Beach at Dark

[GB1]

Here's two shots of the model and her husband, who came along and helped out. It was my suggestion to get them together here. I sort of like his pose better in the top image but her's in the second (time for a Photoshop miracle maybe..). We shot this about 15 minutes after sunset. C&C welcome. Nikon D200 with SB-800 flash.

Gb

[Didache]

Of the two, I think I prefer the 2nd image - her pose compensates I think for his. The background bothers me a wee bit though - it looks very grimy. - I know you referred to it in your previous post - is it a kind of pollution?

Cheers
Mike

[MB1]

He looks nice and comfortable, she looks very posed. I don't thing the 2 looks work well together although I do like the idea of both of them in the shot.

[jkriminger]

Greg, I think I would like them better on the same plane..the size imbalance. It would also help with your flash exposure on each subject. I think next time if his pants get semi soaked,..go ahead and wet the entire short.

[GB1]

Mike - If you mean the dark sky, no.. it's just a marine layer. We luckily don't have a big pollution problem here (unlike Los Angeles about 100 miles north). The west coast does have a seaweed problem though -- nasty stuff indeed. Some beaches are worse than others, this one being one of the best. I also like her pose in the 2nd, but he really looks like he doesn't want to be in the shot

MB, there's definitely a difference there in posing .. she seems energetic, he chilled out. How exactly to pose them together is a question.

Rod, interestingly enough, we actually planned it so that he was behind her, sort of like he is the rear guard. We did about 10 shots here and the first he was too far back and there was a substantial difference in illumination, so I moved them closer to the same plane, just apart enough so that she was dominant. I guess it's more style than anything. She was about 5'4" and he about 6' btw.. I probably could have shot another dozen shots from low angles etc for experiments, but went back to her after this. I also totally agree on the wet shorts thing ... looks odd, but they're dry in one of the shots

G

[DrRoebuck]

Funny, I prefer his pose in the second and I prefer hers in the first.

In the second shot, his pose looks natural, like a candid, while hers looks completely unnatural.

Although you lit the scene well, I'm also not crazy about the contrast between the dark, ugly sky and the artificial light on the models.

[Lori11]

I like the first shot best, and as usual I do like the sky lol. I like him looking at you and the expression on his face, she looks so rigid to me in the second, like she got stung by something on her heel lol. Hope you post more! (oh, bring the girl some food too lol)

[levyfulop]

I also like the first shot best, second is indeed a little rigid.

[GB1]

Dr - Thanks for your observations. It is funny, we tend to go in opposite directions on this one. I like the sky here too

You tell him Lori ! (lol) It's funny cause I didn't even notice her lifting up like that during the shoot, but now it sort of stands out (I do those for exercise, good for working your calves). I guess she is trying to be taller

Btw she did say after the shoot that she was hungry :idea:

Thanks too levy. She did use the straight-on modeling look on that one

G

[Greg McCary]

I like the first one the best. She looks more naturaly posed than the second, but I wish the guys head wasn't touching the board. I liked when the trash on the beach was cloned in the previous shot, surfer girl, so I think you should here as well. That little stick seems to be in the whole series. All in all nit picks and things that can be fixed in PPing but still I think these are your best to date. I see much improvement and the models here seem to be more about what they are doing and that is something you never can control. Like a director and a bad actor.LOL
Good work GB you seem to be moving forward and learning much. These are good.

[gahspidy]

I think the second shot is the beter. Her pose is good, the reflection in the wet sand is an added bonus. i would prefer him to be a bit less lit as in the first shot and the overall contrast increased like the first one also.

[Lori11]

Bless her lol The tip toe thing is most likely a posture thing more then being taller, thats why you see so many swimsuit and high heels photo's (think Miss.America) but I do hope he fed her! I hope you post more

[GB1]

Thanks, Greg. I think your opinion that these pix being the best may be biased though Judging from other comments both here and elsewhere, seems like some like the stark, stormy look and some don't.

A friend of mine really leaves little to chance or to the models though. He has many many years of photo experience and takes only people shots (no landscape). It's interesting... he sets the models, turning them, adjusting their hands and arms, angling their heads, etc even when they're, say, 3 degrees off from his vision. His philosophy is that if you have an idea that you can't expect it to just happen. The only downside I see with that is that it can make the poses seem tense or overly posed. Really experienced models can still act relaxed, I suppose. I am sort of in the let things happen stage.

Gary - yeah, realizing that flash works ideally when the subjects are on the same plane, we purposely varied the amt of stagger to get different effects. Goes to show that one can turn a problem (people on different planes) into a creative advantage. Now, whether it actually looks good is another thing.. Guess that's where the art separates from the technical.

Lori - Thanks, you just revealed a woman's secret and now the word's out (bad, Bad.. ). She says she works out in the gym a lot btw.

G

[racedraper]

I think the 2nd is best because the water helped out the balance of the flash were as the first looks so unnatural cause of how the flash bounced off the ground. Thanks for the pics it gives me pointers of what to do when taking night photos on the beach.
I think if both of them would hold the board but way I se it it looks the surfer just came out of the ocean and got into your shot with out asking