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A German Lady.
#1

I went to the cafe with my friend Regina last Friday, and there was this lady drinking coffe with the owner of the place. I said my friend that I found this lady very beautiful and interesting, with a lot of character, and that I would love to have some pictures of hers. She encourage me to ask her, but at the end my friend was the one who introduced the subject... The best thing was that she agreed!! I was so happy.... I thought it would be a great chance to put into practice all I have learned in the flash assignment... Wink

We met in the same cafe yesterday and G was my assistent this time... I took some portraits in the shop next to the cafe... There wasn't much room to work there and the walls are full of decorations, but I didn't mind much. I was sure, she would shine anyway....

I worked with one flash on my camera with the flip it and diffuser and one flash at her left side as a slave.

Manual mode.
F6.3, 1/125sec. iso 50.

[Image: IMG_8107-Edit.jpg]


[Image: 29_IMG_8107-Edit.jpg]


f4.0, 1/60sec. iso 100

[Image: IMG_8134-Edit.jpg]


[Image: 11_IMG_8134-Edit.jpg]


To give more of the environmental light I worked this one with only my flash with diffusers, bounced a bit to my left.
Av mode.
f 4.0, 1/60sec. iso 640

[Image: IMG_8151-Edit.jpg]


[Image: 69_IMG_8151-Edit.jpg]


About post processing, I just worked my WB in PS with color balance and curves. Removed some little spots in her clothes.

I am really very happy with these pictures, but if you had some advice to improve them, it would be welcome... Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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#2

Good work Irma!

I think 3 is my favorite, whereas in 1 and two I find some of the elements in the background seem to distract me.
In #1 I think the golden writing on one of the boxes in the background draws to much of my attention, and the cut off cups on top of the shelf seem a bit odd.

2 is better, but still I think the strong dark colors of the curtain (?) in the background split the picture in an uncomfortable way.

In 3 I like her pose, the backdrop an the DOF the best.

Did you chat with the lady while you were taking pictures? Or did G? I often find it odd to work around subjects... with some people I just "click" whereas with others you never warm up.
How did you find it? especially this was pretty much a stranger. How did she like it??

Greetings!!

Uli
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#3

Thanks so much for the feedback Uli... Smile

I didn't see the cups at all!! Just that you mentioned it. I will try another crop here... I like a center composition as she is looking straight to the camera...

#2 in this picture I was not afraid that much about the curtain, but the brown thing she has just back at the level of her shoulders...

#3 was my winner too from all pictures... As you can see in the numbers it was one of the last pictures I took. She has such personality that I feel a bit afraid to zoom enough to get her close... Silly isn't it??

We waited for her at the cafe and before we took the pictures we had a coffee. We talked general things, where we lived, difference between south and north Germany (a conversation that never fails specially because G is from the south and lives in the north), also about Germany and Mexico, my family and so on... She was very kind with my German, btw...

The thing I liked the most is that she never looked afraid or embarrased or telling, as many women say, oh! not a picture, I am not photogenic... and so on... She always seemed to be very sure about herself... No makeup or jewelry, just as she is.... This tells so much about her character and self-confidence something I really admired about her... We talked while shooting and we explained to her what we were doing with the lights and I showed her some of her pictures in the camera. She was very happy when she saw her in the LCD... I really hope I could show in this pictures a bit of her personality..

After I finished taking pictures she gave us her name and telephone to phone her when the prints are ready... Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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#4

These are excellent portraits. They reflect this woman's dignity and poise, her education and her wisdom. Well done!!
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#5

She will love her pictures!

You should make friends with her, see her again for more pictures. If and as you get to know her more, you might get fantastic series.... I don't want to sound like you should use her, but if you feel you two have something, why don't you keep in touch with her. She seems a very interesting woman. What does she do for a living?

Uli
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#6

Irma,

Thank you for sharing your intimate moment with this lady. I am wondering if you have a photo with the lady positioned as she is in the third shot, but turning her head towards you. This would be a very pleasing portrait I feel. You would have an non destracting background and a classic pose that would very much suit this refined lady.

Canon stuff.
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#7

Thanks so much for your comments... Smile

Uli, I don't know what she does for a living. Maybe next time I can find that out...

Chris,
Yes I got one picture with more or less that pose. Actually one of them was my second best one because of her expression, the problem was that I didn't see I had a big picture just above her head. We had to remove it to take the picture I am showing now. The problem I had also with some of my pictures is that I have a red line at the edge of her hair. I don't know whether it was the light from the flash or the hard contrast with the background. I have done lots of things in PS but I can't do anything that looks better.... Sad

I tried a BW treatment, but the background and her color skin is so similar that I can't make a good contrast. Masking the background and change the color doesn't look natural.

Here is the example.

[Image: IMG_8128-Edit.jpg]



[Image: 52_IMG_8128-Edit.jpg]


Thanks again... Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#8

I like that pose Irma - it is difficult when you have busy backgrounds everywhere.

Canon stuff.
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#9

hmmm,
somehow I am slightly bugged by the pink-redISH hue... now that I look I realize that no. 1 and two have a different hue from no. 3. 3 is slightly more greenish, while especially 1 has that "rosa" (pinkish) hue.

I am trying to decide which one I find the most natural in terms of skin tones, probably two, maybe 1, what do you think?

Uli
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#10

WB is definitely different across the four pictures.

Canon stuff.
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#11

You both are right!

Thanks so much for your comment... Smile

I will try to work with these ones this afternoon...

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#12

I have posted bellow the original post what I have done with WB... It is so difficult Sad Sad

Hope you find them a bit better now, at least more regular... Anyway I will print one today in the afternoon and see how the colors come out from my printer, and then make adjustment if it is needed...

The dress looks a bit different in color in all pictures but I've been working a lot and I can't get it the same in all pictures... Sad

Could that be because in some cases I have more environmental light, or because the rooms were different color and one was strong pink and the other one very yellow?

Thanks a lot for your help and advice... Smile

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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#13

Hi Irma,

The new photos have a better WB tha the original. You may like to purchase a grey card for things like this. There is also an excellent product called a Whibal which I have.

The difference in the mix of the lighting is probably contributing to some of your colour casts here. WB is one really good reason to shoot RAW (I know you are doing this already).

Canon stuff.
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#14

Thanks so much Chris for this comment. Once I heard about those cards, here in shuttertalk, but they sound soooo far from my needs in photography. Thinking that those things where too difficult and just for studio photography... Well, here I am facing the problem... Sad

I will buy them, of course, I have read in luminous landscape that they use it a lot too. It is not only for studio photography or when you have mix of light, but to get the right colors in all your pictures.

Which ones do you recomen the pocket edition or studio version?

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
Reply
#15

Pocket version - than you have no excuse not to take it with you. Also check out the expodisc - I use this as well. One works with reflected light and one works with incident light.

Both are expensive Smile

Canon stuff.
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#16

Wedding Shooter Wrote:Both are expensive Smile
Ouch!!
I saw the price just now... They are indeed expensive.... Sad

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne
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#17

do they really have to be commercially available grey cards? Can't you print your own or come up with a selfmade
"quasi-grey" -card? Better than nothing....

Uli
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