"School of Portraiture" - Lesson 02 - Lighting

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Originally Posted by Colin Southern

PS: Kit - if you want to go just a wee bit further (while we wait for the others to catch up),...

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Speaking of catching up, I hope to be back at this tomorrow, weather permitting. Silly me, I thought I was finished after I posted a picture of my reflector, so I waited, then the weather got bad, then I found some horses, and well you know how it goes. Tomorrow, if I can find some people, I'm back on board.

Wendy

Here's a second go as you suggested Colin. I think the skin colour in this is closer to his real skin colour.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...achmentid=5241

And here is the gear currently being used. Oily rag country. :)

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...achmentid=5242

Kit

Not going to comment on the technical aspects, because I don't know enough, but the progress you've made already sticks out a mile. Well done.

Hi Kit,

Good stuff :)

I've just posted lesson #3 ... I think there's a few things there you might be able to take onboard.

Only 2 things popped into my mind re potential areas of improvement ...

1. You've got a great dark background, and as a result my eye is drawn to 2 things - the face, and the red vest. Personally, I think that there's more than enough of interest for the face & hat to carry the image (eg I'd "lose the vest"). To be honest, there's very much a tendency for people to zoom in more on the faces these days; it's faces we want to remember and relate to, not what they were wearing on the day. And a side benefit of zooming in on the face is that (a) you get more detail to work with, and (b) you get more detail in the final print (eg you start to be able to see not just the colour of the eyes but the patterns as well) (not so much in the low-res versions we see here, but very much so in larger prints where they may well LITERALLY be larger then life).

2. The rotation is great, but I'd STILL like to see more of an angle between the engineer and the background -- and the only way you're going to be able to do that is by getting the engineer to lean quite a lot more at the time you take the shot. At the moment the background lines are still parallel to the spine which looks a bit like "it should have been vertical, but it isn't".

Kit, I agree with what Donald said, you are doing great with these. You and Kay and Chriss are setting the bar so high I am going to be embarassed to get back in. If I can do half as well I'll consider myself off to a great start.
Wendy

OK, so here's my precis of your suggestions for the last 2 lessons:
1. Choose a fairly neutral to dark background.
2. Reflected light from one side.
3. Light absorbing something on the other side.
4. Lean the subject back if you have a strongly vertical background, then rotate forward in pp.
5. Keep colour clothing muted.
6. Move closer!

I won't be posting anything today and the first job tomorrow will be to find a new background. :)

Hi Kit,

I am watching with interest. Keep going I see major improvement here.

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Originally Posted by Klickit

OK, so here's my precis of your suggestions for the last 2 lessons:
1. Choose a fairly neutral to dark background.
2. Reflected light from one side.
3. Light absorbing something on the other side.
4. Lean the subject back if you have a strongly vertical background, then rotate forward in pp.
5. Keep colour clothing muted.
6. Move closer!

I won't be posting anything today and the first job tomorrow will be to find a new background. :)

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Aww man - I could have saved several hours typing!

Ok. I went spent the money on a 5-1 reflector and a stand for it, as I do not have a ready assistant that gets up before 1:00pm (students). It is a "Interfit" and came as a kit for $90.00us. I will hopefully get to use it this weekend sometime and I will post the pictures I take, provide the model (wife) is agreeable. Wife and Agreeable don't go together do they?
Sorry I am late for the party.

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Originally Posted by Sam Smith

Ok. I went spent the money on a 5-1 reflector and a stand for it, as I do not have a ready assistant that gets up before 1:00pm (students). It is a "Interfit" and came as a kit for $90.00us. I will hopefully get to use it this weekend sometime and I will post the pictures I take, provide the model (wife) is agreeable. Wife and Agreeable don't go together do they?
Sorry I am late for the party.

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Great to have you join the party Sam (if that's your real name!).

I take it that you've read lessons 1 & 3 also?

Also - unfortunately - we've moved on from reflectors, and won't be using tham again. OK - just kidding :) Seriously, I think reflectors are seriously under-utilised; waaaaay cheaper than a flash, and often just as good.

Yes I have lessons 1 and 3, plus most of the tutorials. I have a grey card also, have never used it. They are cheap. $2.00. I look forward to learning as much as I can.

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Originally Posted by Sam Smith

Wife and Agreeable don't go together do they?

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Ooops a daisys! :eek:
Lucky I didn't take the fresh bait on that hook & bite at your comment about Wives & their apparent lack of 'agreeableness' (Australian word), because it was a close call for a minute there & we do like to be very welcoming here ;)

Good luck with the Portrait practice :)

Hi,

I'd like to sign up for the class. Not sure how much of the practical homework I'll get done, but I hope it is OK if I follow, try as hard as I can to do something practical, and contribute if I can (I did two portrait courses already, one at Wellington Highschool and the other at Newlands College).

I just wanted to start whining about how we get ripped off by being asked to pay NZD $169 (~77 GBP) for a 5-in-1 reflector but then I noticed that you are a Kiwi Colin! :)

Cool, and thanks for checking out TradeMe.

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Originally Posted by Class A

Hi,

I'd like to sign up for the class. Not sure how much of the practical homework I'll get done, but I hope it is OK if I follow, try as hard as I can to do something practical, and contribute if I can (I did two portrait courses already, one at Wellington Highschool and the other at Newlands College).

I just wanted to start whining about how we get ripped off by being asked to pay NZD $169 (~77 GBP) for a 5-in-1 reflector but then I noticed that you are a Kiwi Colin! :)

Cool, and thanks for checking out TradeMe.

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Hi there "Class A" (what's your first name by the way?) - great to have you back with us.

By all means, feel free to tag along with the lessons, and contribute some images if you wish too(practice makes perfect:))

Lesson 3 continues here.

I'm closing off the earlier lessons now so that we don't have too many to keep an eye on all at once ... you'll always be able to join in on the latest lesson (and we hope that you do!).