Square cropped portraits (SCPs) - please post them here

[Antonio Correia]

There are only a few guide lines I kindly ask you to follow when you post your images:
1. The portraits must be square (obviously)
2. One portrait by entry only. (this will allow us to comment. However, on commenting you can post more portraits to demonstrate what and how you do, why, etc.)
3. The author can - should - add comments to his/her own picture.
4. If you wish you can show us the original photo and/or the setup used.
5. Only Humans please !

More guide lines will be added editing this thread if and when necessary.
Hope you cooperate and enjoy my initiative. I would like everybody to be happy, discuss and comment. Thank you.

The idea comes from this thread which I kindly ask the administrator to close and point to this one.

I will begin with my concept, a comment and an image.
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My concept of SCP (Square Cropped Portrait) is a tighter crop not exactly targeting on an action but on the person herself.
It doesn't mean however that I am "chained" to this. No. I crop the way I feel, as simple as that. A SCP may have one, two persons or more. And they must not have canvas either...
Oh well, my concept is so vague ...
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At the time I shot this picture, not very long ago, I didn't use what I can consider my sophisticated canvas, shadow and name but this is not important, is it ?
We were among friends and I suggested I could take some pictures.
My wife was holding the flash and all that stuff you know ...
This picture is a very intimate one. In the shots I made this one came out very deep. Other pictures of the same lady were not so good.

[Alis]

This guy was collecting all the free sodas at the end of a party...

[Colin Southern]

Meet Danni ...

[Alis]

Meet Danni ...

How can I delete my pictures?

As always, this is a great picture, Colin. Well you don't need my compliments...

The girls complexin, the ambient light, the background, all are in such a wonderful harmony.

Can you tell me how it is taken? Nothing too technical, just want to know simple things, like the lighting, the setting of the camera, tripod no tripod, the lens, pp, etc.

Thanks.

[Antonio Correia]

Sedali, I see no reason to erase the post.
It is a nice photo and you have done a great work.
I would advise however that you should brighten the face of your model. The light looks great and you can take advantage of it with some LR work. Not much.
Thank you for posting.

[Antonio Correia]

Colin, that's a nice image to begin with !
But don't you think that the flash is a little bit too harsh ? Too strong ?
What have you done to have such sharp edges on the rock and on the blouse ?

[Wirefox]

OK Antonio against my better judgement and since you have discovered my dual identity as Rank Amateur I will post an attempt at a portrait. I always struggle with lighting and it is not made easier with having to make do with the on camera flash (I am going to have a look at a secondhand flash unit this week). I would genuinely would appreciate some C and C since portraiture is an area I have hardly explored. This image is shot with my now discarded Fujifilm S7000 P&S. The model is one of my daughters that I sometimes find conveniently lying around the place.

[Colin Southern]

Can you tell me how it is taken? Nothing too technical, just want to know simple things, like the lighting, the setting of the camera, tripod no tripod, the lens, pp, etc.

Hi Ali,

Thanks for the kind words

The shot was a "by-catch" from the main series of shots taken at the same location, but a completely different background. In other words we had the light stands and umbrellas all setup anyway, so we just quickly moved them to a new location and fired away a few shots.

So ...

Lighting ... 2 light stands with umbrellas quite high - powered by 580EX IIs / pocket wizards.

Tripod ... yes

Lens ... EF85mm/1.2L

Shutter speed etc ... can't remember!

PP ... Badly ... it needs the fill light feature of CS3 to bring back detail in the blacks, but I've only got CS2 on my home machine where I did it - so I'll upload a better job later in the day if I get time!

[Colin Southern]

Colin, that's a nice image to begin with !
But don't you think that the flash is a little bit too harsh ? Too strong ?
What have you done to have such sharp edges on the rock and on the blouse ?

Hi Antonio,

Quite right. As I mentioned to Ali above, it was a "by-catch" to the main shoot. For the main shoot I had a mix of around 50% ambient, 50% flash which was what we needed (but can't show you 'cause it's not SCP!), but this was shot right at the end where we were at approx 80 - 90% flash - kids getting bored and cold - and no time to fine tune - so a bit of a hatchet job.

The sharp black edge on the blouse is mostly just the transition to the lack of detail in the black jersey she was wearing since I needed the fill light of CS3 RAW converter, but didn't have it (only using CS2 at home).

[Antonio Correia]

Hello Wirefox !
It was easy to discover your identity as Rank Amateur
Personally, I do like your picture. Nice daughter BTW.
I can hardly see that you have used on camera flash, that is if you have (I understood so and I may be wrong). And if you have used it it was in a very clever and sophisticated way.
When you will get your other flash you will see how useful it can be. Which equipment are you using ? How do you trigger the flash at the distance ? IR ? Radio ?
Radiopopper, Pocketwizard ?

The idea of a black canvas is great and it is very nice with the text popping in white. I have done this myself on three photos but they are not on line.

I have nothing else to say about this image but may be - just may be - a small amount of vignetting would make her pop a bit more.
Of course, as time goes by, we will see more of your excellent work.

I almost forgot: Is is my monitor or ... how do you have such a perfect edge on her back, head and hand ?

[Antonio Correia]

Colin.
Yes. sophisticated equipment also helps, if they are in good hands.

If by-catch describes unintentionally caught pictures you did a nice work.

Thank you for the explanation.
If I understand correctly, she was not laying against that rock. Is it so ? Neither the rock was behind her.
If so, I envy you because of the selection you have made. It is so perfect... The hair and so...

[Colin Southern]

Colin.
Yes. sophisticated equipment also helps, if they are in good hands.

If by-catch describes unintentionally caught pictures you did a nice work.

Thank you for the explanation.
If I understand correctly, she was not laying against that rock. Is it so ? Neither the rock was behind her.
If so, I envy you because of the selection you have made. It is so perfect... The hair and so...

Hi Antonio,

"By-catch" is probably the wrong word -- I should probably just have said "a shot we took whilst there shooting other portraiture"

Yes, she was laying against the rock.

As promised, here's the updated photo of her with better detail in the black jersey ...

[Alis]

... it needs the fill light feature of CS3 to bring back detail in the blacks...

Thanks a lot, Colin, for the details.

Regarding this fill light function, I did not know what it exactly does. I know that when I increase the fill light, it also decreases the contrast and make the picture look dull. How do you fix that problem?

[Colin Southern]

How can I delete my pictures?

As always, this is a great picture, Colin. Well you don't need my compliments...

Hi again Ali,

I should also say "don't beat yourself up!" - your shot was a wonderful candid capture, as you so often manage to achieve so well! Mine was a posed shot taken with the benefit of a full lighting rig and about 50 grands worth of gear at my disposal -- completely different type of shot (which to be honest, wasn't an overly great one -- eg hair covering one of her eyes, shadows les than ideal).

[Colin Southern]

Thanks a lot, Colin, for the details.

Regarding this fill light function, I did not know what it exactly does. I know that when I increase the fill light, it also decreases the contrast and make the picture look dull. How do you fix that problem?

It's a tool for simulating what a fill flash would have done had one have been used (or in my case correcting an issue that didn't work out as it should) -- it basically raises the level of the shadows which does (as you mention) decrease the contrast, but hopefully only to a point that improves the shot. If you're on a properly adjusted monitor, compare the detail visable in the black of her jersey in the 2 shots -- the first is pure black, the 2nd has detail - the ONLY difference was in the use of the fill light in the CS3 RAW converter. And I hope we can agree that the contrast is still OK?

Keep in mind at as you adjust things like this you may still need to re-adjust other RAW converter sliders (eg black clipping point in this case). With some difficult shots I can spend close to 1 hour adjusting and re-adjusting sliders

PS: Just checked the Exif data for you - it was shot at 1/100th / F8 / ISO 200.

[Colin Southern]

Antonio / Ali,

As a follow up to what I was saying earlier, I just popped the main portrait picture into a thread here. (Can't post it here as it's the wrong aspect ratio!).

[Antonio Correia]

Antonio / Ali,
As a follow up to what I was saying earlier, I just popped the main portrait picture into a thread here. (Can't post it here as it's the wrong aspect ratio!).

Colin, the exception confirms the rule.

This time, only this time I would have allowed you to post here a picture out of ratio

Thank you for letting us know.

[Colin Southern]

And - to complete the set - Meet Hayden ...

[Alis]

OK, here is another one:

How is the lighting? I am very proud of myself for this one!

[SRH]

Antonio, this was a brilliant idea. Of course, I'm not very good at following instructions, so my portrait is a little unusual...

After a hard day of cycling to the pass, the sun finally came out, and along with it, this cutie. I watched her for a good ten minutes. In that time, I counted 5 pine cones consumed. Perhaps more than one reason for the fat belly?

(Please excuse my crude photoshop skills in creating the frame.)



Stephen
Portrait-1.jpg