Portraiture Workshop

[ABG]

Here's a few of mine from Saturday. C & C welcome.

Many thanks to Gary for organising the venue, models, lighting, etc, etc. Events like the workshop don't just happen - there's a shit-load od organising that goes into an event like that. Thanks for taking the time to help us out mate.

Thanks also to Jacinta and Dee for their patience in front of so many lenses. It can't be easy smiling while a bright flash is going off in front of your face every couple of seconds (or less). Jacinta, thank you also for your wonderful recital. I could sit there all day listening to the beautiful music you create.

Enough talking, here's the photos:

[Oscar]

Good work Andrew. These are all well done- I especially like the first one. Shows the concentration being applied but has a hint of softness in Jacintas features. Cheers, Mick

[Alpha_7]

Lovely stuff Andrew I prefer #2 and #3, in particular #2 as a bit of magic about it (what PP was involved and which lens ). In #1 I like the violin detail but the top half seems a little cramped.

[Nnnnsic]

I love number 2, Andrew. Great work.

[johnd]

Great shots Andrew. #2 is a cracker. Wish I was there
Cheers
John

[Alpha_7]

In #3 is there a smudgey halo around her head, not the sort from sharpening but like a golden / brown / pinky discolouration... or are my eyes playing tricks on me ?

Its almost like you circle marquee her head and then gaussian blurred it so her skintones discoloured the background... ?

[ABG]

Lovely stuff Andrew I prefer #2 and #3, in particular #2 as a bit of magic about it (what PP was involved and which lens ). In #1 I like the violin detail but the top half seems a little cramped.

Craig,

I applied the same processes to all the images. Opened in ACR and adjusted exposure, WB, etc to taste. Click on the lens tab and adjust vignetting amount to taste. I suspect this accounts for the halo in the third photo. Click open and go to CS2. Add a curves adjustment layer for contrast and adjusting WB further if needed (using Matt K's technique of clicking on the middle eyedropper and clicking on the whites of the models eye). Add a new layer with a gaussian blur, then erase all parts of that layer bar the skin. Add another layer and add a warming filter on this layer. Re-size and sharpen. Took me longer to write out the steps than carry them out.

The lens I used for both photos of Dee was a 50mm 1.8 I picked up on ebay for $80 a couple of weeks ago. These are the very first shots I've taken with it. The photo of Jacinta was taken using an 80-200 f2.8 I found lying around somewhere

Edit: Just opened CS2 and noticed the halo is a combination of the warming filter and the vignetting. Without the warming filter, the area behind Dee's head is whitish.

[Alpha_7]

Thanks for the explantion Andrew, and who would leave such a sweet lens lying around ? Awesome score on the 50 1.8, you ebay trawling has paid dividends well done!

Hmmm, interesting the unintended affect of the warming filter...

[gstark]

Andrew,

I am just continuing to be more and more impressed as I see everyone posting their images from Saturday. I think we're missing just one participant's images now.

Lynn???

Add a curves adjustment layer for contrast and adjusting WB further if needed (using Matt K's technique of clicking on the middle eyedropper and clicking on the whites of the models eye).

Is that how Matt does it?

While I'm certainly in no position to criticise any of Matt's techniques - I'd love to produce the images that he constantly and consistently produces - I am always cautious of the areas I use as my white point selection criteria in PP, and I try avoid the whites of any person's eyes, because they're rarely a good, clean white IMHO.

By the by, I also don't like to use any sort of light source or reflected surface, again because these are rarely a pure white source.

Instead, I take a few moments to try to find an alternative white source within the image, and I use that. In the case of Dee, the top she was wearing, in the first half of the shoot, would have been perfect.

Just something for you to consider, bearing in mind that for the shots you've posted, I would do absobloodylutely nothing at all.

[ABG]

Yep, you're right Gary. Matt presented it as an alternative where there is no suitable white or grey point elsewhere in the image. I've just become lazy and use it pretty much all the time. While it's not spot on, it's usually that close it doesn't matter. I have seen it produce some unusual results from time to time.

[gstark]

Andrew,

Thank you for clarifying that.

[Rainey]

Awesome photos, all three of them appear to be just about spot on, if I had one complaint it would be that the second picture looks a little soft around the model's hair and shadow on the face.

[Yi-P]

I simply like the way you did on #2, top shot from the 3 to choose from