Author Topic: Hacking portrait photography Skillshare photos  (Read 1351 times)

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Hacking portrait photography Skillshare photos
« on: 12 September, 2016, 02:19:00 pm »
On Saturday night, Polar Bear asked me to run a skillshare at the YACF camping weekend in Long Itchington.  I did about and hour and a half on 'Hacking Portrait Photography' and demonstrated a bunch of techniques for making better portraits with whatever camera you happen to be using.

Kajsa Tylen (the amazing long distance cyclist currently contesting the HAMR record) was lovely enough to volunteer for one of the demos I did.  I thought I'd post the six frames I shot of her at the workshop to show the progression as I closed in on a shot I was happy with.


[Clickken to embiggen]

The first photo is with a bare flash head, about three metres camera right.  The next three are with an inflated white pedal bin liner taped in front of of the flash to act as a jury rigged softbox.  The final three are with a cheap, disposable white dust sheet held in front of the flash/bag combo to double diffuse everything.

I asked Kajsa to take a seat on one of the benches and I pulled the curtains behind her so I didn't need to worry about the flash bouncing or flaring off the window glass.  I got her to put her feet up on the higher step and to lean forward with her elbows on her thighs so she was more comfortable.  This is a great casual portrait position because it naturally makes your subject push their forehead towards the camera and is quite flattering for pretty much everyone.

The series was shot on a Nikon D700 with an 85mm lens and lit by a single SB910 flash off to the right,  triggered by the camera's pop-up flash as a commander.  The exposures were made at ISO200 and 1/60th second in aperture priority with TTL flash.  The first four frames were at f/5.6 but for the last three, I opened up to f/2.8 and let the flash dial itself down a bit.

I took the penultimate frame as my favourite and worked it up into two different looks; a B&W process and a colour version.  Both treatments were made through Lightroom and Photoshop, using (amongst other things) plugins from Athentech Imaging and Alien Skin (Exposure 7).

 

If you have any behind the scenes photos of this shot being made, I'd love to use one in a blog post.  Similarly, I'd really like to see any other pictures you made that evening.
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Hacking portrait photography Skillshare photos
« Reply #1 on: 12 September, 2016, 02:27:19 pm »
Your mono image isn't displaying here for me, but it does link back to your bokeh-tastic folder on your site.  Thank you for a very flattering shot of me.  The mono image of Apollo is also very effective, and the depth of focus on the Julian/tent photo is paper-thin.  I've only ever achieved anything quite like that with a borrowed 50/1.4 and my OM-1 (not that I've ever been one for the bokeh, but y'know)
Getting there...

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
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Re: Hacking portrait photography Skillshare photos
« Reply #2 on: 12 September, 2016, 02:36:17 pm »
My apologies for naughtiness on Saturday evening. I was trying to position myself so that your picture would show me in front of a double wall light that would appear like bunny ears.

Obviously you were too professional to fall for it.  ;D

In my defence I thought it would make good illustration of what NOT to do . . .
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.