DPC Mentorship - Portrait - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

07/11/2005 06:19:17 AM · #52

Bring on the class assignments. I think no less than once a week is best.

I wanted to take a moment to thank you both for taking time out of your busy schedules to do this. you and what you both will teach me(us) is greatly appriciated. Thankyou

cowboy

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/11/2005 07:15:21 AM · #53

I would like to join this group as I have just picked up a camera again after quite a few years of not taking any pics. I would love to learn all the little tricks.

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/11/2005 10:04:33 AM · #54

Originally posted by cowboy:

I would like to join this group as I have just picked up a camera again after quite a few years of not taking any pics. I would love to learn all the little tricks.

you're welcome to join us! :)

Sonifo

07/11/2005 10:15:24 AM · #55

I really enjoyed reading this thread. I need to get to reading your interview, Sher! You have been an inspiration of mine for quiet some time. I plan on coming back and reading more.

harabanar

07/11/2005 10:33:18 AM · #56

Originally posted by Artyste:

This idea is great and i think once a week would be good.

btw. I would also like to thank everyone that came up with this class idea of different topics. This is what the site needed.. big applause to every one behind this! :D

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/11/2005 10:43:39 AM · #57

great idea, Arty! i would also like for everyone to show us a photographer whose work they admire. i think it would be a good learning experience for us to critique the photos.

i'll start things off with this photographer...
Stefan Rohner

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/11/2005 10:44:07 AM · #58

Originally posted by Sonifo:

I really enjoyed reading this thread. I need to get to reading your interview, Sher! You have been an inspiration of mine for quiet some time. I plan on coming back and reading more.

thanks Soni! (hug)

dahkota

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/11/2005 10:53:14 AM · #59

Mary Ellen Mark

Sonifo

07/11/2005 10:55:00 AM · #60

I really need help with group poses and clothing color for outdoor poses. I have a shoot tonight and told everyone to wear blue or marroon. I just need to figure out how to pose the 7 of them.

jenesis

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

07/11/2005 10:56:39 AM · #61

Wow, I feel like I've missed the first day of school!! Spent yesterday painting the kitchen and then the evening without power (Thanks Dennis!) :-)

I really need to catch up here. I think the idea of assignments is a good one and I'm glad to see Glen has joined in as co-mentor. So much to learn. I will try to jump in on some of the stuff posted yesterday sometime later today, hopefully. This looks like it's going to be a great group of folks.

SandyP

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 USM

07/11/2005 11:42:55 AM · #62

Gosh, I've already picked up so many pointers from reading this thread. Thank you guys so much.

There's one thing I'm confused about. I think I have a good eye for portraits and the ability to compose portraits well, but for some reason they are so often too soft. Then I was reading, Sher, that you normally put a Gausian blur on your portraits. Would that make my portraits more soft???

Here's one I took yesterday of my grandbaby. I love this picture, but professionally, what pointers could you give?

Thanks SO MUCH!!!

smilebig4me1x

07/11/2005 11:56:25 AM · #63

this is my fav photographer. he does alot of processing to his photos except to his portraits.Jim Zucherman bio and his gallery my fav gallery of his is the "vanishing cultures". his photos have a ton of color and energy wile still portraying the culture and people he photographs

debitipton

Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II

07/11/2005 12:09:03 PM · #64

Originally posted by SandyP:

Sandy -- what if you cropped in closer? Like so:

SandyP

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 USM

07/11/2005 12:26:44 PM · #65

Awww, I like that better. I really like tight crops.

Thanks debi!!!!! Great advice.

Artyste

Sony Ericsson W810i

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Pentax

07/11/2005 12:33:27 PM · #66

Originally posted by SandyP:

Here's one I took yesterday of my grandbaby. I love this picture, but professionally, what pointers could you give?

Thanks SO MUCH!!!

Two points:
1) Contrast control
2) Sharpness control

Let's start with 1), as we as a species are wont to do. Contrast is a silly and fickle thing, but important in portrait photography as the right amount of contrast brings out the features (such as eyes), that we really want to focus on. It also gives us the depth that is so very important, and allows for more control of soft-focus. There are a few ways that I control contrast.
a) Brightness/Contrast - This is a simple tool available in most processing programs. It can be rather harsh though, so I use it sparingly and as a final tweak.
b) Levels - Another tool available in most processing programs, this tool is more powerful than B/C, and can be a little daunting to the beginner. I'm not going to really get into it *here*, but basically, this controls lighting levels within your picture, with the ability to adjust lighting of your highlights (lightest areas), midtones (medium areas), and shadows (darkest areas). There are usually three points on an upper slider bar, and two points on a lower slider bar. The upper slider bar has sliders on the left for shadows, in the middle for midtones, and on the right for highlights. The lower bar has sliders for overall brightness on the left and right (sort of a gamma control). Experimentation of these sliders, and what each does is the best way to learn. Using them in combination can give you some wonderful contrast control.
c) curves - One of the more daunting tools in processing, this gives you control over many aspects of your photos lighting, contrast, and colors. I'd suggest doing a search on Google for tutorials on using curves, as it's a little difficult to explain in short.
d) Channel Mixer - Again, another daunting tool that I would do a goodle search on, but this is another way to experiment and mess with that done right, can really bring out your lighting and contrast.

2. Sharpness Control

Sharpness is, again, important to portraiture, but it's not *essential*.
Many people love a soft-focus effect on certain portraiture work that turns the photo un-sharp.. but for me, the importance lies in first attaining the right amount of sharpness before you apply any soft-focus techniques. (I have a soft-focus filter in-camera, but I rarely use it as I can never truly judge correct sharpness before applying it).
Here are some techniques for sharpness control:
a) Sharpen - The sharpen command usually has two options in most processing programs, although some may only have one, and some may have others. The two are:
i) Sharpen/Sharpen More - Your basic sharpening. Applying these can give you nice effects at times, but you have no real control. Good as a starting point, or to test to see how much sharpening you need.
ii) Unsharp Mask(USM) - Unsharp Mask has been the ultimate tool for sometime now for sharpening. It's quite complicated and can be daunting in order to learn *full* control, so again, a search on Google for tutorials is a good idea. Basically though, there are three settings in this tool, "Amount", "Radius", and "Threshold" (Threshold is sometimes named something else, but it's always the last of the three choices). In my personal experience, I've used two different settings. In Photoshop 7 - CS2 It's good to set the settings to 254%/0.3/0 and then use the "fade Unsharp Mask" option under "Edit" and adjust to your liking. In other programs (as well as 7 - CS2 if you like), I've found that an 85%/0.1/4 setting can be a great starting point, with personal adjustments from there.
b) (For Photoshop CS2 users) Smart Sharpen - Smart Sharpen is a new option from Adobe in CS2. I mention it here because there are a few of us with CS2, and this is a *wonderful* new sharpening tool. It can be set to reduce over-sharpening halos and other artifacts of over-sharpening, and has so much control it's kind of scary. Adobe's PS CS2 site has a small video tutorial on this tool. Search for it. However, for basics, try these initial settings: 45%/0.8/Lens Blur/Accurate button checked.

There you have it. With some experimentation, and a critical eye (and asking for help when/if needed), using Sharpness and Contrast with a combination of the methods above will bring along your portaiture work and set you on the road to real satisfaction.

*EDIT* There are, obviously, other tools that can help as well, but I listed the ones I'm most familiar with, and that are probably the easiest to learn first.. remember.. practice, practice, practice!

Message edited by author 2005-07-11 12:35:36.

SandyP

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 USM

07/11/2005 12:57:02 PM · #67

Thank you so much, Artyste. That's great information. I am familiar with levels & familiar at least enough to experiment with curves, but I never realized there was a "Fade Unsharp Mask" tool. That's great information, since the USM tool often makes me not too happy with my pictures since it either doesn't help -- or it sharpens it too much and looks unnatural. I will be experimenting with that. I use Photoshop CS, and I will search for the tutorials on curves & channel mixer, as I know just enough to be dangerous.

Thanks again. I really appreciate those tips!!!!!!

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/11/2005 02:14:53 PM · #68

great work, arty! that's really great info and very helpful.

Sandy...with regard to the Gaussian blur question you had; i always make sure my portraits are tack sharp if i intend to add a blur layer. :)

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/11/2005 03:05:32 PM · #69

here's what i'm thinking...we need to begin at the beginning. :) we need to work on the basics; focus, lighting, exposure, posing vs. candids. my motto has always been...you have to learn the rules before you can know when to break them and how to break them effectively.

i'm gonna write down some of my thoughts on the basics then we can all discuss them and decide what you want to work on first. i ask that you bear with me, though, i had a migraine come on me last night and it doesn't seem to be letting up. as soon as it ebbs to a dull roar, i'll start writing things down.

i also think we need to think of a way to manage our thread so there isn't so much to scroll through. maybe instead of quoting each specific post, we can just address each comment by listing the person you're directing the comment to. does that make sense? lol...sorry if it doesn't, my brain isn't functioning too well at the moment. let me know your thoughts about it. :)

Artyste

Sony Ericsson W810i

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Pentax

07/11/2005 03:11:31 PM · #70

Originally posted by sher9204:

i also think we need to think of a way to manage our thread so there isn't so much to scroll through.

I've been attempting to do that, and it's a great idea.

Get some maxalt! ;)

smilebig4me1x

07/11/2005 03:13:11 PM · #71

Sher~ sounds great to me..hope the migrane lets go soon~~Cher~~

Nitin

07/11/2005 03:14:19 PM · #72

Thanks so much everyone, this thread has been very helpful.
Looking forward to learning more.

Artifacts

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/11/2005 03:22:15 PM · #73

Originally posted by debitipton:

Originally posted by Artyste:
left a comment for you Deb :)

Thanks Artsye for the comment. I needed to crop this as an 8x12 as this is for her parents and grandma. They will want 4x6's and 5x7's. Otherwise, I would have gone with an 8x10 crop and gotten rid of the extra space at the top. Cropping things for fit specific sizes sometimes gets in the ways of art!

Understood, but there is nothing wrong with having two different crops from the original post processed image for different purposes either and you probably do. I always process the whole, uncropped image and save it as a source file for printing and/or web output. Then I can do a 72dpi web image, crop for smaller 4X6 album prints or crop 8X10 for larger 300dpi framed prints.

Artifacts

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/11/2005 03:34:39 PM · #74

Originally posted by nomad469:

Ok gang!
It is with much hesitation and a slight amount of fear that I post this next image.

So what do you think !?!

Uh, Oh... do you have any idea how much inadvertent testosterone release you trigger with an image like this? It is so much that it is against the law in some US states and in the entire Moslem world. :)

OK... serious now... It is a well composed image from a terrific perspective. Great capture! If anything you might consider darkening a couple of the brighter skin areas of some girls. Nothing is truly overexposed but there is some brightness in skin tones in a couple places.

Artifacts