Roger the Plumberby
biggood53Comment by graphicfunk: from the Critique Club:
Here you have managed to make a very good composition with an honest expression and a very good feel. The model is relaxed and very credible and his half smile is a winner. Composition=strong. Model=strong.
The weakness which prevented the full delivery is the lighting. Such strong light complicates and contaminates the color channels. Note how yellow predominates on the left and then we are left with red in the shadow. This creates what I call the roasted chicken effect and it is very easy to avoid. To shoot a portrait with unfiltered light is quite a challenge. Check out Cindy in my portraits.
I hand made a few reflectors. Simple wood frame 3 feet by 5 feet and covered them with muslin well stretched, using a staple gun. I bounce my lights of the reflectors. Let us redo your portrait and keep the same identical feel. You do not even need fancy lights. Plain incandescents will do. Place a reflector on the side of the left of the face. Of course, your left is the subjects right. This is your main light. You aim it from the opposite side but keep it as close as possible and about face level. You have a second reflector on his dark side. If you use a similar light of equal strenght you want this light further back than the main. Find the right distance, squinting the eyes help, untill you get the same ratio of contrast. In other words, the main light is boss, this is just a fill. Now, since the subject wears a hat you need to tilt the fill reflector to the oblique happy angle. Do not go too low, we do not want bottom lighting, just enough angle to bring a little light beneath the hat. If you have an extra light you can bounce it off the ceiling. If you use a meter take an incident reading. If you don't, just bracket your exposure. Now, whatever lights you use always remember to tune the white balance. Simply read your manual about shooting a white card.
Your picture will have the same light feel, one side bright and one dark, but not dark enough to hide either features or textures. The coloration will be perfectly balanced with hardly any software adjustment outside of rudimentary levels. Now, if you do not want to make reflectors simply go to art store and get a few sheets of white poster board. You have a good compositional sense and I would cash in on it by the use of reflectors. Besides they come in handy for general tabletop compositions. dan
Photographer found comment helpful.
