Irish

[BlueRob]

A pic taken during my Xmass trip to one of my relatives (guinea pigs all of them muahahaha!) :devil:

[LeeIs]

lol @ guinea pigs. You gotta work them!

The thing that confuses me in this shot is the amount of available light and background don't mix. It's like a shot taken on a bright day, yet with such a dark background. I think had the gentleman been a bit darker as well, it might have meshed better. I don't mind the selective colour even though the bright red might take away a bit of the attention from his face.

[BlueRob]

lol @ guinea pigs. You gotta work them!

The thing that confuses me in this shot is the amount of available light and background don't mix. It's like a shot taken on a bright day, yet with such a dark background. I think had the gentleman been a bit darker as well, it might have meshed better. I don't mind the selective colour even though the bright red might take away a bit of the attention from his face.

Thanks! Yeah now that I see it with rested eyes I think I need more contrast and some more shadow play on the face to add some more drama.

[daq7]

Not bad......

[BlueRob]

Not bad......

:thumbsup:

[BlueRob]

Here it is....tweaked a little, the skin texture looks stronger now which I what I wanted since the beginning...what do you guys think?

[kisu]

The second shot is a big improvement for me as there is much more 'depth' in it than the first - very expressive guinea pig by the way

[BlueRob]

The second shot is a big improvement for me as there is much more 'depth' in it than the first - very expressive guinea pig by the way

Thanks Kisu...I agree the second adds more mood and as you said depth. Yes he is very expressive fellow....one of those subjects with very expressive eyes...in each photo he resembles a different mood... all the time.

[MarcusK]

Well first off, I like the improvement on the technique... i see you been quite busy

First thing that popped out for me are the smudges in the background... i find them to be a bit distracting... more like neglect than anything else (not saying it is, just what it feels like )

The second is better in terms of the face... the texture is very nice.

One thing though... wouldn't you say the skin blemishes on the top of the head feel awkward... kind of wrong? got mixed feelings about them there.

Finally, in terms of the brightness of the face, versus the black background, I think if you bring back some details to it, make it a bit lighter, you might get a better result...

Nice work mate!

[BlueRob]

Well first off, I like the improvement on the technique... i see you been quite busy

First thing that popped out for me are the smudges in the background... i find them to be a bit distracting... more like neglect than anything else (not saying it is, just what it feels like )

The second is better in terms of the face... the texture is very nice.

One thing though... wouldn't you say the skin blemishes on the top of the head feel awkward... kind of wrong? got mixed feelings about them there.

Finally, in terms of the brightness of the face, versus the black background, I think if you bring back some details to it, make it a bit lighter, you might get a better result...

Nice work mate!

Thanks Marcus...good to see you around!
I haven't played much with the "technique"...I have been experimenting with other "moods"

The smudges of the background...yes foliage originally which ended up as the uneven black you see. which I assume this is related to your last statement....bring more detail to the background If I understood you correctly. I will tweak it and try to improve it, though I must say that the original background is very busy and gets really distracting....I´ll see what I can do

The blemished head well is what it is....I consider it part of the subject itself. I would consider removing them in other type of style but here, I consider they should stay...I guess I consider them as part of the "essence" of the subject.


Thanks for your reply and hope to see some shots of yours soon:thumbsup:

[shootme]

BR, great shot, the amendments in #2 are good, I myself love using selective colour, but I think the face is so powerful and full of character that in this case it's just distracting, at least for me.

Maybe the background wasn't nice but it still looks unusual to have it so dark (particularly above the head) as there doesn't seem to be the separation needed between subject and background.

[draymorton]

The photo is fantastic of him and I love the treatment. You've really got that down!

I have to say, though, that I'm not digging the bg or the selective coloring. The bg seems to shout "pasted in" - which, unless that was the intent, is rarely a good thing. There's something about the lighting levels and distribution that make it look fake. Just my two cents. I would love to see some variations with this shot, because it is, at its core, pretty damn cool.

[GB1]

rob - Very sharp, and interesting. I must agree that the dark background looks a little intense here though. Toning down the exposure on him helps.

Irish relative - I thought you were Mexican?

G

[BlueRob]

BR, great shot, the amendments in #2 are good, I myself love using selective colour, but I think the face is so powerful and full of character that in this case it's just distracting, at least for me.

Maybe the background wasn't nice but it still looks unusual to have it so dark (particularly above the head) as there doesn't seem to be the separation needed between subject and background.

Thanks a lot, and now that you mention it I guess you are right, the red takes out some the attention from the face. I will change it back to B&W. Also I will look forward to work on that background.
Thanks a lot for the comments. :thumbsup:

[BlueRob]

The photo is fantastic of him and I love the treatment. You've really got that down!

I have to say, though, that I'm not digging the bg or the selective coloring. The bg seems to shout "pasted in" - which, unless that was the intent, is rarely a good thing. There's something about the lighting levels and distribution that make it look fake. Just my two cents. I would love to see some variations with this shot, because it is, at its core, pretty damn cool.

Thanks a lot Dray! Yes the handkerchief in his pocket was red as you see it here but I will make it B&W as the rest, will look more natural (less pasted) and will focus the viewer on the face which is the marrow of the shot.
I will work on some variations as you said (have any ideas?) also took several pic from this guy so I have plenty of different face moods to choose from
Thanks again mate:thumbsup:

[BlueRob]

rob - Very sharp, and interesting. I must agree that the dark background looks a little intense here though. Toning down the exposure on him helps.

Irish relative - I thought you were Mexican?

G

Thanks GB I´ll work on that background an Exp. to see what happens.

Irish! yes indeed...not me though I dont have an ounce of Irish in my blood but this chap married my mother several years ago....huuum now that I think of it that makes him my step father I guess

[daq7]

The texture in this is fantastic. This guy is by no means classicly handsome although he may once have been, but the character given by the varied texture makes this very appealing. I am hoping to get some portraits like this myself some day.

I just got a couple of speedlites, so I am going to work on some self portraits with two strobes.

[shootme]

BR, just a thought.

Try cropping above the pocket handkerchief, that will eliminate the work and the handkerchief altogether?

[BlueRob]

The texture in this is fantastic. This guy is by no means classicly handsome although he may once have been, but the character given by the varied texture makes this very appealing. I am hoping to get some portraits like this myself some day.

I just got a couple of speedlites, so I am going to work on some self portraits with two strobes.

LOL he used to be a hunk as far as I know but the years runs all over us eventually. Yeap the skin texture is what caught my aye from this particular shot it definitely adds to the character...note that I said "adds"....I have noticed that photographing persons with stronger character deliver stronger results.
Thanks for your comments Daq.

[BlueRob]

BR, just a thought.

Try cropping above the pocket handkerchief, that will eliminate the work and the handkerchief altogether?

Hmmm Interesting....I haven't thought of that:idea: I´ll try it as see how that looks:thumbsup:

[frapuchi]

The surgery performed in the second version emphasizes the contrast and makes it more obvious details of the face.
For me it's better the second.
Hello

[gahspidy]

I like what you did with the edit on the face in the second. I am feeling somehwere along the lines as Dray stated. the background is too dark and not natural somehow. I think you might have selected it and totally reduced its brightness? If that was the case, I would only suggest not reducing it so drastically. the subject pops already from your excellent sharpness and good exposure plus he is a very light skinned man. A bit more light in the back would get a more natural feel and not lose the subject at all, but rather have him blend more naturally.
Other than the issue with the bg, this is awesome. What a character.

[BlueRob]

I like what you did with the edit on the face in the second. I am feeling somehwere along the lines as Dray stated. the background is too dark and not natural somehow. I think you might have selected it and totally reduced its brightness? If that was the case, I would only suggest not reducing it so drastically. the subject pops already from your excellent sharpness and good exposure plus he is a very light skinned man. A bit more light in the back would get a more natural feel and not lose the subject at all, but rather have him blend more naturally.
Other than the issue with the bg, this is awesome. What a character.

Exactly that is what I did Gary. I´ll roll it back a bit and post the results :thumbsup:

[BlueRob]

Here we go....I struggled making that background to my liking taking into account all your comments....so far here is the result, I must say that I`m uncertain about it. What do you think?
Also I reduced a bit the exposure on the subject to avoid this hard crash between him and the background, I dont know if this takes away some punch on the face....

[Frog]

I have been following this thread since it started. I found the original image very good with a man exhibiting lots of character appearing to be posed with sun on his face and it isn't easy to get such a good shot of anybody with sun on their face. I wondered if others would find it too bright and couldn't decide myself and still haven't.
I've just scrolled up and down, comparing the first with the second. I see the technical improvements in the second with more detail in the face but personally I'd like to see something between the two.
As for the selective color; I didn't even notice the red handkerchief for some time as the face is so captivating that I never scrolled down far enough to see it. After it was mentioned, I got rid of all my tool bars so I could see the whole photo without scrolling. I only found it slightly distracting when I did. I did find the red version of BR Photo really distracting.
I never noticed background smudges and though there may be a better bg, the dark one did not bother me. HOWEVER! That last one is just....well...awful! It immediatly pulls my eyes away from the face.
This is all from someone who can only admire those who are working with techniques that he only wishes to learn and I thank all of you for the insights you share with all of us.