portfolio by point to shoot

[arijit]

hi all,
i clicked this pic by my point to shoot kodak m1093is camera. then i processed it in lightroom and photoshop to try give it a feel of professional SLR click. i agree to the point of lack of defination but i think it can be corrected by devoting some more time. plz comment(quite upset with the response at my last post in the same section:mad:)...it will help improve my skills. i wish to try my hand at professional fashion/portfolio fotografy some day(ofcourse with better equipment:cool:)...so i request some expert critique, tips and guidance.
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae48/fotuzlab/first%20folio-arpit%20aug%2009/arpit1fb.jpg
clicked this foto on the stairs outside the model's(my friend arpit) room in average lighting conditions.

[KrishnenduKes]

Photo Critique Approved

Wow! Arijit, this looks good. Pretty neat job I must say with a P&S. It does have a professional look. You seem to have worked and improved your skills.

If you ask me however, I would have cropped the photograph about 2/3 from the top, kept the model till about the belt and cropped a little bit of the dark space on the top as well.

[Bibudesh]

@arijit- dude please take me the way I am - quite rude and sorry for that.
I dont like when people cribb about their equipment. I think its the way to give excuses and hide the IQ.

You dont purchase creativity with a DSLR.

I like your shot very much, the angle and the composition is giving a pro feel. With a P&S you can get sharp images provided you give them optimum light.

Your shot really need some more time to post-process, use the unsharp mask in CS3 carefully to give little more attention to foreground. Try to vignette the right side of frame and check the feedback.

Use a tripod(or any static stand) instead of handhelding and take similar shot in open sunlight and share with us.
Try getting sepia or duotones with more contrast and see.

[KrishnenduKes]

Try to vignette the right side of frame and check the feedback.



How do you vignette just one corner and not the others if you are not shooting on RAW?

[arijit]

Photo Critique Approved

Wow! Arijit, this looks good. Pretty neat job I must say with a P&S. It does have a professional look. You seem to have worked and improved your skills.

If you ask me however, I would have cropped the photograph about 2/3 from the top, kept the model till about the belt and cropped a little bit of the dark space on the top as well.
thanx ken :) its very encouraging. i will surely check the cropping!


@arijit- dude please take me the way I am - quite rude and sorry for that.
I dont like when people cribb about their equipment. I think its the way to give excuses and hide the IQ.

You dont purchase creativity with a DSLR.

I like your shot very much, the angle and the composition is giving a pro feel. With a P&S you can get sharp images provided you give them optimum light.

Your shot really need some more time to post-process, use the unsharp mask in CS3 carefully to give little more attention to foreground. Try to vignette the right side of frame and check the feedback.

Use a tripod(or any static stand) instead of handhelding and take similar shot in open sunlight and share with us.
Try getting sepia or duotones with more contrast and see.
well according to the description of the section, you are not at all rude:cool:
about cribbing aboout the equipment, i totally agree with you. i hold same thoughts as you do. about this foto, i was trying my photoshop skills on converting a p&s to dslr rather than being shy of my camera.
totally agree again with your point on devoting time on post processing. even i did mention it in my post. its just that it was my first and couldnt stop my self from showcasing it as soon possible. :p
about the tripod, i will definately go for it in near future. a better pic with your suggestions will be coming soon:) be ready with your advanced suggestions then!

one more thing i would like to mention : i intentionally used the angle of light and the spots it hilighted !

[Bibudesh]

How do you vignette just one corner and not the others if you are not shooting on RAW?

How do you do that even shooting a RAW? Same thing is applicable on jpg.

There are multiple tool to achieve that in CS3, Burn tool, Lens correction, gradient and many more I have no idea about.

[synn]

Easiest way to vignette one side of an image is to use the grad-ND tool in Lightroom. Way nicer outcome than a lasso job in PS.

As for equipment, I do beg to offer a corollary to what SP said. The Equipment DOES matter, provided one has talent to start with. Having equipment that outclasses one's talent level is the only way to stop oneself from hanging on to the crutch that is "The equipment wasn't good enough!" (I use this now and then too :D ). If you have good gear, any bad picture you take is your own fault. Not the camera's.

Almost all fashion photo shoots are done handheld in a controlled environment with adequate lighting. Also, one really needs to learn the nuances of Flash photography to do this (I'm a nobody in this area. I don't really like anything other than available light photography). There are several books out there that let you better understand flash arrays, light bouncers, reflectors, backdrops etc. Go through them.

Your sample image has turned out pretty neat. Using a polarizer would help cut off reflections from the sunglasses and other props. Give it a try. Also experiment with unconventional angles, framings etc. Go through fashion magazines to better understand the standard poses, frames etc. Read up on different "Looks" preferred by established photographers (Holga, lomography, polaroid, IR etc.) and learn how to do these in post (It's not that hard).

Lastly, there's a plug-in called Portraiture that is targetted towards portrait photographers. Give it a try too.

Good luck!

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

If you have good gear, any bad picture you take is your own fault. Not the camera's.



a similar situation arises in universities or banks where the person fills incorrect details but then BLAMES the COMPUTER for doing the mistake.there should be a connection between a camera and the person using it.

anvancy

[arijit]

Easiest way to vignette one side of an image is to use the grad-ND tool in Lightroom. Way nicer outcome than a lasso job in PS.

As for equipment, I do beg to offer a corollary to what SP said. The Equipment DOES matter, provided one has talent to start with. Having equipment that outclasses one's talent level is the only way to stop oneself from hanging on to the crutch that is "The equipment wasn't good enough!" (I use this now and then too :D ). If you have good gear, any bad picture you take is your own fault. Not the camera's.

Almost all fashion photo shoots are done handheld in a controlled environment with adequate lighting. Also, one really needs to learn the nuances of Flash photography to do this (I'm a nobody in this area. I don't really like anything other than available light photography). There are several books out there that let you better understand flash arrays, light bouncers, reflectors, backdrops etc. Go through them.

Your sample image has turned out pretty neat. Using a polarizer would help cut off reflections from the sunglasses and other props. Give it a try. Also experiment with unconventional angles, framings etc. Go through fashion magazines to better understand the standard poses, frames etc. Read up on different "Looks" preferred by established photographers (Holga, lomography, polaroid, IR etc.) and learn how to do these in post (It's not that hard).

Lastly, there's a plug-in called Portraiture that is targetted towards portrait photographers. Give it a try too.

Good luck!

thanx synn...got a booster of tips :):)

[hitanshu]

Nicelies. Me likes. Good stuff, but clearly not cutting edge material. You *still* need a DSLR :)

[arijit]

Nicelies. Me likes. Good stuff, but clearly not cutting edge material. You *still* need a DSLR :)

hope see through a dslr soon. :)

[Bibudesh]

You *still* need a DSLR :)

I disagree .

[hitanshu]

Should've told me a week earlier. I'd have traded my S3 for the D40 :D

[Bibudesh]

Should've told me a week earlier. I'd have traded my S3 for the D40 :D

Great going :D ..
Welcome to the world of Nikonians.

Ok guys please dont kick me.

[hitanshu]

arre, i bought a 500D on Saturday that's on a flight to india as I post :D

Welcome to the dSLR world would do!

[rio008]

ek muje dedho yaar.........!

arre, i bought a 500D on Saturday that's on a flight to india as I post :D

Welcome to the dSLR world would do!

[arijit]

here is one more...
http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae48/fotuzlab/my%20folio/100_2835-2pi.jpg

the background isnt upto the mark as the photo was not planned but spontanous !!
@synn: need some guidance to cut off the reflection in the sunglasses!!! use of polarizer(i suppose you indicated use of the lens) is not possible with my compact P&S. edited a little in photoshop till the quality didnt go beyond a decent level but couldnt remove all the reflections.

[synn]

Arjit: sorry for the late reply, but the removal of reflections has been neatly done!

[KrishnenduKes]

. edited a little in photoshop till the quality didnt go beyond a decent level but couldnt remove all the reflections.

How did you edit for the reflections on the sunglasses? It looks quite clean! :)

[arijit]

Arjit: sorry for the late reply, but the removal of reflections has been neatly done!
thanx synn...but couldnt clear every bit.

How did you edit for the reflections on the sunglasses? It looks quite clean! :)

zoomed in the pic till i was able to see the square pixels. used the clone stamp tool with a small size square brush!!!

[KrishnenduKes]

zoomed in the pic till i was able to see the square pixels. used the clone stamp tool with a small size square brush!!!

Using a small square brush was painstaking to say the least I suppose!

[becauseofb]

thats a nice picture with decent post processing
what were the settings you used?
what are the setting available to you on your P&S?
mine had Av, M, Tv etc. on mine... canon a610.. with which i have clicked tons of pics... and on second thought i might not be able to click the same with a DSLR today.

Secondly, I think you should explore the options you have on your camera. And dont rely so much on processing it. Composition and identifying right natural light is the key to getting good shots.

So here ends my lecture :P all the best

[arijit]

thats a nice picture with decent post processing
what were the settings you used?
what are the setting available to you on your P&S?
mine had Av, M, Tv etc. on mine... canon a610.. with which i have clicked tons of pics... and on second thought i might not be able to click the same with a DSLR today.

Secondly, I think you should explore the options you have on your camera. And dont rely so much on processing it. Composition and identifying right natural light is the key to getting good shots.

So here ends my lecture :P all the best

the lecture is not over...second session now...:)
in the first pic i used the smart mode(actually i forgot the manual part that time), in second i used 64 iso and auto focus. i have focus options....auto, macro and infinity, exposure -2 +2 and scene modes. it is kodak m1093is.
about the light, i mentioned that in first pic i used the highlights and shadows intentionally. the next one was spontanous and edited it myself. used the blur in photoshop to get the focus that i couldnt do through my camera.
what i have tried in these pics is to utilize the avail;able resources and check how well i can create composition and get the models pose(though in the second one its me myself...but there PP has played the more important part...the actual pic was not like that).
'Av, M, Tv etc.'...whats this???:(:o

Using a small square brush was painstaking to say the least I suppose!

it was:):)

[KrishnenduKes]

'Av, M, Tv etc.'...whats this???:(:o

Av = Aperture Priority.

M = Manual

Tv = Shutterspeed priority.

it was:):)

No wonder they (those who can afford it) outsource doing such stuff. No offense meant! :)

[arijit]

Av = Aperture Priority.

M = Manual

Tv = Shutterspeed priority.



thanx for the information.i feel short of depth of field adjustment(Av) and manual controls many times...:)


No wonder they (those who can afford it) outsource doing such stuff. No offense meant! :)


well thats good for us who can do that stuff...savings and earnings!!! :):):)

[arijit]

few more to add...
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs023.snc3/11037_1256097198831_1121619145_30835602_7103608_n. jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs023.snc3/11037_1256102398961_1121619145_30835628_4359443_n. jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs003.snc3/11037_1256155240282_1121619145_30835812_8041506_n. jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs235.snc1/8221_1241989686152_1121619145_30787499_632395_n.jp g

also would like to receive comments over the removal of reflections in 2nd and 3rd photographs!!!

[KrishnenduKes]

few more to add...
also would like to receive comments over the removal of reflections in 2nd and 3rd photographs!!!

I especially liked 1, 2 and 4. My favourites being 2 and 4! I forgot the procedure to remove reflections. I think you have them at the beginning of this thread right?

Thanks for sharing. You are taking decent portraits and good PP too.

[arijit]

I especially liked 1, 2 and 4. My favourites being 2 and 4! I forgot the procedure to remove reflections. I think you have them at the beginning of this thread right?

Thanks for sharing. You are taking decent portraits and good PP too.

:)
i meant i have removed the reflections in 2 and 3...need comments on that!!!
:)

[TheShutterbug]

I liked the last one ...

[arijit]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2586/4117825396_1330afd97e.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/4117048399_aa43061ce8.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/4117065883_bea425170c.jpg
the puma logo in upside down...apologies for the mistake!!! please dont count while criticizing... the upside version is posted in before/after thread!!! :)

[KrishnenduKes]

the puma logo in upside down...apologies for the mistake!!! please dont count while criticizing... the upside version is posted in before/after thread!!! :)

If these are shot by a P&S camera, kudos for your work. However I would like to add a few points...

1&3 do not look like portraits. They look more like product endorsement shots. 2 is a good portrait doubtless. In 3, to me the wall is too sharp and takes away the attention from the person's face which I assume is your prime point of attention.

[arijit]

1&3 do not look like portraits. They look more like product endorsement shots.
i totally agree...selective coloring was done to highlight the puma logo only!!!

[arijit]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4163596428_52b81005d6.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2735/4163596596_52d38cdbc6.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/4163596696_6e70cbe24b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2745/4162835957_fc0566fa7c.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

Is this what they call high key portraits? The first two look like high key portraits to me!

[arijit]

tried to create that look through PP in LR....technically they are not.
a plain click outdoors at evening with white rough wall as background!!:)
no flash, and no extra lighting!!

[KrishnenduKes]

tried to create that look through PP in LR....technically they are not.
a plain click outdoors at evening with white rough wall as background!!:)
no flash, and no extra lighting!!

But you overexposed while shooting I think, did you not?

[arijit]

But you overexposed while shooting I think, did you not?
used smart capture mode as i was not sure of how much iso to set...exposure was increased during PP