This photo was taken with an on camera 580ex flash bounched. When I photographed my father I had this 1x1 format in mind, I love that medium fomat 6x6 frame.
The b&w convertion was done with channel mixer and above that layer there was a stack of curve layers to get the feel this photograph has. In the end I sharpend the eye area along with his hair and beard.
Hope you people like it, personally I'm really happy with it.
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Wonderful shot, I have a sim photo of my Dad, not as nice as yours, and now it is my most prized possession. I love the 5 o'clock shadow, makes it real.
Great job.
Greetings from the Critique Club! I asked for image to critique and what I got does not really need much words :)
Aesthetic: Perfect. Thats all I can say. The wrinkles actually convey "experience".
Technical: Again Perfect. But since I have to write something- try looking at the picture without focussing on it (Try to focus on your reflection on screen) and you will be able to see some areas which you might look at dodging. All-right, I'm saying this because I dont have anything more to say :) But try it anyway...
Challenge: Well, anything would be fit for "Free Study". So no comments on this one (Pooh...I saved myself!)
Conclusion: Overall a very strong composition complimented by excellent technical base. Certainly BW is the best choice here and I really liked the duetone for the "experimental picture" in your comments. Maybe the same tone might have added more rustic feel ... but I dont know if this photo needed any rustic feel or not :) Extra sharpening around eyes really draws the focus to them while keeping wrinkles as ideal backdrop for the "title". Congratulation on the well deserved ribbon. "Freaky" is your profile is "freaky" ..and yet cool. Looking forward to learning more from your technique.
I'm by no means expert in area of photography. My comments are purely based on my limited understanding of technology and art behind digital photography. Apart from doing detailed evaluation of your submission, my intent is to learn different styles of photography by critically evaluating selective submissions. If you've got any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via email or PM.
As you know, when you bounch up into a flat white sealing, you will get an eaven destrobution of light on your subject when you do it right. If you look at the edge of my faters face, you can see that it is a lot darker than the rest of his face. This effect is a good "support" for the eye, the whey you look at the picture, your eyes dont "fall away" from the face, you keep the viewers focus in the face.
This effect would typically be reached by placing black material close to the models face on both sides, and lit by one soft light source from front.
But I dont own any studio equipment, so I have to make this effect with the aid of photoshop. I´ll try my best to explain how I did that in this photograph.
This is basically a trial and error thing. By making multiple adjustments to areas in the face until you are satisfied with the resaults. Fyrst of all, you need to be working on layers. That way your photograph will stay in good condition under the adjustment layers, even after constand changes back and forth.
I used channel mixer to convert this photo to B&W, then above that layer I made many many curve adjustment layers. I basically look at one single thing in the face while making adjustments in curves until I am satisfied. When that area is like I want it to be, I invert the layers mask so the effect of the curves layer is none. Then I select the brush tool and paint the area I want the effect to reach with the curves layers selected with about 20% opacity. This I do to every single part of the face until I am satisfied.
The key is to know when to stop. The picture must look real, you are not making a pace of art, you are simulating a type of lightning.
I'm have been a student in photography since january 2006, there we have some studio equipment. I set up a lightning the other day and placed a fellow student in front of it. I was trying to get this effect with out all the hard photoshop work, here are the resaults :
Once again, thank you every one! I have recived messages from people from DPC regarding the treatment on this photo and how it endid up like this from a bounced flash. I will glad write it in details here, but I really dont have the time at this moment, but I will post more prosessing details soon.
Thank you all very mutch, I´m really happy with my fyrst ribbon! Yes I have heard that I look a lot like my dad, like father like son. I am fasinated by b&w photography, especially by the work of Richard Avedon.
This is so strong, dramatic portrait. I also like how you have cropped the image, especially at the top, as it really grabs my attention..... I hope this is in the top ten.
I love the texture and tones. Excellent capture. It can be difficult photographing someone with glasses due to the glare they tend to produce but yours is a great example of how to work around that problem with the subject. He reminds me of my own grandfather and his stare he always had right before he spoke about his insight into the conversation.
7 - Nice portrait/character capture. Toning works well. Criticism; not much, perhaps either cropping even tighter at the top to eliminate that hair upper right, but minor and changes the face/expression slightly so not sure. Typo in your title, unless it is deliberate.
Great portrait. The focus is excellent, and the lighting is also. I couldn't help notice the spelling of the title, but I'm sure you'll have plenty of other comments about that.. Great photo anyway, 9
Oh how I love this type of photo that makes every character line and skin texture look rich and 3-dimensional. Those eyes look so deep and full of a kind of sorrow about life. Captured so well. A gallery piece. Life Magazine cover.
EXCELLENT! Reminescent of a Richard Avedon portrait. Really great detail and the contrasts and lighting - WOW The eyes are perfect, which is sometimes hard with glasses! BRAVO !!!!! 10
I love this; very jimmy stewart.So stark;the eyes-killer! so in your face; larger than life; my only concern; the mouth open? any way, this is great; good luck.
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Egill!
