Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast of a conversation I had with Portrait Photographer Krishen Nagar and discuss style, subject matter, working with models, lighting, kit and more PLUS being Genuine and not following the crowd …
Classic Portraits with Constant Light
Recently I was back with friends in the studio taking portraits, and this time getting Steve in front of my camera to try out some ideas I’d stumbled across when browsing Pinterest that I thought would be another good excuse to get my L60-B constant light out for.
I’ve used Pinterest for years as a great place for not only finding inspiration by looking at the work of photographers I admire like Annie Leibovitz and Mark Seliger, but also a great tool for looking how other photographers pose their subjects, which lets face it can be awkward at times.
Finding a balance between what you want but also making the pose look natural and the subject comfortable can be challenging to get right but I’ve always found it a massive help when you can guide your subject on what you’re looking for by showing them a picture.
Anyway, these here are some of the looks and poses I was really interested in …
Model for the Day
Model for the day was my dear friend Steve Healy whom I’ve known for years.
There was a time when for quite a while we’d not met up because of Steve moving away to Devon but I’m glad to say that when we finally made the move to the South West , we’re now able to meet up fairly regularly to just hangout out and take photographs. This we will certainly be doing more and more of!
Anyway, Steve drove over to my house in the morning and then we both jumped into my car and headed to South Wales to catch up with the gang; some of my closest friends which to be honest are more like family … Ian Munro and Anthony Crothers.
This was the first time Steve had met up in person with Ian and Anthony even though I’m sure they felt like they knew each other anyway having messaged back and forth many times on social media and also in the chat room during my Sunday LIVE Broadcasts on YouTube. Needless to say … Steve instantly became ‘one of the gang’ 😃
So after a traditional meet up at Costa in Brynmawr, South Wales to fuel up on coffee, we then went to the studio and cracked on …
PORTRAIT 1
So the first portrait I really liked the look of doing was the one inspired by this portrait of Robert De Niro taken by Mark Seliger …
Steve had brought along a dark grey casual suit-type jacket which was ideal. He’d also bought a white shirt to wear underneath but when setting up we all felt that even though you’d only seen a small portion of it, it would be too distracting, so instead Steve kept with the black T-Shirt he was wearing.
BACKGROUND
For this I portrait as it was to be a fairly tight crop of Steve on one side and just a little bit of ‘dead space’ to the left, the 7’ x 5’ background would be plenty big enough and so this was set up with the rear supporting leg shortened so that the background took up less floor space and could be closer to the wall.
LIGHT + MODIFIER
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … I absolutely LOVE this light!
I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that positioning the light (L60-B) to get the Rembrandt Lighting Pattern 100% BANG ON took just a few seconds; such is the convenience and ease of doing so when using because … What You See Is What You Get
Bottom Left: iPad Pro with Pinterest App open showin the ‘reference’ image
To achieve a quality of light that was neither hard or soft but somewhere in between, and also to minimise the amount of light that would spill onto the background, I opted to use the Westcott 24” Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish and with the outer diffusion panel fitted.
Westcott 24” Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish with Outer Diffusion Panel
CAMERA + Lens
Sony A7RIV
Sony 85mm f/4.0 G Master
CAMERA SETTINGS
Aperture: F/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/60sec
ISO 1250
Once set up and with any light in the studio that wasn’t contributing to the portrait turned off, I could then start taking portraits of Steve but what was really useful here was that everyone could see EXACTLY what the shots would be like without having to look at the back of my camera each time or look at my iPad Pro that I was tethering to; again because What You See Is What You Get
Studio lights and ‘any’ lights not contributing to the portrait turned off.
This made it so easy for anyone who wanted to make a suggestion and move in to maybe get Steve to angle himself differently or change the position of a hand.
It just worked and worked so incredibly well, making EVERYONE feel involved.
OUT OF CAMERA
Here’s the out of camera Raw file …
Original Raw file in Adobe Lightroom Classic
FINAL EDIT
Here’s the final retouched image which was worked on using both Lightroom and Photoshop …
Final Retocuhed Portrait
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC and PHOTOSHOP
Here’s a summary of the retouching steps carried out in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop …
Lightroom
Straighten & Crop
Colour Correction*
Denoise
Masking (Enhance eyes - Iris and Pupil only)
*Had to do this manually as ‘somehow’ I forgot to use my Colour Checker Passport … Doh!
Photoshop
Clean Up
Dodge & Burn
2010
Dreamy Glow (20%)
Lightroom
Colour (CN16)
Color Mixer (Reduce Orange & Red Saturation on Steve’s face)
Masking (Radial Gradient to Shape Light)
Masking Exposure on Face
Add Grain
PORTRAIT 2
For the 2nd portrait of Steve, this was the photograph I used as the initial inspiration / idea …
For this we went with the exact same set up albeit positioning the light camera left this time as opposed to camera right as it was for the first portrait.
Below is what the set up looked like before turning off the lights in the studio that weren’t contributing to the portrait …
Using the single L60-B coming in from high up and angled down produced exactly the lighting that was wanted (below) however I felt that the shadow side of Steve’s head was a touch too dark …
To add a touch more light onto the shadow side of Steve’s head, rather than use a 2nd L60-B we just used a Silver Reflector which also had a white side to it, however between the two surfaces, the silver side gave the best result …
OUT OF CAMERA
Here’s the ‘out of camera’ Raw file …
Out of Camera Raw file in Lightroom Classic
FINAL EDIT
Here’s the final retouched image which was worked on using both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop …
Final Retouched Portrait
lightroom classic and photoshop
Retouching steps in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop were pretty much the same as in the first portrait, however there was one very definite difference.
When taking the 2nd portrait, we all felt that although Steve sitting on a stool worked, it did make him look a little squashed because of the height of the stool he was sitting on and also how his jacket sat, so we also tried a few shots with Steve standing …
With Steve standing it definitely stopped him looked squashed, however when looking at the images later in Lightroom Classic I was torn because I liked the pose and expression on Steve’s face from the seated shots.
So now in the retouching I was thinking I could either (a) do a head swap or (b) do the opposite of a technique I used to do when photographing physiques … and that’s what I chose to do.
PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL
Here’s a short video showing exactly what I did in Photoshop to reduce / remove the ‘squashed’ look …
WRAP UP
Following the photo shoot we all the headed over to Abergavenny for what was a delicious bite to eat at The Angel … THANK YOU Steve!
So there you go, all of the steps that I went through from the initial idea, the kit, the set up and the final edit.
As always if you have any questions / comments, please do make use of the section below and I’ll be sure to reply.
Oh and don’t forget, if you’re interested in getting ANY of the Westcott kit including lighting, modifers, backgrounds etc then drop me a line as I’ll be able to give you a Discount Code for 10% OFF
Cheers
Glyn
Documenting Life - The Evolution of a Wedding & Street Photographer | Kevin Mullins
Join me for the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with UK based Documentary Wedding and Street Photographer Kevin Mullins and discuss his process, his approach when photographing a wedding to capture those special moments, his kit, his style and everything else that goes into turning a passion into a successful business …
Links mentioned in the video
Kevin Mullins website: www.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk
Kevin’s Lightroom Presets: LINK
Royal Photographic Society Retouching Workshop: LINK
Kevin Mullins Colour Presets
kevin mullins monochrome presets
ADAPT - A Short Film
Today I'm reminded not to underestimate how what we do can positively impact others ...
I recevied an email from someone who subscribes to my twice monthly newsletter telling me that due to battling cancer over the past 3 years, and still doing so, how they've struggled to get out with their camera as they're unable to drive.
Photography for them, as it is for so many of us, provides escapism as we become completely engrossed in our own creative world … but not being able to get out has taken its toll.
Today through my newsletter they got to see my ADAPT video which prompted them to email to tell me how it's lifted them and given them the drive to plan to go out this coming weekend with their camera but to do so locally as there is ALWAYS something to photograph.
I originally made the video as a form of Self-Medication during a very testing and uncertain time in all our lives during the Covid Pandemic.
It helped me then but to hear that in some way it's helping others to this day feels ... yeah ... feels bloody brilliant!
DISPLAY 123 - Screen Calibration SIMPLIFIED but IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE
The Display 123 from Calibrite removes the technicals from Screen Calibration making it possible for everyone with a simple 3 step process ... BUT it's not aimed at the Professional!
NOTE
The Display 123 is NOT suitable for the new LED technology Displays such as in the New Apple Macbook Pro M3 and Apple Pro Display XDR; for these a device like the Display Pro HL from Calibrite would be needed. The display 123 COULD prolfile these displays however only in sRGB. For all other displays using Backlit technology (which is currently the majority of displays on the market, the Display 123 will Calibrate the screen albeit without the additional parameters that more expensive / high end devices can. The display 123 is more aimed at the Consumer as opposed to the Professional.
For more information check out the Calbrite website ( LINK )
Calibrating my iPad Pro for Photography
One thing I always do when taking portraits is shoot tethered and that always used to be with my camera connected to my MacBook Pro or laptop BUT that has now changed to being my iPad because its way more portable and convenient.
I use the CaptureOne app for the tethering which works so incredibly well .. literally just open the app, plug in your camera (you can also use it wirelessly) and you’re up and running. You can even use it to tether to your iPhone … if you have one.
The only problem i find is that the screen on the iPad out of the box is too contrasty … its set up so that it gives the richest colours and the deepest blacks for when using apps, watching movies, playing games, looking at pictures which is great but not ideal for when using it when tethering.
However I have the 6th generation 12.9” iPad Pro running iOS 17.3.1 and this has Reference mode and this we can use to kind of calibrate the screen to something more suitable for photography.
NOTE:
Reference mode is actually available on 12” iPad Pro 5th generation or later and requires iOS 16 or later.
Mastering Concert Photography: Insider Tips & Techniques from a Pro | Scott Diussa
Watch the recording of this recent LIVE Broadcast from a I chat with Concert Photographer Scott Diussa and discover his process, kit, tips and tricks for photographing LIVE Music and Events and some of the biggest names in the industry … and all with limited time and space! PLUS Scott will share some of his Lightroom Editing Techniques for bringing out the best in your images taken in challenging lighting conditions …
links mentioned in the video
Scott Diussa’s Link Tree: imagesrock.com
KelbyOne Lightroom Conference: bit.ly/lrconf2024
Royal Photographic Society Workshop: bit.ly/rps-editing
The Art of CINEMATIC TOY PHOTOGRAPHY | Jesse Feyereisen
Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with the wonderful talent that is Jesse Feyereisen and go Behind the Scenes to discover how he lights, photographs and edits to create such incredible imagery of Toys and Action Figures …
Links mentioned in the video
Jesse Feyereisen Website: https://www.jessefphotography.com/
Instagram: @jessefeyereisen
Facebook: @jessefeyereisen
KelbyOne Lightroom Conference Coming in April 2024
Very excited to be part of the KelbyOne Lightroom Conference 2024 this coming April 16th and 17th …
I’ll be presenting 2 classes, both of which are connected in that the first class I show all the preparation, planning, lighting and photogtraphy for a photo shoot. So, I’ll be covering the researching the concept, visiting a clothing and props provider to the TV and Movie Industry, working with the model, stylist, the set and finally the shoot.
In the 2nd class I’ll then go through the entire retouching process from importing the cpatured images into Lightroom and then step by step working through the retouching making use of Lightroom and Photoshop, and then finally a print.
VERY excited to show this becuase it means working on something completely new; a portrait that doesn’t form part of a series but a portrait I’ve wanted to work on for a while, so to be able to show the entire process will be great!
To find out more about the Lightroom Conference and to take advantage of Early Bird pricing, click / tap on the button link below.
Updating my TIMELESS Photography & Retouching Course
Since I first released my TIMELESS Photography & Retouching Course there’s been the inevitable updates in both Lightroom and Photoshop PLUS I’ve now fallen in love with using Constant Light when taking portraits.
So taking all of this into account, I thought it was only right that I should record some new content to add into what is already, by far, my most popular course.
LIFE TIME UPDATES
If you have already enrolled in TIMELESS, then you have LIFETIME UPDATES at no extra cost, so the new content will automatically appear in the Course Curriculum and you’ll see it and be able to watch it when you login from Monday 25th March 2024.
PRICE CHANGE
After the 25th March 2024 update has been added in, the price to enroll will be increasing for new students due to the course now containing even more content …
Current Price (up to 25th March 2024): $32.40 / £27.60 / €32.35
New Price (from 25th March 2024): $40 / £35.40 / €41.50
To enroll in TIMELESS at the pre-update price before the new price is introduced, check it out using the button below …