One for a hair competition :)

[Phate]

Hello all,

1 new model, haircut, setting and shoot later....we came up with this...

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/winner.jpg

Special thanks to Johnny Clulow for adding the final touches to it and really bringing the image to life :)

So thoughts? comments? all welcome :)

Jake

[divine]

Very nice.

Your portrait work has come on leaps and bounds since the first few bits I saw you post.

What sort of lighting set up did you have there?

[Kitten]

that's really effective. Like it a lot.

[Phate]

Very nice.

Your portrait work has come on leaps and bounds since the first few bits I saw you post.

What sort of lighting set up did you have there?

Thanks dude :)

I only had one flash to play with and my ST-E2 to get the flash off camera...

I told the model to stand perfectly still as did I, we then took 1 shot with the flash coming from the left and one shot to the right, then merged the images together in photoshop.

However, we didn't expose the flash directly onto the model....I modified the flash to diffuse it to try and give a softer light which did work nicely.

The modification was simple...took a sheet of A4 lengthways and wrapped it around the flash to make it like a huge cone was attached to it, this gives you 2 more options when using a flash. It can create a spotlight kind of effect, or if you hold it next to the model pointing upwards it gives you a nice soft piece of light across the model.

I can post a picture if people aren't sure :)

[Dee]

Id like to see that set up please :)

[Matblack]

Its a composite? :shocked:

Bloody hell she did stand still!

Very nicely done my guess would have been a flash to the photographers right and a softbox to the left as the light seems a little harder (not to harsh though) on the right of the shot also the catch lights in the eyes are nice because of the difuser. Good work :)

MB

[Justsomebloke]

Nice pic but her ear doesn't look real, What gives :confused:

[Phate]

Nice pic but her ear doesn't look real, What gives :confused:

A few have said about the ear, and apart from it being a bit blown I don't think it looks odd :confused: maybe just me...

[Phate]

Ok...

Take 1 image...

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/e1.jpg

take another...

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/e2.jpg

Add some glue in photoshop...

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/finals.jpg

Added help from someone who really knows what they are doing and et voila!

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/winner.jpg

[Justsomebloke]

Last one is definitely best as in all the others she just looks like any other ordinary Doris, In the last she looks Fine. :cool:

[Phate]

Oh and here's the mod to the flash...you can't see it very well but it gives you an idea. Just noticed if you look in the 2nd pic on the examples you can see the paper attached to the flash in the top right of the pic.


http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/diffuse.jpg

Also allows you to do stuff like this...note this requires a very steady hand or patient friend to aim it :p

http://www.je-design.co.uk/maddie/spot.jpg

[Justsomebloke]

Shame she isn't sitting more upright in the last pic as I reckon her collar bones would look Awesome if her neck wasn't tilted forward like it is. I know nowt about photography but I do know what looks good on a woman whether it be the way they hold themselves or the way they act & dress.

[Phate]

True, we aren't using the last pic. Posted purely to show how it can be used as a spotlight :)

[Matblack]

Nice, you basically made yourself a 'snoot', probably better to use a tripod than get someone to hold it but it did the job :).

IMHO it needs to be a little tighter to the face, her claivicals look like shes a Cardasian :D

MB

[Phate]

Nice, you basically made yourself a 'snoot',
MB

Yep, basically. However the snoots I've used before have been for a hair light only. We used it to diffuse it which worked really nicely :)

I didn't read this technique anywhere, was a 'I wonder what will happen if...' moment :)

[Pickers]

Her doofals make her look like a daffifal?
I had to look up both words to see what you meant.. then realised you misspelt the first ;)

Very nice image and attractive subject - Wish I could do things like that!
My only criticism/personal gripe though, is that its clear its been post processed and touched up to look almost plasticy/waxy (a'la all this natural beauty drive going on in the media recently). Unfortunatly, I guess the fact is a hair competition necessitates the "unnatural glow" that PS provides... :/

[divine]

That's some exceptionally cunning work for multiple flash but with only one unit! :D

I've been giving thought to doing similar to what I believe Tom has done, which is a series of relatively cheap strobes and triggers though i'm a little unsure of whether i'd still be able to take advantage of CLS (which is fantastic, probably my favourite thing about the D70 still) using a set up like that or not.