High Rise Model, Pic 7

[GB1]

This was really the shot we planned the entire shoot for - sunset on the west balcony. Not 100% sure on it though. Comments?

G

I have several variants of this pose, by the way.

[w.slayman]

At first glance it would appear that the shot is out of level, but after a second check the rail behind the model is level, so the vertical must be optical distortion. All that being said
I have no further nit-piks, in my opinion even the slight reflection to the model's left adds to the realism of the shot, as it is something you would expect when the light level is greater inside than outside. This shot was definately worth the wait, very well done.

[LeeIs]

GB, I wonder if polirizing filters get rid of reflections on glass as they do with water? I like this shot, lovely sunset and model. I wish the light wasn't as strong in the room, i wish it was a bit more moody. Also, i wish those reflections weren't there.

[Shebang]

I hesitate to even post this --

Your model is beautiful, the sunset is beautiful, the lighting is beautiful, everything is beautiful -- there's only one thing that bothers me, and I don't know what you could have done differently -- and certainly there's nothing your model could do -- but I don't like her hands posed as they are. She's got way more going for her than not, but it's not her hands -- and this photo really accents that. You men might not have noticed she had hands

[Greg McCary]

I think the dress is a little loud for the surroundings. The two just don't go together. But the lighting and pose is ok.

[Anbesol]

the strobe is a bit strong, I would like to see a bit more balance between the sunset and the subject. As it is, I can see clearly that there was a strobe with the broad light with the way the shadows fall (and the reflections). Id try cutting the strobe power in half and dragging the shutter a bit longer for that sunset.

You did a great job exposing the subject, were there any glowing hotspots on her that you editted or is that from camera? Only hot spot I can see is on her right index knuckle, even then its not hot white.

I know all easier said than done, I personally wouldn't brave this sort of scene with strobes, I would use ambient light and wider f-stop (assuming you are shooting ~f8?).

[jetrim]

You men might not have noticed she had hands

You shouldn't feel hesitant to bring this up because it's pretty much the nemesis of most of us shooting models. Hands are ALWAYS a pain in the @$$ unless you have a very skilled professional model, then she'll know what to do on her own.

I noticed two things that bothered me in this shot, but that's not to say I could've done any better, just easier to spot with hindsight.
1) Left hand looks like a lobster claw. Right hand looks better but not optimal. I've been taught you usually want to see the side of the hand whenever its practical to pose it that way and to try to avoid full back of hand shots like the plague (for reasons illustrated in this shot.
2)The perspective distortion at the left side upright - this one is easily fixed though, so not as much of a concern.

Beyond those two nit-picks this is great shot though.

[Shebang]

...2)The perspective distortion at the left side upright - this one is easily fixed though, so not as much of a concern...

I did see that, but I have learned enough from you that I knew it was distortion -- I just didn't mention it because I didn't think there was much of anything you could do about it -- I think someone else mentioned it as well.

[w.slayman]

I looked at her hands, but did not see them, the same as many men, especially those of us that do not do much in the way of fashion photography,:blush2: or the dirty old men amoung us like Frog and myself.:blush2: :blush2:

I know it a bit late but, could she have placed her hands on top of the railing to eliminate this problem?

Another valuable lesson learned at PR!!! :idea:

[BlueRob]

Strange for some reason I skipped this version of the HighRise Model thread.
I´m going two give my two cents G....I do not like the composition, or part of it. For me all the left side must go, window frame, umbrella, upper balcony, etc.
I do like the model pose (hand issues debatable) and the concept of the sunset behind the glass balcony.
On the good side, this version is by far the best lighted and exposed from the rest of the high rise series IMO. the skin tone is very pleasing.

The dress....well is Ok but I think it blends to much with the rest, and you know my approach on this....I would desaturate a bit the background to make the model stand out a bit.

HTH.

[shootme]

Not that I can add anything, but the colours don't work in the shot, too many small colour details. She'd look good in that if she was sitting on a beach with sand and blue water. She also doesn't look comfortable as is she is trying to dry her hands or just did her nails? I think the boldness of the metal frames against the sunset is tough. Outside of that great model, very crisp shot and sharp.

[GB1]

Thanks everyone. Didn't get the chance to reply until this evening, but some good pointers.

Bill - As Jet notes, it is virtually 100% level but there is perspective distortion as one would expect with such geometry. I am not sure it can be fixed as easily as he says w/o visually distorting her, and I guess I just accept these things, but I would like to fix it. I think her placing her hands on top the railing isn't necessary btw -- she should be able to loosely hang them as people do, it just didn't work here Maybe I will have the model stretch her fingers before firing next time.

Liban - Excellent suggestion. I am always hesitant to use polarizers on people shots because it sometimes negatively affects the color, but in this case I think it would have solved the reflections issue (maybe!). It would not have helped with the strobe reflections, unfortunately (see attached). I spent a LOT of time post processing those reflections .. I really like the suggestions here on how to at least partially solve this.

Paula - Thanks, looks like you and Jet are right about her hands in this shot. Hands are about the hardest thing for a model to use, but I felt that this model was above average in that area. I think the perspective / foreshortening made them look clubbed up here though.

One of the tricks for posing models is to hand them a prop to hold, or have them lean on something, to make use of the hands. This one didn't need that but I think I have other variants with better angles. Will have to dig them out.

Greg - I see what you are describing. I am trying to visualize with color dress would work better though, and am not sure what it would be. She and that dress sure light up the scene. I think if I wasn't so zoomed in - more surroundings that is - it might be better.

Anbesol - Yes, one of my issues with this particular scene is the artificial light feeling. Seems like a strong breeze of light just came through the door. That may have worked, cutting strobe in half and increasing shutter time by two, but it would also light up the background exposure X 2 ... Not sure if that would not over-expose it? See the original scene regarding hot spots No, it would be impossible (?) to shoot her without frontal lighting, as you would simply silhouette her against the background. Strobes are your friend on scenes like this ... Just have to figure out how to integrate them into the scene naturally.

Jet - Thanks for your insights. Ha ha .. hands are a pain for photographers just like they are for painters and drawers !! I never heard that hand rule, and am not sure it's a hard rule vs a loose one, but I will try your advice next time. How do you fix the perspective distortion w/o distorting her? Better yet, how to avoid it at shutter time? tough one.

Rob - Hmm. I think if I cut out the window frame and left side that it will lose context and become more of a 'her' shot. Not that she's a bad model to zoom in on, but I really find her an excellent supplement to the scene, not necessarily a great 'it' model (I am sure Bill thinks I'm nuts by now ). Not sure the background can be desaturated and the photo still working, as black and white sunsets are sort of unexciting. For those debatable reasons, for better or worse, this might be it. There may be better shots I can post later after I PP them, but as you will see here the PPing is intense due to the reflections. Something to keep me busy over the wonderful holiday season.

Shootme - I agree that her dress might look better on the beach (another idea for next time!). It does push to the edge of acceptability here - I am not sure if it crosses it? hmm. As for her not looking comfortable, actually .. This model has this expression and overall pose in most every shot I have of her. I really think it's her style, which I won't even try to define as I am not an expert on this stuff (she seems to be posing the clothes though, sort of like a fashion model, rather than herself). Thanks too for the great input.


As you all can see here, I had to do a lot of PPing on this one. I think I put in at least 2 hrs, not easy. Cloned the left side reflections - especially that pesky strobe tripod, the hot spots in the railing, and smoothed out hot spots on her. Used a graduated dark to light fill at 95% transparency several times to even out the lighting a bit (debatable if it could have used a couple more swipes). The result was this. I have many shots with just a mess of reflections, am choosing my battles carefully so not to burn myself out.

G

[BlueRob]

Yeap I see your point on the replay regarding my comments and are very valid pointers, now knowing a little more of the "context" intended by the shot, yes cropping the hole left side as I commented early is too drastic. Considering that the sunset is a big part in the composition maybe if you clone out the umbrella would aid a bit, you will show more sunset and will aid to focus more on the model (umbrella is too close to the model IMO)

HTH

On the other hand....Hats off for you PP work GB :thumbsup:

[shootme]

I agree with HTH, your skill in pp is brilliant. One pointer that dropped with me was your comment that she is modelling the gown and not herself. I think this in itself says a lot.

[BlueRob]

I agree with HTH, your skill in pp is brilliant. One pointer that dropped with me was your comment that she is modelling the gown and not herself. I think this in itself says a lot.

I have to stop using the HTH at the end of my posts, has caused some confusion around
HTH stands for "Hope That Helps"

[shootme]

Rob, that would help. HTH S