The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[El Diablo 4232]

6 hours ago, nycHorn said:

Jump in there to make it a double.

Maybe eventually but I don't feel like we know each other that well just yet. And you know how women are, she's likely to think it means we're a couple even though we just met.

 

[nycHorn 3038]

7 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Maybe eventually but I don't feel like we know each other that well just yet. And you know how women are, she's likely to think it means we're a couple even though we just met.

 

Doug nailed it with the Jaime Lee Curtis thing.  

You're using a umbrella that you're still into and reflect back (not shoot thru)?  And you have a 2nd light that is lower and more frontal?  How many light heads do you have?

I would get some sort of white bounce on the camera left - fill in shadows.  This can be anything white...a white tshirt, a poster board, etc...or just move your set closer to a wall and that'll reflect light back into the shadows.

You could also try a hair light from up high and behind her - ideally with a grid so the light doesn't spill out all over the place and turned down low.  A subtle hairlight is plenty, just to separate from the background.  Or throw some light on the background. 

Finally, using the shaft of the umbrella as a guide,  "aim" the umbrella so the shaft if pointing just in front of her - like a shot across the bow, if you will.  It'll allow the light to wrap around her face and also keep the hottest portion of the light off her for an even light.  That'll also throw light off set that you can easily bounce back into the shadows.  

What kind of strobes are you using?  But it's looking good.  Just keep shooting and trying different things.  And when you're ready, get a human in there.  Getting comfortable directing your subject is important to getting what you want from the shoot. 

I have a good amount of experience with this so don't hesitate with questions man.

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, nycHorn said:

Doug nailed it with the Jaime Lee Curtis thing.  

You're using a umbrella that you're still into and reflect back (not shoot thru)?  And you have a 2nd light that is lower and more frontal?  How many light heads do you have?

I would get some sort of white bounce on the camera left - fill in shadows.  This can be anything white...a white tshirt, a poster board, etc...or just move your set closer to a wall and that'll reflect light back into the shadows.

You could also try a hair light from up high and behind her - ideally with a grid so the light doesn't spill out all over the place and turned down low.  A subtle hairlight is plenty, just to separate from the background.  Or throw some light on the background. 

Finally, using the shaft of the umbrella as a guide,  "aim" the umbrella so the shaft if pointing just in front of her - like a shot across the bow, if you will.  It'll allow the light to wrap around her face and also keep the hottest portion of the light off her for an even light.  That'll also throw light off set that you can easily bounce back into the shadows.  

What kind of strobes are you using?  But it's looking good.  Just keep shooting and trying different things.  And when you're ready, get a human in there.  Getting comfortable directing your subject is important to getting what you want from the shoot. 

I have a good amount of experience with this so don't hesitate with questions man.

I bought a used 32" Westcott soft box a couple of weeks ago and both of these shots were taken with just that lighting the face. The first head shot I did have a 2nd light back left as a sort of edge light and it was also hitting her cheek bone a good bit. I haven't got that figured out at all yet so turned it off. On the second shot,the one above, I did use a reflector just out of frame on the left and moved the light a bit more in line with the head (more camera right) and used more of the back edge of the light across her but just the one light. That was partly because the first shot gave a weird shadow on her right nostril and also to keep the background evenly dark but I'm not sure I accomplished the 2nd part. My studio, such as it is, is maybe 8'x12'. 

I have 3 strobes, 2 Lumo Pro 180's and a Godox TT600. I pretty much followed DougO's advice and visited TheStrobist and bought the gear (used of course) that they suggested. I've been using the same trigger they suggest, a Phottix Ares and one receiver. I can setup with one flash as a slave but think I'll probably buy another receiver at some point just because. 

Like most beginners I've been using the shotgun approach - played with the gels, lighting the background vs not lighting it, crazy dramatic angles etc... My confidence is growing slowly and I have a redneck family that will sit for me when I get ready to have some live bodies in front of the lens.

I appreciate the feedback, I kinda figured you had some experience with this stuff when you mentioned being tethered to Capture One.

Edited February 24, 2020 by El Diablo

[nycHorn 3038]

34 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

I bought a used 32" Westcott soft box a couple of weeks ago and both of these shots were taken with just that lighting the face. The first head shot I did have a 2nd light back left as a sort of edge light and it was also hitting her cheek bone a good bit. I haven't got that figured out at all yet so turned it off. On the second shot,the one above, I did use a reflector just out of frame on the left and moved the light a bit more in line with the head (more camera right) and used more of the back edge of the light across her but just the one light. That was partly because the first shot gave a weird shadow on her right nostril and also to keep the background evenly dark but I'm not sure I accomplished the 2nd part. My studio, such as it is, is maybe 8'x12'. 

I have 3 strobes, 2 Lumo Pro 180's and a Godox TT600. I pretty much followed DougO's advice and visited TheStrobist and bought the gear (used of course) that they suggested. I've been using the same trigger they suggest, a Phottix Ares and one receiver. I can setup with one flash as a slave but think I'll probably buy another receiver at some point just because. 

Like most beginners I've been using the shotgun approach - played with the gels, lighting the background vs not lighting it, crazy dramatic angles etc... My confidence is growing slowly and I have a redneck family that will sit for me when I get ready to have some live bodies in front of the lens.

I appreciate the feedback, I kinda figured you had some experience with this stuff when you mentioned being tethered to Capture One.

Nice man, yeah Strobist is a great resource.  And I'm always watching Craigslist to see what kind of stuff people are selling - seamless paper, rolls of gels or diffusion, modifiers.  

The redneck family sounds like an awesome photo opportunity.  Depending on what your end goal is with photography - corporate headshots, beauty, portraits, etc... start identifying peoples work that you like or find interesting and start reverse engineering how they did it.  You can tell a lot from catch-lights in the eyes, quality of light (hard/soft), direction of shadows, etc.. and start to emulate and adapt your own work.  

Looks nice, keep firing away...

[El Diablo 4232]

20 minutes ago, nycHorn said:

Nice man, yeah Strobist is a great resource.  And I'm always watching Craigslist to see what kind of stuff people are selling - seamless paper, rolls of gels or diffusion, modifiers.  

The redneck family sounds like an awesome photo opportunity.  Depending on what your end goal is with photography - corporate headshots, beauty, portraits, etc... start identifying peoples work that you like or find interesting and start reverse engineering how they did it.  You can tell a lot from catch-lights in the eyes, quality of light (hard/soft), direction of shadows, etc.. and start to emulate and adapt your own work.  

Looks nice, keep firing away...

I mentioned it upthread, I bought a book for my Kindle by a guy named John Cornicello that I plan to read this week. I'll be away from the gear all week so hopefully I'll come back next weekend fired up.

Any people you could suggest to a newbie to find some inspiration from? I know I do need to study different work but have no background in art or photography and the world is flooded with information now. 

[nycHorn 3038]

For sure...there are so many depending on what you're after...

Dan Winters (lives in Austin) - beautiful light, definitely moody

Martin Schoeller - you've seen his work on Time.  Has shot everyone with his characteristic look - short lens, shallow depth of field, right up in there, matching stripbanks - unflattering, but interesting.

Platon - famous portraits

Then classics like Sally Mann, Albert Watson, Avedon...

street photographers like Garry Winogrand.  

I work in fashion and have soft spots for people like Paolo Roversi & Philip Lorca DiCorcia...

[El Diablo 4232]

Gracias.

[El Diablo 4232]

Home sweet home.

[naija 2869]

from a previous trip to New York.

[YChang 3455]

Rice Village area

 

 

[DougO 5253]

[DougO 5253]

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Great shots everyone.  Doug, I am jealous of how sharp your shots are.

Took a trip to South Texas today...

[UnivTex34 1763]

 

 

 

 

[YChang 3455]

I really admire the nature photos in this thread. I have zero eye/composition skills when it comes to that sort of photography.

[El Diablo 4232]

Back home from a week at the blind rehab unit so I set the ol' gal up and snapped a couple of shots just to let her know she was missed while I was away. Read quite a bit of the book I took with me but need to re-read several times, quite a few topics that didn't really soak in. 

 

[PRONG HORN 3150]

2 hours ago, YChang said:

I really admire the nature photos in this thread. I have zero eye/composition skills when it comes to that sort of photography.

[El Diablo 4232]

I've decided to modify my head a bit. As it is I've had her setting on top of a stack of boxes that were on top of a stool. After looking her over and thinking about it the plan is to drill and tap a 1/4-20 hole in her neck peg. Then I can just screw her onto a light stand. Will give me a lot more flexibility and portability. I'd even be able to take her out to the park and set up to practice with the flash in daylight/ambient light. My neighbor has a drill press so hopefully I can get this done in the next week or so.

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Cousin dropped by with his tap and die set, just need to drill a hole in her now. 

Phrasing?

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Getting better with the equipment, don't know if the photography is improving lol. Come home from work, set the stuff up differently than I did the last time and see what I get. Today's lesson? Gels!!! Rectangular flash head makes for a shitty, uneven look. 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

More fun with gels. I made a sort of gobo with cutout slots. Also bouncing an idea around in my noggin' on a way to make some coin. I need a couple of pretty inexpensive pieces of gear to try it out but in my head it works, lol.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Been awhile since I ran into a traveler.

From last week.

And a few older ones from Brazil that I decided to edit.

[naija 2869]

[naija 2869]

[El Diablo 4232]

8 hours ago, naija said:

Nice. What was this shot with?

[naija 2869]

Nice. What was this shot with?

Nikon Z6

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Nice night shots naija.

Yesterday...

[DougO 5253]

There is a great horned owl nest out in the pature in a big live oak tree, well chosen location, difficult to see in heavy cover. There are a couple of little holes you can peek through with a long lens. One of the owls, I'm guessing the male, always flies away before I can even get a look at it, just a flying blur. I can never tell where exactly it flew off from. The other, probably the female, stays put on the nest and stealthily watches me with the stink eye. I don't stick around long so I don't bother them much, but I've been going by for about a month. This is the most the nesting owl has shown me so far. In the past it peers through sticks below the edge of the nest with just the horns sticking up over the top. There's gotta be something in there, but I have seen no evidence of owl babies so far.

 

Edited March 10, 2020 by DougO

[El Diablo 4232]

I got to tinkering around here a bit ago and made myself an adapter for my wig head. It will give me a way to attach the head to a standard 1/4-20 bolt so I can mount it on a light stand or a magic arm/super clamp combo. Translation: I can take the head just about anywhere now and set it up to play with different lighting setups. I can't wait to go to the city park with my duffel bag and pull out my head, light stands and gear and start snapping pictures, lol. Hey, you do what you gotta do, right?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Doug, nice shot of the owl.  I have two shots of Great Horned Owls that I am happy with.  Need a good one in flight.  I have been trying to get a shot of a nice Barn Owl for awhile now.  They are super skittish.  Had some chances but they get away.

A few from today...

[El Diablo 4232]

Still messing with the flash here and the more I play with it the more mind blowing it all is. The amount of control over the mood is just insane and the more I ponder it the more it makes my head hurt. For example this wig head - it never changes expression but just moving the light up or down or turning the face slightly one way or the other or tilting it up or down or even just raising the level of the camera a few inches etc... each and all make changes that completely alter the feel of the image. Anyway, that's what I did this evening. 

I call today's efforts "The Many Moods of Monica"

Oh, and a dove pic.

[El Diablo 4232]

Monica yearned.

 

[YChang 3455]

Rented a Fuji XT3 with a 18-55 lens. Curios/interested in getting  back to shooting on a regular camera again. 

Took couple of shots and edited on my iPad using VSCO. 

 

[naija 2869]

are you thinking of buying into Fuji?

[YChang 3455]

are you thinking of buying into Fuji?

Yeah... partly cause I have two friends that shoot on’em and I liked the images. Also I get a discount from them through work.

[naija 2869]

 

 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

I threw together some parts to make a boom arm for myself. I wanted some way to put a light directly on axis, so a super clamp and a magic arm later and voila! It doesn't hold much weight but will support an umbrella and a speedlight. I gave it a test drive and the results are fine but the shots made me realize that this head has the light sucking, black hole, eye sockets of a succubus. 

 

[Hornius Emeritus 12476]

On 3/5/2020 at 11:31 PM, naija said:

 

This is really awesome. Love the composition.

[Hornius Emeritus 12476]

[Prepuce of Doom 21093]

I call this series Airplanes through the Trees from a Forest near O'Hare (or, "Where the fuck are all you assholes going during a pandemic?") 

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by Prepuce of Doom

[Mdhorn 5974]

neighbor and I were on a walk and saw an eagle over his shoulder.  He does photography as a hobby and snapped these two from our walk and a third from a fight he saw earlier in the day when an osprey attacked an eagle for a fish.  Thought this was peculiar.  He's pretty damn good and trying to get a site together.  I'll post it when he gets it going.  

Edited March 21, 2020 by Mdhorn

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

[El Diablo 4232]

A couple from a walk along the river earlier today.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

A couple more from today...

[El Diablo 4232]

Messing around with ETTR. Just used the shadow slider to pull the detail out. Need to figure out how to use filters to get the clouds back to what they were in the first image, or more likely not ever affect them at all.

 

[Hornius Emeritus 12476]

3 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Messing around with ETTR. Just used the shadow slider to pull the detail out. Need to figure out how to use filters to get the clouds back to what they were in the first image, or more likely not ever affect them at all.

 

My two-minute edit using curves, a little dodging, and some cloning of the grass between the sidewalk and the bush.

[El Diablo 4232]

My second attempt. I used Camera Raw and brought the exposure way the hell up and then opened it in Elements. Then I added a brightness/contrast layer with clipping(?) and brought the brightness back down and "painted" over the foreground. Not sure if that makes sense. Anyway, second effort.

 

[YChang 3455]

Spent a week with the Fuji XT3. It was both really fun and a bit frustrating. Mainly because it's been such a long time since I shot with a "normal" camera. I kinda forgotten what working with a lot of the manual controls were like... and just so many options. 

 

Waterfall in Shenandoah National Park - unedited, no tripod — propped onto of a rock

 

Edited in VSCO app

 

 

 

Cool gnarly looking log

[El Diablo 4232]

Not exactly "street photography", more a snapshot of a homeless dude.

 

[YChang 3455]

I know Naija is in Chicago but for those of us in Austin/Houston area... when the Covid-19 mess finally resolves and we’re not all dead or zombies. Organize a photo walk/shoot somewhere?