Bruce Walker wrote:
Despite the title, nsfw. http://portfolio.brucemwalker.com/index/I0000a6CzeIGEohA
For both this and tank, I love the subject, the pose and the composition, but there is something about the skin tonality in the shadows that doesn't thrill me. I wish I were able to better diagnose it, maybe someone who knows more than I do about lighting could explain to me what it is, and how to avoid it. I hesitate to use the word "fix", because it's an artistic choice and a photo that I'd like better would not necessarily be one that Bruce does.
Subjectively, it seems to me that the lighting in the "shadows" is too flat, that their isn't enough contrast between the deepest shadows and the lightest shadows.
When I look, specifically at the tones, objectively there seems to be a fair amount of range in the shadows, which is part of where my uncertainty comes from.
My hunch, is that if your soft fill on fiddle (4' Photek Softlighter) were a bit brighter and a bit further back, the photo would appeal more to my sense of aesthetic.
In terms of tonality, I do quite like the next one in the series, "Arms". http://portfolio.brucemwalker.com/index/I0000aZZbCOcFfMg The odd thing compared with my comments above is that there seems to be even less range in the shadows.
I'm also curious how Fiddle study would work as a black and white.
I instructed Dorrie to bring something to the shoot to surprise me. So she brought her beloved vintage fiddle. She can play, but hasn't for a couple of years so we opted for still lifes. 645z, dfa645 55mm/2.8, f/10, 1/125th sec, 100 iso. 5' gridded strip softbox camera left slightly behind. 4' Photek Softlighter just camera-right in front. Enjoy!
-- Larry Colen [email protected] (postbox on min4est) http://red4est.com/lrc -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
