Saturday, November 29, 2008

New Backdrops

I received two new backdrops for portraits. A "painted" brown and red. They look pretty good. I got them on such a super sale I couldn't believe it, I swore something would be wrong with them, but they are actually decent for the money.

When I received them in the mail I noticed they were super wrinkly. However I could not do any thing about it because they literally came only a few hours before I needed to headed off to my next shoot.

When I was setting up I noticed they had these big square creases in them from being folded in the boxes. I tried to stretch them out a bit but you could still see the lines. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I pressed on. I pulled the back drop as flat as I could to remove "curtain folds" and it looked pretty good. The "design" on the back drop it's self gave some interesting "fill" design in the back ground of the shots. This time there was no need to "drape" the fabric, it would have been way to busy looking.

I wonder if my photos with the white and black backdrops should have or should be pulled flat? I have been "draping" them to give some texture. They are just flat white or flat black. I'll have to try this next shoot out when I want a black or white background. I do know now with my little experience that it will work better for any shots done in black and white, reducing my post production/editing time.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Picture Restoration 2

I finally found the right drivers for my scanner. Now I can scan in my old family pictures. I've been having so much fun. Here is a picture of my grandmother I touched up. Circa late 1940's.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Scanner


I need to work on finding Vista Drivers for my scanner. I am very frustrated over the fact that I can't scan anything. Ughs. I have a HP ScanJet 4300C scanner, circa 2001.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Picture Restoration

Picture restoration is something that has interested me. I have a box full of old photos from my grandmother and some of them are absolutely amazing, how ever they are old and delicate and beat up a bit. I wanted to reprint a bunch of them for printing and so I needed to learn how to restore them, with out having to pay someone else to do it.

I took a random photoshop class at work a few weeks ago thinking it may help with some hints on the tools I don't know of or how to properly use yet. Well most of the class was on restoration/retouching of photos. This was so perfect. I learned how to use the bandade tool and how to properly use adjustment layers.

Here is an example of my work. I do not have a working scanner these days, since it doesnt' seam to want to work with Vista... So I took this image off the web. It is not mine I am in no way presenting this image as mine, I'm just borrowing it for "class" as a tool for learning. I found the the image on shorpy.


BEFORE















AFTER















It is hard to see in this small, but I have removed all the "specks" and a few "hair lines" I also adjusted the color and contrast. Now these images have a very low resolution so my work could not be printed to anything use able but I think my fixes worked.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

photo shoot 4 - lessons learned

I know I keep using the same person in all my shoots but Jen's the only one willing to sit for me as much as I need her. She's been a real sport this whole time and has even offered up her parents for a "family portrait" day.

The one thing I need to learn is how to talk to the models. I need to learn how to convey to them how I'd like them to pose. The first thing I noticed with my lack of verbal direction, is that I need to remember to say left when I want them to move right.

But how do you tell people to turn their head just the right way. With Jen it was easy, I would just yell out a direction and if she didn't understand what I wanted then we just made fun of each other... However this ca not work in a professional setting.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Tini Sets

Even in a tight space you can still produce great images, so I have learned. Below was my "studio" for the "Piper" shoot. The only change I would have made would have been the size of the back drop, other then that, it worked out just fine.

Photo Shoot 3 - Piper


I thought it would be a good idea to photograph a new subject this weekend so I set up a small set and my dog. Well I will say that there is a reason why I was taught in school "KISS". Animals are not always the easiest models. Lets take my dog for instance. She was not in to having her photo taken as much as she was interested in sleeping. How ever I did manage to grab a few shots.

I tried my new found knowledge on using the "manual" function on the camera and started snapping. First think I found was that my lens would not open up anymore then a 4fstop. And even with all the light from 2 500watt lamps and a white back drop, I still needed to slow down the shutter to capture an image with proper lighting. Not good when working with a dog. Especially one that keeps moving.

I wonder if there is any way around this with out having to buy a lens? Do I need a lens with a larger aperture? or Do I need to break down and buy a new flash for on the camera, with a "soft box" or diffuser attached?

Friday, November 14, 2008

Head Light

I talked with my professor about my photos from the second shoot. I found out that I should use a "hair light" This will help lighten up the top of Jen's head. I wonder if this is something that is only needed on brunettes? This is a great piece of knowledge. I looked up some lights on line and, like most equipment they have a price. Maybe this could be a Christmas gift to myself.

Here is a set up I think would work well for me.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Truth or Lie

The truth is in the photo..... or is it?

Emotion

Find the emotion....

Figuring out My Camera

As bad as this is going to sound... I finally figured out how to adjust the shutter AND the aperture on my camera in Manual mode! I seriously couldn't figure it out, although reading the manual may have helped.... Up until today all I could adjust was the Shutter.

So today I was talking to a photography professor I know, and I described my frustration with the locked in white balance in the "portrait" setting. And then how I wished I knew how to change the Shutter and the Aperture on my camera in the "manual" mode. With in a minute he gave the camera back to me and pointed to the button I needed to push to make the magic happen.

DUH

Yes I said DUH. All this time I could have been using that button and making my images so much more... well me.....and not "Nikon" Ugh.

But with my new found knowledge and a willing model... I will try my original portrait shoot once more. This time I will be even better equipped.

I do have one more issue tho. How do I lighten up the top of someones head if they have dark hair. See in this image :



Her hair is lighter at the ends then at the top (naturally). This is causing a very unsettling feel for me. It looks like her head is so flat and lifeless. I'll have to ask in class tonight.

Now there is one other issue with this picture. It had originally come out very orange. Due to the fact that I could not change the white balance. Maybe this will help. But I'm skeptical.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Photo Shoot 2: Thoughts

While I was setting up my equipment, I realized something sooo important. My "studio" space. Wow I take up a lot of room. How could I do this remotely, say at someones house... Unless they have a huge living room, or are willing to move all their furniture?

I know I should try to keep the focal distance on the lens above 100mm to insure proper sized features, but this puts me sooo far away from my subject. I believe I'm about a good 12 paces away from my model when I shoot. In a studio this would probably not be a problem, since there is usually more room. I would say, I probably take up at least up to a 10'x20' space after all the gear is set up, and that is still squeezing it in.

This set up I've been using is decent for a single portrait, but what happens when an entire family wants in??? I will have to move even further back? Or do I just use a lower focal length? A family of 10 and I'll be a good 25' away from them, if not more.

And of course I totally forgot to take a picture of my set like I had planned. Ugh.

Photo Shoot 2: My Second Photo Shoot


UGH!!!!
I'm starting to get a bit discouraged with myself. I'm taking images I like... But they are not coming out how I'd like them to come out.

I realized that I can not rely on the preview image on the back of my camera.

Looking back I wished I had figured out how to make other adjustments on my camera before this shoot. Being locked in to a auto white balance mode is not at all desirable. As I was shooting and previewing my images, I was happy. Every thing was coming out warm, and centered, and more along the lines of what I wanted.

But.... when I downloaded the images to my computer, is when the discouragement started. They were all ORANGE. I guess when I was at the shoot, in the lighting it looked fine. I know I can adjust these images later, but that is going to be a lot of work.

I know now I will have to do a third shoot. To try different settings. I only wish I had my own studio, then re shoots would not be so difficult. I could just leave the set "up" and take images and then review my work and then go back and make more adjustments.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Photo Shoot 1: Thoughts

Now for the "model". Jen had decided to do a "Tennis" look. I took at least 50 if not more pictures of her and the racket. None of which I liked. I think it was just too "fake" looking. It just did not look right in front of a black.

ALSO I was forgetting one major part of my "portrait" experience. Most all the pictures were taken in Landscape. Not always the best option for blowing up the image later.

The "work out" pictures were OK, they didn't really emphasize the "working out" feel I wanted. I did however love the cowboy look. But she was just too close to the back drop causing harsh shadows.

I'm still having issues with the final images. They don't look "real" or "magazine worthy" they look like "Joe-Schmo" images.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Photo Shoot 1: Thoughts on my Shoot

I must have taken over 300 pictures on my first shoot. I got maybe 15 I liked, and maybe 3 that were worth anything. I think this is a good average for my first time out.

I know I want to try different settings on the camera, and different back grounds. I believe that a better background light would work to help my images as well.

I must not forget to move my model farther away from the back drop. I believe she was only about 4' away. This did not help with depth of field.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Photo Shot 1: Setting up my Lights


This past Saturday I finally had my first photo shoot. It was a test to see how I would do my first time out. I learned a lot. First lesson I learned is that consolidation is the key! Try to have a few pieces of gear to carry. Even if this means having some big roller bags/cases for gear. Trust me, any more then 3 trips up to the 3rd floor of my friends Apartment would not have been fun.

So lets see. I first got permission to move furniture around and unplug electronics from the wall outlets. I make sure I was not plugging in my 3 lights in to one circuit (well as best as I could since she didn't know) I set up my backdrop frame and unrolled my bran new back drop. IT WAS HUGE. Laughing at myself for getting one so big, I could hardly set it up. Well working with a friend made me laugh even more. Once the backdrop was up, I realized, it was perfect! It wasn't huge.
I then asked my "model" to get ready for her first shot. While she was doing that I was able to set up my lights and Reflector.


First light, was the Key light, it was high and off to the right with a little bit of a diffuser over the light to soften the light a bit.

Second light, was the back drop light. This I had closed all but one barn door and then diffused the light for a soft feel. It was set low and close to the backdrop on the right.

Third light was for the bounce/fill light. I found that the umbrella was not bouncing enough light on to my model and it needed a little more pop. Well here is where my first problem happened. The light didn't have a lamp!!! How did I not notice this? Ugh what to do? Well I looked around the apartment and found a lamp with a clear bulb. I asked Jen if I could use it. I set it up on a little table in front of the umbrella and it was perfect.

I did get a good variety of shots. And learned a lot too.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

My First Real Photoshoot (night before)

Well......
Not counting the countless hours on college film sets and in the College TV studio back once upon a time..... I am finally having my first real photo shoot. I have purchased a bunch of starter equipment and have borrowed a bunch more.

Portrait Photography.
This was never my favorite part of photography, since... well... I don't like people. HA I know that's a funny thing to say, but I have a hard time around people I don't know and large groups. Hence the reason why I like being behind the camera. But anyway.... I've decided to give it a try.

I have been bugging my friends for a week solid now on photographing them. What a perfect time of the year. With the holidays right around the corner, who wouldn't want the classic time tested family portrait to stuff in a card and send out to the family? Well... apparently a lot of the people I know. It's hard to find "friend models" altho I'm sure if I were to post an add in the paper, my box would be flooded with "pick me, pick me".

But I wanted to learn on my friends. Why? They are my friends and if I mess up the worst I'll get is some ribbing and we'll try it again. And with familiar faces I will relax a bit more so I can concentrate on my shot.

I have a new backdrop, umbrella with stand, some fresh memory cards and batteries, and a light kit. I don't have a bounce board yet, but for now I think I'll settle with some cardboard/Styrofoam spray painted gold.

I looked around on line, and read some pages in my class book. And it seems like everyone and their mother has their own "recipe" for the perfect shot. Shoot at F8, no shot at 1.5; shoot with a 85mm lens, no shoot with a 200mm lens. What I have decided is to try it all. A little with each setup and see how it goes. I'll have to take notes and log my changes as I shoot. (another good thing my first shoot is a friend)

Before my model shows up I'm thinking of taking a few self portraits. To test the lighting. This should be interesting. I will set up all my gear and set the camera with a timer and snap away.

Things I want to test out.
1. Silver Vs Gold bounce board
2. Fstops
3. angels of the model/camera
4. white balance settings
5. Auto Vs Manual shooting

That should be more then enough... I have a few hours but not ALL day. Hopefully by Sunday I'll have some examples to post up here.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

FOCUS !!!

Focus, the very most important part of photographs.... Well... that can be debated... but for this post it will be.

Looking back to the Roller Skate photo. I noticed that the focus of the shoot was to get the "skate" in focus. However when I looked at the photo later, i realized that I wanted a specific part of the skate in focus. It was not. Frustrating as that may be, there isn't much I can do about that now, with out a 3rd re shoot. But who gets 2nd and 3rd re shoots in the real world?

I have to think about my shots like I would for a portrait. what do you want in focus in a portrait. Usually the eyes. You look at someone and you look at the eyes. The nose will be slightly out of focus and the cheeks will slowly fade out to the ears. You don't want to look at the photo and see a sharply focused tip of the nose and soft focus eyes. The drama of the photo would be lost.

Being that my lunch break is up... I will continue this thought another time.

Prop Master 2

Lately while I've been shooting, I just find my props... and shoot. It's not until later in post production do I actually "SEE" my props. for example, in my Romance photo of the heart pendent, there is dust all over it. And in the Roller Skate photos there is this leaf stuck in the cobwebs. Now the cobwebs are fine, for the theme I was shooting for, but not the leaves.

There was dust on the camera in my "Protesting the Protest" assignment. And a whole bunch of random crap around the background of my cake picture. No the cake picture was not a staged prop, rather it was on the fly... but if I want these images to work, I believe I need to pay more attention to the surrounding details. There is just so much one can do in editing.

Prop Master

Prop Master.... Once was a time where I wanted to be one.... now as I look at my photographs... I wish I had one...

More on this later today.........

Monday, November 3, 2008

Candy Corn Cake


This Halloween I was asked to make a custom cake for my friends annual Halloween party. I decided to make a cake in the shape of a Candy Corn. I looked around on line to get ideas, but nothing was inspiring.
I noticed that no one made one that was standing up, all they cakes were traditional and laying flat. I decided to take on the task and make one of my custom 3D cakes and go all out.
Now I didn't have enough time to spend on photographing my cake as I made it, since the ingredients are time sensitive. But I did manage to grab a few shots of the process. Ironically the one shot I took of the cake layers before it was iced... was in a sense.... structure. Not my best work, but it does show the structure of the inside of the cake.

The finished cake also had a "structured" look due to the colored layers of a Candy Corn. Looking back I wish I had given myself more time to work on the cake. But because it was such a beautiful day out on Saturday I took my motorcycle out and did not want to get off. This however ate in to my cake decorating time by an hour and I lost valuable creative time. Anyway I think the cake came out pretty good. And in fact... it was good! I even got a few offers to make cakes for future parties.