 am #2958jetpixParticipant“The jury will disregard the previous statement as irrelevant to the issue at hand. ”
Wow. Way to give a non-response response. We are talking about TODAY, not 20 years from now. Come on, lil’ feller – defend your statement!
August 14, 2012 at 10:00 am #2964stefParticipantSensors have barely caught up to film as far as dynamic range, with the best pulling in 14 stops (Nikon D800), released only this year.
Film has had 14 stops for ages. Even if sensors were 2 stops wider, you’re still ignorant. What’s that going to buy you? Do you really think one stop in each direction means you’ll never blow out whites or mud darks again? You’re an idiot JJ. You talk an awful lot for saying a lot of nothing.
August 14, 2012 at 1:09 pm #2976BrownieParticipantWhenever a camera can outperform an 8×10 view camera, I will definitely say film is dead. Until then…
August 14, 2012 at 1:16 pm #2977dicksforeyesParticipantIn your hysterical fits of luddite rage you have both apparently taken comfort in attributing to me propositions you’ve fantasized. I can only guess those big fat vaginas you each possess are what make you so emotional and incapable of rational thinking.
But I don’t need to say much regardless. There’s a little link at the bottom of each of my comments that does the talking for me. Where’s yours?
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