This project has seen me again working with Actor/Model Tristan Roper, having first met him when I joined my Buddy Noel Hannan on a photo shoot. You may recognise Tristan from off the poster for my Character Portrait Workshops and I’m really excited that he’s now going to be modelling for the next series of my From Concept to Print Workshops; the dates of which I’ll be announcing real soon.

In the Studio: Lighting Set Up
Ok so all the shots of Tristan were taken against slightly darker than 50% grey seamless and with a 3 light set up:

Strip Lights either side and slightly behind Tristan: These were positioned quite high up on their stands and then angled downwards, I guess with the bottom of them at about shoulder height with the intention of mimicking the effect of street lighting.

Medium Octa: This was on a boom to the front and off to one side slightly to add a little bit of interest to the light from the front; powered down so as to add a little bit of fill and with the outer diffusion panel removed so that the light which did come out had a bit of punch to it.

The Background
When it came to shooting the background I already had in mind the kind of look/feel that I wanted but rather than search a few well known sites for suitable stock images I decided to get out and shoot it myself…

(By the way, that’s my buddy Gareth Davies who owns the studio I shoot in and run my workshops from in the photo on the left…an absolute star and great friend! ) 

I wanted to find something that gave the feel of Old London Town…you know dark alleyways and cobbled streets so after a little bit of research, Noel and myself decided that Whitechapel in London would be ideal.

Made famous from being the haunt of the infamous Jack the Ripper, it promised to have a few of the remaining cobbled streets you’ll find in London that haven’t yet fallen fowl of building work and renovation…

This particular alleyway I shot as a HDR image taking a series of photos all in quick succession (handheld) and combined  later using Photomatix.

To help with the realism of the final composited image, I made sure that my shooting height/position was the same as when I’d been photographing Tristan in the studio. In addition to that I also kept the Aperture setting on my camera the same so that the Depth of Field would be as it would have been had I actually photographed Tristan in situ.

Basically all I did was get in the same shooting position/height, set my camera to Aperture Priority Mode (f/16), have Noel stand the same distance from me as Tristan had originally been and then locked my focus on him. Noel then moved out of the frame and I pressed the shutter release to take a series of shots; 7 in total with my Nikon D3 in Continuous High and Bracketing Mode (1 stop difference between shots).

The same was repeated for the photographs of the brick wall although these were taken facing straight on at normal standing height…

Post Production
Once back in the computer, the background/alleyway images were combined and Tone Mapped together using Photomatix and from there taken into Photoshop to remove unwanted/distracting items, change the colour/tone etc so that it looked like late evening/night time etc… but only up to a point as the rest would be worked on once it had been added behind Tristan.

With regards to the shot of Tristan, I worked on it to a certain point before compositing with the background to get it looking a particular way…

• RAW Conversion
• Tidying Up (Removing Dust Spots etc)
• Enhancing Details
• Skin Contrast
• Dodging & Burning
• Selecting (Quick Selection/Quick Mask/Refine Edge)

Once the images had been composited it was then a case of going through a whole series of steps and techniques to see what could/should be done to complete the image: positioning Tristan, adding shadows, adding lights, adding the smoke/mist, vignette and also what can only be described as ‘playing’ until the colour/tone felt right. Oh, and making sure I took my own advice of walking away from what I’d done and coming back to it some time later to avoid becoming ‘Pixel Blind’; nothing beats looking at what you’ve done with fresh eyes…you’ll know straight away if you need to do anything more or indeed if you’ve done enough.

So there you have it, a complete run through of what went into putting these images together. Of course I can’t include all the editing steps involved and that’s not because I don’t want to, but more a case of there being rather more than I can remember, but hopefully this is helpful in some way.

As always if you have any questions or comments then please feel free to make use of the comments section below and I’ll be sure to answer them asap, but in the mean time,
Enjoy

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The reason I ask is that having watched an episode of The Grid this week hosted by Scott Kelby and RC Concepcion, I felt compelled to take a long hard look through my portfolio; something I try to do on a regular basis anyway to keep it fresh. The topic of conversation at one point evolved around showing your portfolio on your iPad to help attract clients because of how well it displays your images, and although that’s not what this post is about, it kind of is; let me explain…

You see, in my portfolio one particular image has always bugged me. I’ve always felt unsure whether or not I should include it and I guess just by saying that you wouldn’t have been wrong to ask… “Why did you?”.

It’s not that I didn’t like the image because I did, it was more a case of  I always felt I could do more with it…the question though was what?

Anyway getting back to The Grid, having watched the episode I decided to revisit the image, dig out it’s original RAW file and edit it for a second time; the first time having been some months back now…

With regards to the editing this time round I started off how I normally do…

• RAW Conversion
• Tidying Up (Removing Dust Spots etc)
• Brightening & Colouring the Eyes
• Enhancing Details
• Skin Contrast
• Dodging & Burning
• Body Shaping

However, different this time to when I first edited the image was the background that I added in and then what I did in the ‘Play Time’ … something Photographer & Digital Artist Calvin Hollywood refers to as 80/20. Basically this is the point at which I experiment with techniques to achieve overall look and feel of the image; where the last 20% of the edit takes 80% of the time.

Anyway I’m now at the point where I’m happy with how it looks; it’s a personal thing but I now feel that the look and feel of the image is finally where I want it to be.

So why didn’t I do this the first time? Well to be honest, I’ve no idea but what I do know is how important it is not to rush your editing. Of course it’s not practical to leave a whole load of images for weeks before you work on them, and that’s not what I mean here, but rather something I’ve mentioned before and that’s not to sit at the computer for hours at a time working your way through a number of edits.

I’ll always remember the advice I was given by Photographer and Instructor Matt Kloskowski, and which was reinforced by Calvin Hollywood, and that was to take regular breaks from your editing. Leave an image and come back to it some time later after a cup of coffee or even the next day because then you’ll see it with fresh eyes and will instantly see what, if anything more you need to do.

So what about yourself, do you ever go back and re-edit some of your images?

It would be great to hear back how some of you approach your editing; whether you take regular breaks or just go at it until finished. After a shoot do you backup the image files and then leave them until the next day without looking or are you the kind of person that gets back straight after a shoot and edits whilst it’s fresh in your mind? As always feel free to make use of the comments section below but in the mean time,

Enjoy

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500px (Portfolio)

First off, I thought I’d share a couple of pictures with you from a studio shoot just before I took some time out and went away on holiday..

New Workshop Dates
Very soon I’ll be posting the next dates for my Workshop Series ‘From Concept to Print‘ …

These One Day Workshops are being held at the superb Gareth Davies Studio in Wokingham, UK  and later this week I’ll post a full breakdown of what’s covered along with details regards how you can get hold of a ticket.

Numbers are limited to 6 attendees and tickets cost £250 each which includes refreshments throughout the day as well as some goodies to take away with you too

Google+ Hangout
I’ve finally updated my profile over on Google+ [Link] and thanks to the series of videos that the folks over at Kelby Training put together I’m finding more and more cool features to try out, in particular the ‘Hangout’…

Hangouts are limited to 10 people at a time and there’s the built in option to share your screen so this got me thinking…Rather than just use it as a normal webcam and have a chat, how about doing a mini Photoshop Compositing Webinar where I’ll work through an image like one of the headshots below from start to finish, which takes about 20 minutes or so…

Anyway, if you’re on Google+, fancy ‘hanging out’ and giving this new technology a try by joining me for this mini webinar, give me a shout out in the comments section below and we’ll sort it

Right, that’s all for now so have a great week and I’ll catch up with you soon,
Enjoy

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Now Noel concentrated on photographing the group in a whole series of full length poses and guises whereas for this shoot I concentrated on taking a series of head shots; some of which are included here…

The first series of head shots are of Tristan, one of the group members and someone I’m definitely looking to have modelling for the next round of Workshops which are set to kick off in February 2012
*(I’ll be posting the new workshop dates up on the blog as well as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter real soon)

The set up for taking this series of head shots was real simple: 2 Strip lights from either side and a beauty dish fitted with a honeycomb grid high and to the front.

Now in the studio I’m using the Profoto heads and modifiers but this is a set up that can be pretty closely replicated using 2 Speedlights and the new Lastolite Hotrod Strip Boxes either side of the model with another Speedlight in a Lastolite Ezybox to the front. In fact that is the exact same set up I use if I’m out on location because it’s light and very portable.

The Background
For this particular kind of look, slightly darker than mid grey(ish) background is needed but rather than set this up in the studio each of the subjects were positioned roughly 6ft away from the white studio walls. That, combined with the way the lights were positioned meant that the walls weren’t blasted with light and consequently turned grey.

*If I’d wanted the walls darker I could move the subject and lights further away from the background and if I wanted the background lighter, I’d do the opposite…simple

The spotlight however is a different story, as it’s been added during the post production phase in Photoshop…

Post Production/Editing
Each of the head shots regardless took no more than 15 minutes working through the following steps…

• RAW Conversion
• Tidying Up (Removing Dust Spots, Blemishes etc…)
• Eyes (Whitening, Colour, Contrast, Sharpening)
• Adding Texture/Details
• Dodging & Burning
• Extraction/Cut Out
• Background (Add Colour and Spotlight)
• Add overall ‘Painterly’ Look/Texture
• Contrast using Unsharp Mask

Well, the weekend is upon us so have a great one and in the mean time if you have any question/comments then as always please feel free to make use of the comments section below,
Enjoy

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I’ve been completely and utterly blown away by all the ‘Happy Birthday’ messages sent via email, Facebook, Twitter etc … you guys totally ROCK!!!

My wife and I are away for a few days R&R and the internet here is a little hit and miss, which for once is a ctually a good thing as it puts a stop to “I’ll just do this and I’ll just check that”.

I’ll update you all when we get back but again in the mean time, thank you so much; for 2 times in one month, leaving me speechless…

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Just to backtrack for a moment and update you on an earlier post about the ‘experience’ with the Holiday Inn Hotel, Winnersh which is where Calvin and his Assistant Gabor were staying during their time here…

We’ve now received an email from the Mr Big, The Boss, The Head Honcho the El Capitan of Holiday Inn Worldwide, who saw the video we made [Link] and well, Calvin has been promised a full refund on the 3rd room. An invoice has been sent and the refund has been actioned but we’ll be keeping the Champagne on ice until the money shows up as I’m sure you’ll understand if you’re aware of the full story. Anyway, for now, in addition to what Calvin has written on his blog [Link] I just want to thank all of you who ‘retweeted’ the messages we posted on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and of course for forwarding the link to the video…which has received quite a few views

If you haven’t read the full story or seen the video, you can check it out here [Link]

Anyway, moving on…

We had such a great time over the 4 days with the workshop, going out for meals, drinks, bowling and generally hanging out. Calvin and his Assistant Gabor are such great company and it’s fair to say we really hit it off plus it was a real bonus that my good friend Dave Clayton came along to meet up on the first day of the Workshop and when he’s around, well…you just know you’re going to have a laugh

Calvin came to the UK following a conversation we’d had on Skype and in the months leading up to it we sorted out everything that was needed such as the studio, models, hotel accommodation and catering with help from my Buddy Gareth Davies who owns and runs the studio [Link] ; which incidentally is where I do all my studio work and run my own workshops.

The Workshop
Needless to say, Calvin’s Workshop was incredible!

The workshop itself is split over 2 days where on the 1st day Calvin spends the time to go through his photography style: talking through settings, equipment, posing models and the exact lighting styles he uses to create his images. Everything is covered in detail with lots of time given to the attendees to take their own photos so that everyone understands exactly what is being done and why; it’s very much a ‘hands on’ workshop rather than a ‘watch me’ workshop. It’s the images taken on this first day that Calvin edits during day 2..

Day 2 was, how can I put this? … Mind-Blowing!

Calvin methodically went through images that he’s selected to edit from his own, shot the day before, and covered the techniques that have made him so in demand the World over.

Every attendee had bought along their own laptops so were able to follow each and every step with Calvin coming round checking that they understand what was happening and that they achieved the results which was then followed by a series of “Ooohhhh’s” and “Aaaahhhh’s”

I could go on and on about how good the Workshop is but then you only have to see how in demand Calvin is to realise it, and seriously, if you get the chance to go along to one then take it…it’s that good!

Big thanks goes to our models for the day, Caroline and Steve; both of whom did a wonderful job as always and jumped at the opportunity to model for Calvin; their professionalism, patience and fun attitude went a long way into making the workshop a success!

Check out Calvin’s English Blog
Calvin has written an account of the Workshop over on his English blog which you can check out by clicking on the image below or just by clicking here [Link] and whilst you’re at it, be sure to add it to your RSS and keep up to date with what Calvin is up to…

Hollywood Uncut
Couldn’t resist including the latest episode of Calvin’s B.T.S. (Behind the Scenes) video series “Hollywood Uncut” which also shows some footage from the Workshop; mind you I think the presenter needs a bit of practice

Gabor Uncut
And here too is the first episode of Gabor Uncut…

Get Calvinized Workshop
In January 2012 Calvin is running a 3 day workshop in English at his own Studio in Germany covering Photography, Retouching and Marketing.

You can find out more details over on Calvin’s blog or by clicking here [Link]

Hope to see you there

Right, I’m off for some much needed bowling practice as a Re-Match is definitely called for in January,
Enjoy

>Oh just one thing…If you were wondering why I’m dressed in a suit in one of the pictures it’s because of a little something Dave Clayton and myself have planned in preparation for Photoshop World 2012; all will be revealed soon enough

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I’ve learned and laughed so much so I’ll be posting a run down of what we got up to over the past 4 days including a look at Calvin’s Workshop and amongst other things, why I’ve had a change of heart about including plug-ins as part of my editing workflow!

For now though I thought I’d post an image from a recent photo shoot and get your thoughts on how it was put together (deconstruct it) i.e. lighting each of the subjects, the paintings on the walls, the dark bannisters and so on…

I’ll be posting a walk through of the photo shoot at the end of the week, so go on feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below and who knows…I may be able to russle up a prize for whoever gets it!
Enjoy

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I’ll be sure to give you a complete run down of the weekend’s events on the blog in a few days time as well as some other bits ‘n pieces I want to share with you from some recent photo shoots.

For now though, have a great weekend and I’ll catch up with you in a few days time,
Enjoy

>ps…If coming along to Calvin’s Workshop is something you’d love to do, we may be able to squeeze you in so give me a call on my mobile [Link] and let’s see you there!

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This particular shoot was to capture Nigel’s incredible physique after all the the hours of sweat and tears he’d put into the gym plus being on a strict diet to get in shape to compete in his first ever Bodybuilding Competition, so naturally we worked on some physique shots but once we’d done that we then moved onto taking shots that were going to be edited a touch more than normal, such as the composite above and one I posted earlier…

Lighting Set Up:
Here’s a B.T.S. (Behind the Scenes) shot to show the lighting set-up that I used throughout the shoot. This is one of my favourite set ups because of the flexibility it offers i.e. The different looks that can be achieved by shooting with all 3 lights through to just using the one is limitless, plus the ‘Octa’ on occasion was swapped out for a beauty dish with honeycomb grid.

Also as I was shooting everything from headshots to full length I used the large soft boxes but positioned the black V-Flats/Gobo’s in such a way to make strip lights; no point spending £££’s on purpose built full length strip boxes when the same result can be achieved by simply positioning kit you already have…aahhh Zack would be proud …

Composite Before/After
The 2 images below show the Before (Out of Camera) and the After (Final Edit) so you can see the kind of editing that was carried out in Photoshop to make the composite…

Composite Bits & Pieces
Below are the images that were used in the composite in addition to some techniques to create the shooting stars etc:

Same Set-Up, Different Looks
Here’s some samples of what else we got up to by making use of the exact same lighting throughout the shoot all except for swapping the Octabox for the Beauty Dish & Honeycomb Grid in the first two images below…

Post Production for this series of shots was minimal:

• Double Raw Conversion
• Dodging & Burning
• B&W Conversion
• Desaturate
• Sharpening
• Vignette

For those of you who don’t know, there’s a series of rounds involved in competitive Bodybuilding; compulsory poses to show the main muscle groups, a free round where each competitor will go through a choreographed routine to music of their choice to show their physique’s strongest points, symmetry etc and then a comparison round.

I clearly remember from my days as a Competitive Bodybuilder that the ‘posing’ is every bit as hard if not more so than the training that was involved to build the physique in the first place, because of the restricted diet and subsequent lower energy levels.

Anyway the reason for me telling you this is that if you do ever find yourself photographing a Bodybuilder, a good way to start the shoot is to get them to go through their routine which has the benefit of:

1. Getting them ‘In the Zone’
2. Warmed Up
3. Gives you the chance to see and choose poses that would be great to photograph

We finished the shoot with a more relaxed and not so ‘in your face’ series of shots; again with the rim lights and the Octabox on the boom as in the B.T.S. (Behind the Scenes) shots above…

Post Processing for this series of shots was pretty much the same too:

• Double Raw Conversion
• Dodging & Burning
• Black & White Conversion
• Desaturate
• Sharpen
• Vignette

In addition to this though, a little bit of a glow/softening was added as a final touch…

So there you have it…one lighting set up and a whole series of different looks.

As always, if you have any questions about anything in this post be it the photography or editing side, or you just want to leave a comment, then please feel free to make use of the comments section below.

Oh, and incidentally just incase you missed it, with regards to the composite image and how it was put together, on the 4th September at 8pm BST (UK) I’m doing a ‘live’ webinar where you’ll get to see a lot of the compositing and retouching techniques from start to finish; you can find out more at this [Link]

Enjoy

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Lighting Set Up:
The original studio shot of our model for the day Steve Lewington was taken at the end of the Workshop’s morning session when we were going through full length shots and here’s a lighting diagram to give you an idea of the set up…

Decided to shoot Steve on grey seamless as it was a full length shot and this would enable me to bring over the original shadows into the final composite as opposed to ‘painting’ them in.

One thing that isn’t shown in the lighting diagram is that for some of the shots a silver reflector was held just out of shot by Steve’s left shoulder to throw a little bit of light onto his chest; without it his chest area was going a bit too dark because of his position to the medium octabox.

Here’s the original starting point i.e. the ‘out of camera’ image and next to it the final composite (minus the title) which took somewhere in the region of 7 hours, contains 67 layers and has a file size of 1.5Gb

The images below show some of what was used to make up the final composite minus what was drawn in Photoshop…

• The original studio shot of Steve
• 2 photographs of sky/clouds (thanks to Joey L [Link])
• A photograph of the road near to where I live along with some cracks in the tarmac  (All photographed with a point and shoot on the way to the local pub one evening)
• A helicopter and an atomic mushroom cloud

The Editing:
I would normally include a written walk though of exactly what editing was done in Photoshop to get to the final image but quite frankly it would take forever and a day especially as it’s made up of 67 layers. So as a compromise and to satisfy the ‘Photoshop Hungry’ of you out there I’ve stitched together the layers panel so you can see the kind of things that were done such as: adding in the road surface, the cracks where Steve has punched the ground, the sky and so on, and to see it just click on the ‘View Full Post‘ link below:

So there you have it…Photoshop, 67 Layers and a Super Hero

As always, if you have any questions or comments about the original photo shoot, the editing in Photoshop, or just would like to add a comment in general then please feel free to make use of the comments section below, but in the meantime,
Enjoy

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