[Portfolio] Impromptus - H

[Olivier]

Fons, it looks like you are on to something.
My wife agrees with you...

OK, just to piss her off, I now post a picture of myself that she absolutely hates.
I don't shave during vacation times, and she loves it (I don't get that but am ok with it!). However she has a personal thing against moustaches, so just before I went back to work, this summer, I shaved everything but the moustache.
That was fun.
Here I am (still married but she gave me 2 minutes to get rid of it just after the photo was taken...).

[Akira]

Cool!  Probably she doesn't want you to look too attractive with the moustache.

[Olivier]

Thank you Akira,

I did everything I could to be off-putting for my wife (just a game to tease her).
To be honnest, I don't like it either...

[Olivier]

I always enjoy to watch and photograph photographers.

4. The camouflaged hunter

[Fons Baerken]

i told you

[charlie]

Great set of portraits. There is strong connection in each of the portraits making eye contact. The mustache goes quite well with your expression, and unbuttoned shirt. 
I look forward to the evolution of this series. 

[elsa hoffmann]

The last posted image is soooo cool - everything comes together

[Andrea B.]

Olivier. How do I say this. There is just a tiny tiny bit of Something missing from the conversion/editing of these portraits compared to the superb portraits we have seen you post in the past. But what it is that I think is missing I am not quite sure how to define. And I could be completely wrong with such a comment based on two shots only. So I'm not even sure if I should say anything at all? But we have been on forums together for a long time now. I know you will respond to this with understanding.

Are you perhaps using a new converter/editor?

[Olivier]

Thank you.

Andrea, no need to take gloves with me...
I am not completely at ease with my current photographic process, organization and software setup. You are right and I thank you for your honnesty, this is what I what I hope to get when I post images.

Several things are not well in place right now:
1. I probably lack involvement, will, whatever you would call that. I've had better times and it will come back. At least I pick up the camera again, this is already an improvement... But definitely, the relationship with people in front of my camera is harder to establish and develop, and I know it shows. I just give up too rapidly! Knowing me, I need a project and someone to kick my butt.
2. I felt very at ease with the D700/105mm couple, however it was a burden to haul around and I wished to get something smaller, lighter. Maybe also something new... So I got a Fuji X-T1 and have not spent enough time with it yet to feel comfortable although it gets better with time. I am definitely not satisfied with auto white balance (everything is too cold!) and don't get what is wrong, especially when I read all the praises the camera gets for this point specifically.
3. You were mentioning the conversion and I believe the problem is one step ahead in the chain: I am using Photo Ninja to convert the X-T1 RAWs and just dont get along with this piece of sofware. The rest is done in PS CS6 and Nik Silver Efex for B&W. I don't like the midtones and highlights I am getting with PN. My fault obviously as it is highly regarded by many. I will probably go back to ACR, upgrade to PS CC and stop reading about the potential imperfections (adobe and X-Trans...) that I don't see or care for anyway!

Well, this thread was meant to "force" myself into doing something again, hopefully I will get to a much better point some time in the future. The first objective in time is to shoot more and enjoy it!
Thank you again!
Olivier

[Olivier]

Manon is 5 years old, a very interesting little girl that simply did not feel like speaking for very long. Now she is ready and sounds remarkably articulate and mature. She decided after this shot that I had enough of her precious time.

This definitely is a shot I am happy with (because of her, not the technical aspects). However there is no way for me to make a decent B&W with it and I don't get why.
So by default, here she is in colors, adjusted as well as I could using Lew's "colors by the numbers" technique which saved me in many occasions (I am colorlind).

5.

[BobM]

Just Beautiful !!

[Olivier]

Thank you Bob!

L. is a little girl at the perfect age. she has the cutest smile I know, and to top it all, she said yes when I asked her to make a few pictures to please her mother...

6. Petit sourire angélique

[John Geerts]

Great portraits, Olivier.  The smile of Manon is like a 'Mona Lisa'.

[Andrea B.]

Olivier, thank you for your response to my comment. And so - it is New-camera-itis and its associated woes which has probably affected your work just a little bit. Well, certainly that is curable - by shooting lots and lots with the new camera, yes?

Even though I typically move from Nikon to Nikon and do not make such a large change as you made, I am always surprised just how long it takes me to adjust to the "quirks" of a new Nikon body and how long it takes me to refine the converting and editing techniques. I'm quite sure you will get conversion and B&W edits sorted out with the XT1.

As for Photo Ninja - it may not work out for you even though PN does such good extraction from raw X-trans files. The PN B&W tool is a little strange, isn't it? For one example, I did not realize for quite some time that I could make use of more than one colour patch in that tool. But it is an unusual way of implementing channel manipulation for B&W work. I have not pursued it further because, of course, I do not actually make many B&W fotos. I'm hoping the big PN release they are working so hard on will have a much broader range of tools.

**********

I was going to make a similar reference just as John did:  Manon is a very mysterious little Mona Lisa. Clearly you have captured something of her inner self in that excellent portrait.

[Olivier]

Thank you John and Andrea.
I had the same impression about Manon and this muted smile is actually what I tried to capture.

Andrea: I haven't even tried the b&w conversion in PN! I really feel comfortable with Nik Silver Efex and don't wish to change.
And I guess you are right shooting more will definitely help. I need to find more willing models!