Evaluation

Evaluation 

Throughout the research for this assignment it became clear there is no right or wrong way to approach portraits. There is one clear constant from the best photographers, once they have a great understanding of the basics they allow the space for real creation with their subjects and surroundings. Their conviction to their own beliefs standing them apart from others; whether their creative style is simple or grand.

Easily the first half of the time in the studio has been spent trying to get a good handle on the basics. The new camera and its feel with the added difficulties of focusing in the dark compared to a DSLR.  I felt in a controlled environment the only thing stopping me from getting the results I wanted to see would be getting over my own shortcomings. At first it appeared the technical side of new equipment and work flow but I soon realised once we started shooting there was more I needed to include. My personality and manor whilst in role as portrait photographer would have as much of an impact on the end results as how to set up the lights.

During that first half I was aiming to make my subjects as bright as their backgrounds were dark; standing under one key light with a totally black background. Always drawing the eye from out of the surrounding darkness and back into the centre where they were placed and illuminated without any distraction. I liked this dramatic look so tried it at a Gym shoot with some friend bodybuilders of mine. The results helped me realise this was a very masculine look maybe better suited for other applications than this assignment.

With mixed results from the first two studio shoots, the turning point came when I read about Avedon’s Windsor portrait and how he tricked them into letting their guard down for just a second to reveal their true selves.  A similar explanation is presented from Platon on his experiences shooting different world leaders.  The exceptional images came during a moment of singularity between photographer and subject. One small moment of common ground reached, not by general direction, but from a few inquisitive words.

So for shoots three and four I added another light for the background which balanced out the overall contrast. It also got away from this look of being stood in the dark which I didn't think added much for the style of portraits I was going for. I talked to the subjects more and tried to help them relax, searching to see if I could get my own moment which I recognised as them showing their real side and not just that of an unwilling model.

The final three images show this in a positive way.  They show the genuine pleasure from the conversation we were having which was mostly about thinking happy thoughts. And if you do will it show up enough to look convincing through the camera.

I have had a print space sample pack for nearly six months so had a good idea which from a few I would choose for this kind of image. I chose the Fuji matt C type over the others with more processed finishes on this occasion as I didn't want the shine to detract away from the high contrast finish I had applied. A kind of processed but still natural looking skin tone with some blemishes left. I'm happy with the finished results, they reflect how I feel about portraiture right now and have given me some good ideas to try out next.

Final Three Images That Went To Print...

Gym Session

Taking the principles of the studio into a Gym to see if I could get good results following 2 body builders around as they trained. I like the look and it helped me decide that it wasn't right for our assignment being too masculine and harsh for what I was trying to put across.

David LaChapelle

Its all about over the top production and styling when you go for a portrait with David. He has done his lion share of celebrity portraits over the years. At the other end of the rainbow from Platon, he doesn't know the meaning of the word conservative. The subjects seem to be just going along for the ride as his team go into overdrive to produce outlandish but temporary  art installations. I like his work and I think it definitely has its place among the many types of portraiture there is. I just couldn't really relate much of it in practical terms to our assignment,maybe when we do something around fashion...

Mad

As

A

Fish

Interesting watch 

Portrait of a photographer 2002

Unfortunate Christmas card for the Kardashians..

Studio Session 3

I would love to say that I took each of my subjects into the studio 1 at a time to try out the Avedon "I killed a dog on the way over here" technique. But alas it simply wasn't practical.

Instead I engaged each in a conversation and explained that I was trying to capture emotion or reaction rather than just a still of their face and body.

That is of course only after I had told one of them the story whilst the others listened..

It turns out being an animal lover and told about ones death,even if it is just a story will quite literally wipe the smile off your face. 

 It set the tone as we continued keeping the conversation on similar theme slowly taking shots and keeping them engaged until another moment of displeasure was apparent..

I cant remember what it was that i said to get such a look,probably best not to know now.

And finally,the man that cannot be moved. Not that he is hard faced really,he just doesn't give much away and is even more cautious when in front of the camera. Of everyone who had their portraits done,I think he is the most consistently dead pan.

Unsung heroes of the studio..

Im not talking about the big camera stands or the gravity defying light pantographs..

Introducing what every studio shoot should include.

1.The Light Meter

This will,when used with the studio lighting tell you what settings on your camera to use in order to get correct exposure.

1

*Other brands are available

2.The Grey Card

This is used as a reference to go back to in post production to determine the correct white balance for you images

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Look at it,in all its 18% greyness

Capture One

Capture One is a piece of photographic software used to manage,manipulate and export image files. We are using this on macs in the studio linked up to a tethering cable to a Phase One digital back on the Hassleblad camera.

Made by the same company that produces the Phase One back it works in a very similar way to which Lightroom does,but originally designed only for medium format camera RAW files.

So,rather than go through all of the features that its capable of doing I thought it would make more sense to just go through a simple work flow.

Capture One

After its all opened up and running open up a new session and create a new folder for that. It will keep all the associated files together including the un changed RAW files,a trash can and any layer adjustment files.

All of the processing you do with Capture One is non destructive to the original RAW files to put into it,in the same way as when you use a negative to make prints. You always have the original to go back to if and when you need to.

All the lighting will be set up and camera with digital back will be ready to go so next thing to do is take a couple of test shots. These are imported in Capture One via Fire Wire or USB cable direct from the Phase One camera back unit. This technique is called tethering,as in you are tethering the images direct into the mac rather than shooting and saving to a memory card and loading them up later.

Then you can adjust the look of the test shots to somewhere near where you want them to look post shoot and apply that to each shot as it is taken. As each image comes up on the screen it takes a just a second to apply. It could be anything you like from a white balance or colour cast change to just slight tweaks to the contrast levels. Even though each image will now be set like this in Capture One,the RAW files are still unchanged and all or any of the changes can be reversed or changed more as much as you like.

The time advantage to doing this for a large number of images is obvious. Another advantage is when you add in the use of the WiFi connection to display this on portable devices in real time on an app(Android and Apple)  to either clients or others working with you so they can see the image with adjustments seconds after its taken. They can even rate the images out of 5 stars for editing later on.

That is all good then you have finished your shoot and you need to go through and pick your best ones out to make final adjustments to. The start system of grading ive just mentioned works fine here to get down your best and not so sure of . A few 4 and 5 stars later you can remove the rest from the catalog if you like or out right delete them (its what I would go with as you know your never going to need them again for what they are)

The final adjustments needed next would depend on image by image and there are hundreds of different options to choose from,some im sure will never be used by anyone most of the time. Like the keystone warping levers,but they are there is you needed them! More likely be the odd bit of highlights or spot removal rather than the heavy manipulation,this is where the similarities veer much more along the Lightroom path that Photoshop.

Once you are happy with your images you just need to export them using what they call recipes. Each image can be exported in a multitude of ways to create the TIFF,JPEG,PNG etc you need. All you have to do is tell it where you want them and what specifications you want them to. These can be done like everything else in batches and don't affect the RAW files in any way.

Last Bit

Richard Avedon

"In addition to his fashion photography, he was also well known for his portraiture. His black-and-white portraits were remarkable for capturing the essential humanity and vulnerability lurking in such larger-than-life figures " 

"One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, Richard Avedon expanded the genre of photography with his surreal and provocative fashion photography as well as portraits that bared the souls of some of the most important and opaque figures in the world. Avedon was such a predominant cultural force that he inspired the classic 1957 film Funny Face, in which Fred Astaire's character is based on Avedon's life. While much has been and continues to be written about Avedon, he always believed that the story of his life was best told through his photographs. Avedon said, “Sometimes I think all my pictures are just pictures of me. My concern is… the human predicament; only what I consider the human predicament may simply be my own.”

- biography.com

There isnt much else you can say about someone who is regarded so highly as Richard was. After reading the above I had to find out more as to why he was so great and if there was anything i could use to try in my next studio sessions after it all went a bit stale..This is what I found!

In 1957 Richard was to take a portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Waldorf Astoria in New York..the pre amble to the story is quite deathy/Hitlery and a bit heavy for my point so ill cut to the good bit..

"I would go every night to the casino in Nice and I watched them. I’d watch the way she was with him, the way he was with her, the way they were with people. I wanted to bring out the loss of humanity in them. Not the meanness – and there was a lot of meanness and a lot of narcissism – so that I knew exactly what I had to try accomplish during the sitting."

"I photographed them in their hotel suite in New York, and they had their pug dogs which they adored, and they had they’re Ladies Home Journal cover faces on. They were posing royally and nothing, not for a second, was anything that I’d observed when they were gambling presented to me. And I did a kind of… its like living by your wits. I knew they loved they’re dogs. And I said, ‘If I seem a little hesitant or a little disturbed it’s because my taxi ran over a dog.’ And both of their faces dropped because they loved dogs… a lot more than they loved Jews."

"The expression on their faces is true because you can’t evoke an expression that doesn’t come out of the life of the person."
– Richard Avedon speaking on his controversial 1957 portrait of the Windsors nearly forty years later

This,I had to try!

Studio Session No: 2

Session in the studio number 2 was a bit of a strange experience. We started out quite confidently and everyone was doing well on the morning. Using a few different lighting set ups we settled for a large softbox for the most part. Looking through the first few hours work we seemed to have made good ground and improved from the previous session a noticeable amount.

Then at lunch we had to swap to another studio and it all went a bit wrong! Everyone started to lose concentration and were all drifting in and out of the action..I think we had been at it for too long with none of us that experienced enough to be able to keep the momentum going for those who weren't actually involved in the shooting or previewing. The images I was getting were no better than the morning and just felt like I was doing the same thing over and over for the sake of it. It was disappointing to end like that

So here is 3 from the morning..the rest we just wont talk about anymore

Back to business,well nearly..

Jill set us about a little extra session to go anywhere in the CCAD building and take some images in a small group. We were only allowed to take shots of each other and not allowed to communicate in any way. I went off with Candice and Jess to one of the glass corridors on the first floor. We then went back to present our work and discuss it with the rest of the group.

It mostly confirmed for me the need to be able to talk to your subject and get a feel for what they are thinking along with how they look or your not going to get the best out of a shoot.

I processed the images at home afterwards on lightroom and here they are in no particular order of sexiness..

Sparkles Rest Bite

Just as we were getting into it I had a little work to do outside of Uni, As Nebula my own photography business I had a little log cabin at the Sparkles Christmas market in Stockton On Tees. We were there to help promote our family portrait packages by doing cheap Christmas themed photos on the spot.

You might think what has this got to do with real studio portraits? Well nothing and everything! It was like a mini version of our studio assignment so i tried to emulate the conditions as best i could and implement all we were doing in the studio in a tiny space.

Using a Nikon D7100 with an 85mm lens(tethered to a laptop running lightroom) i shot subjects against a red backdrop with Christmas lights in it for a bit of sparkle. A soft box with a Nikon flash wireless remote controlled from the pop up flash built in to D7100. Due to space restrictions it had to be set at a Rembrandt angle and height for each and the only alteration i could make would be the depth of field depending on how many subjects were in each shot. It looked a lot better to have the background lights totally out of focus,so for single subjects i opened up the aperture as wide as it would go to create a nice bokeh effect. However if there was 2,3 or even 4 i had to close it up a fair bit in order to make sure all their faces were in focus.

In total there were over 200 sittings in the cabin over the week so ive included some of those images as part of this research as I think it helped a lot in the practical side of the shooting. Having to be fully in control of the subjects regardless of their age or temperament.

Sparkled

Rudolfed

Abandoned

Unimpressed

Muffled

Face palmed 

First Independant Studio Session

The first time we got to go in the studio in our groups is when we started to take control more of our own images, We had been in a few times already but it was just a free for all and really just learning to use the new camera and how the lights worked with it,so no point in showing those as i wouldnt be able to say they were my own images if im honest..

These are 3 of the better shots, using only a key light and no back lighting or reflector. They didn't turn out too badly for a first attempt,but didn't really capture any of their personalities like i had hoped. No real connection was made between myself and the subjects with very little direction other than turn this way or that. I think they,like myself were a little self conscious about being on the other side of the camera and couldn't wait to get away and let someone else have a go at being a model!  Still lots to do and try!

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

PLATON

Platon is hands down my favorite portrait photographer. He is consistent at getting the right look to suit his subjects and while projecting his own mark on them still allows their huge personalities to shine through whether they are political/industrial world leaders or famous Hollywood actors/directors.

Always favoring either a low placed camera position looking up at his subject or right in their face he creates a feeling of submission like they are about to pounce on him. Those who have what appear to be much happier personas are caught in an equally positive split second,like they are center stage at a TED talk about to give that killer line of life advice "If I could tell you one thing today that could change your life for the better,it would be this.."

Twitter - Facebook - Pinterest - Microsoft creators etc.

He shows much confidence when talking about his work and understands the manipulation that can then follow one of his cheekier portraits. He gets the world he operates in and our need to humanise the images we see of the famous. Rarely do you see any other elements in his images other than the subject but when he does it is only added to truly compliment rather than distract from the main event,the subject

Some of the best from Platons own site

A selection from his book of world leaders "Power"

And finally,everyone is entitled to one bad day at the office..

Five, Basic light set ups

I found these light illustrations on sekonic.com, they are very similar to the set up we used for our shoots apart from the fill light and the hair light. Ok so that would mean they are quite a lot different from what we used but i would argue its better to have a little more in the bag to go to later. After all the KEY light is the one we are most concerned with  and this does show it in 5 different positions. Also shown are  the camera (and possible extra light) positions.

The lights were moved around a lot during our studio time as i found not every type of set up worked with every subject. It seemed to become more about trying to create a mood with the light rather than capturing the personality of the subject.

Also worth knowing that these cover the whole area that could be used and I found I used mostly between the Butterfly and Loop set ups but just moved slightly for the subject size and posture. Missing from the drawings are the large black polystyrene boards that were placed each side of the subject to absorb reflected light,I used them on every shoot. 

Paramount/Butterfly Lighting

With the key light shining straight down on the subjects face,this casts a small shadow underneath the nose and a larger one under the chin if no fill light is used. Quite a complimentary lighting set up if your going for that kind of look. 

Loop Lighting

The light is lower down than before and offset to one side slightly to highlight one side of the face slightly more than the other. Good to bring out feature and gives a slight profile of shadow down the far side of the nose and cheek.

Rembrandt Lighting

Quite similar to the loop setup only harsher,or stronger if you like. Used to create a more dramatic look to the portrait and as the name suggests will give a similar look used in portrait painting techniques. Should provide a large shadow for much of the nose and face with a small triangle of light on the far cheek.I think it works best with the rest of the subject is quite dark,not so much for me when lit up.

Split Lighting

I only tried this a couple of times as it seems to be very severe and as such only lends itself in my eyes to such a portrait. If all else had failed (or you had what you were after and experimenting!) to get the shot i was looking for then It could be something to look at. Splits the face in half without a fill light making for high drama more suited to an atmospheric fashion shoot.

Profile Lighting

I purposely stayed away from using this too much too,not that i dont like it as i do. I think i will be revisiting a set up like this soon for another project I have in mind only minus the back light. This changes the dynamics of the subject hugely and veered too far away from the brief to be used here.