NikonGear'23

Images => People, Portraits, Street, PJ & Cityscapes => Topic started by: Airy on October 16, 2016, 20:06:43

Title: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 16, 2016, 20:06:43
... without changing hemisphere. These were shot on May 1st IIRC, Df + Zeiss 50/2 MP.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 16, 2016, 22:18:46
Pity about the resistance - changing hemispheres is a GOOD idea :)
Airy - I find the images a tad hot.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 16, 2016, 22:24:12
Hot ? in which sense ? for sure the sunlight was very strong.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 16, 2016, 22:32:09
Yes I can see the sun must have been pretty hot and harsh. Especially difficult for portraits. The highlights are too bright IMHO.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Erik Lund on October 16, 2016, 22:51:45
Yes I also think they are a bit too bright for my liking.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 16, 2016, 22:52:35
The "alabaster" look was intentional, with relatively low contrast on the bright (but not blown) highlights. Well, I'll try and change that.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Olivier on October 17, 2016, 22:23:49
Just say it is infrared (which is does look like, did you convert by pushing the red channel?) and everyone will rave about it!
I like the first one a lot, she looks lost in enjoyable thoughts.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 22:54:44
Yes, A strong push on the red channel, a lesser one on orange, and some reduction of blues & greens, plus reduction of clarity, which brings the whole in the neighborhood of IR. Manual operations.

The lens was wide open, so eyelashes are sharp and that's it.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 22:57:37
For reference, this is the plain B&W conversion :
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 23:04:16
I just tried various settings using Silver Efex, but they generally do not work because of the marked shadow in front of her eyes. This is where the "red filter" and the clarity decrease will help.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Erik Lund on October 17, 2016, 23:08:25
The Alabaster idea is good, it just doesn't really fit this image with the other 'components' like the too hard shadows where they should not be,,,
Try it on a shot with like a huge softbox at high output,,,
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 23:24:18
Eric, this would be the way - but the pic was a snapshot while having a glass of champagne, back from a 2-hours dance practice on a fresh sunday morning. I'm afraid the softbox would have spoiled the mood. A fill-in flash would have helped, but I am nuts at that technique. The sun is, no doubt, the photographer's enemy...

Here's the second one, conventional treatment simulating Kodak Panatomic X (ISO 32), plus light sepia toning. Conveniently provided by Silver Efex. No filter, no clarity tweak. Somehow I was looking for a "punchy", 3-D rendering of her face, in line with the quite energetic dancing business before, and coping with the total absence of make-up etc. that precedes most contemporary photo shoots.

In the latter variation, I miss the piercing gaze of the first variation, that seemed to turn her brown eyes into blue ones. The effect of orange channel being pushed (full throttle).
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Jakov Minić on October 17, 2016, 23:28:10
Airy, I hope you don't mind, I wasn't trying to be rude. I love the image so much, I couldn't resist to take the opportunity to show you why. It was too difficult to explain in words. I am sorry I didn't ask for your permission first. Tell me if you want me to delete it.

Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Akira on October 17, 2016, 23:31:30
I like the original version, if she was 19 when the images was shot.  Her youth shines in the original interpretation.  To me, the sepia treatment contradicts the reality worth cherishing.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 23:34:21
Airy, I hope you don't mind, I wasn't trying to be rude. I love the image so much, I couldn't resist to take the opportunity to show you why. It was too difficult to explain in words. I am sorry I didn't ask for your permission first. Tell me if you want me to delete it.

No problem, a very interesting re-interpretation ! placing the focus where it should be, I guess
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 23:44:21
I like the original version, if she was 19 when the images was shot.  Her youth shines in the original interpretation.  To me, the sepia treatment contradicts the reality worth cherishing.

Indeed, red or orange filtering (respectively) are also a way to "rejuvenate the skin", and to make traces of efforts or glassmarks disappear. The yound lady was still young (28, not 19) at the time. The other treatment was to show a more "realistic" view, noting that the film emulation also brought some optimization. And I'll never post the color original; after the physical ffort, the pics look like expressionist painting, not my style.

Bottom line, Erik is right but a reflector would be easier to carry than a soft box. But where do I get an assistent? and how to cope with a subject who leaves me ten seconds for a shoot, rather than five minutes like Olivier's daughter ? that's a mean life :)
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Akira on October 17, 2016, 23:48:36
Well, I thought she was your daughter (that's why I assumed she was 19 :o).
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 17, 2016, 23:56:40
Nope, having my daughter posing is even more difficult. Ballerinas, as stage artists, at least to be seen & shot.
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Erik Lund on October 19, 2016, 14:50:09
Nobody said it would be easy,,, That's why we try and try again ;)
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: armando_m on October 19, 2016, 22:35:20
Very nice portraits

In the image where she is facing the camera, I like the look of the bright version but I would indeed reduce the brightness (and perhaps contrast in case some unwanted texture starts to be visible) and on a selective color layer increase blacks in the neutrals, if the eyes get to dark then reduce the effect on the eyes with a brush
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 19, 2016, 22:39:14
OK, I'll test that when I'm back home.
What do you exactly mean with "increase black in the neutrals" ?
Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: armando_m on October 20, 2016, 15:52:29
OK, I'll test that when I'm back home.
What do you exactly mean with "increase black in the neutrals" ?
When you add a "selective color" layer one of the "colors" is listed as Neutrals- I guess they mean mid tones -  one of the sliders is blacks , adding some is like increasing Clarity, but with the effect being much more subtle, learned of this after Mongo once suggested it for one of my images.

Here is a screen capture showing what I describe

... I also have a curves layer where I lowered the top of the curve , pushing the histogram to the left


Title: Re: Bring springtime back
Post by: Airy on October 20, 2016, 16:00:40
ok, I am not that familiar with PS as I mostly use LR, but now I got a good reason to use it.