DRAMA LINES

[FUJI]

Today, I met this,  very proud, independant fiesty ninety year old who was ( a long time ago) a Speech and Drama Tutor and Examiner, she is tiny and was contemplating reaching up for vegetables on the higher shelves in Waitrose.

 

I offered to lift her up so she could reach, but she declined whilst laughing out loud....after a few more exchanges, I requested a Portrait,  and to my delight, she agreed whilst reminding me over and over just how old she is.

 

All those lines she learned and later taught have transferred to her very expressive face........I think you can probably tell, she was a formidable examiner, but OK once you get to know her:

 

Once again....a choice of colour or mono............the mono isn't a straight cnversion of the colour one....it was done separately:

 

FUJI

 

 

[JHFoto]

Colour again for me...

[Craftysnapper]

Love it and colour for me Fuji, tjhis is a great character portrait.

 

Tsk Fuji fancy taking me to task and then doing the same thing.

 

 

I will admit to preferring eye to camera contact with my portrait subjects:

[FUJI]

Love it and colour for me Fuji, tjhis is a great character portrait.

 

Tsk Fuji fancy taking me to task and then doing the same thing.

Well done Paul.......in the ....Captian Mannering manner.......I was just seeing who would notice first ;-P

To be very honest, I did request that she look into camera, but a lady of ninety doesn't hear or doesn't listen, and we were in the vegetable aisle of Waitrose at the time, in the only two shots I captured my subject continued to speak.....hence the lively expression.

I am pleased that both turned out sharp......thanks to my recent settings of Aperture Priority, AUTO ISO and AUTO WB.......it certainly works in these situations......I did have noise to remove with TOPAZ de Noise Filter.

FUJI

[Craftysnapper]

I did have noise to remove with TOPAZ de Noise Filter.

FUJI

 

I'm surprised you had to do that at ISO 200 Fuji !!

[kev7d]

I am loving both the mono and colour. These look great.

[VWGolf]

The colour one - it is far kinder to her.  And it's a beautiful picture.

 

I don't like the mono one - not just yours, but any that make old people look gritty, like they've just come up from a coal mine and need a good wash.  Sorry.  But the colour one more than makes up for it.  :-)

 

Did you get her details so you can send her a copy?

[FUJI]

The colour one - it is far kinder to her.  And it's a beautiful picture.

 

I don't like the mono one - not just yours, but any that make old people look gritty, like they've just come up from a coal mine and need a good wash.  Sorry.  But the colour one more than makes up for it.  :-)

 

Did you get her details so you can send her a copy?

 

 

Thank you WG........Yes!.......I've known the lady for years, she used to teach my (now 56 years) daughter Speech and Drama..............so she will receive a high quality print.

 

I can agree with you up to a point on mono portraits it suits some better than others:

 

Thank you everyone else for your kind comments and observations......they are all very helpful:

 

 

FUJI

[ChrisLumix]

Colour for me too. 

 

How on earth did you get two such identical looking shots if they were separate shots?????

[FUJI]

Colour for me too. 

 

How on earth did you get two such identical looking shots if they were separate shots?????

Ah! You misunderstood me sir........same pic, same Colour Psd.......but the mono wasnt a straight copy if the finished colour processed one.....

I started afresh to create the mono version........Yes?

But in all honesty I did fire off two shots ( I always try to) the results are very much alike, except in the one I chose to process the lady has raised her eyes more.

[Black Pearl]

They both look massively over worked with seemingly random patches of sharpness and blur.

The background is very patchy with odd bits showing in the black and the edges poorly executed.

Her expression is that of a waxwork which its a shame as I imaging a more human one could have been caught.

 

As the the choice between the two - the colour version is over saturated while the mono version has too much contrast.

[NannyFerret]

I love her expression. It is so natural.

Colour version for me too as it's kept the softness of her skin.

The mono version loses that.

You have the knack of capturing people just at the right time.

[kev7d]

Whilst I like the processing on the skin FUJI, I think BP does have a good point about the background. I had not noticed this until it was pointed out. :)

[FUJI]

They both look massively over worked with seemingly random patches of sharpness and blur.

The background is very patchy with odd bits showing in the black and the edges poorly executed.

Her expression is that of a waxwork which its a shame as I imaging a more human one could have been caught.

As the the choice between the two - the colour version is over saturated while the mono version has too much contrast.

Hi, BP.

Methinks you have been a little harsh on my processing as far as sharpening goes.........in fact, there was very little except a boost within her eyes to give them sparkle. Look closely you will see that this feisty 90 year old uses a fair bit of make up ( good on her) this tends to over emphasise her natural wrinkles and the smooth tip of her nose and part of her cheeks.

The background is another matter.....I can agree to some extent........it was a background of Waitrose vegetables, leeks, Celery, Beans, Peppers all on steel shelves sloping off at an angle.

It was a case of leaving them in and get taken to task for doing so ( busy BG) ...or....darkening them .....which I have...

.A Brightly lit supermarket with a background of produce isn't the best portrait studio, but that is the challenge of Street Portraiture

Now.....here's the rub........I am at a complete loss, when it comes to darkening a background when my subject has a great head of hair....I can darken up to it ........but go through it and you lose edges and definition.

Here I used a combination of Curves, then a push on reducing Exposure using soft brushes in the chosen areas, I guess it is a similar technique to that of Pauln when he is processing his zoo animals? I think I require tuition ........your input would be valuable especially on how to darken around a head of white to grey hair without losing the edges or darkening it.

Or......should Imleave all those shelves in and go for a Gassian Blur?

Unfortunately, because it was pouring with rain outside, I only had my little PANASONIC LX5 tucked inside my jacket, so didn't have the advantage of a lens that might have blurred the BG naturally.

Yes.......I know.......I should choose my backgrounds better ;-) .......But, have you ever tried to move a ninety year old lady into the right light, against the right BG in a crowded supermarket whilst your passing the time of day??

I will return to the original RAW Psd to have another go......but only after I have received more feedback from you all.

In turn......My challenge for you this week, is to take a good portrait of a relative stranger inside a crowded supermarket ;-)

I will post a copy of the original so you can all see the challenge.

Thank you all......feedback and comments always welcome.

FUJI

[Korky]

Fooj - I didn't comment on this simply because everyone seemed to like the post and I didn't want to pee on your parade.

 

The thing is, I tend to agree with BP (he's perhaps been a little abrupt, but the points he's raised are valid) and I think he's hit the nail squarely on the head when he says the the colour version is a bit like a waxwork - it is. And it does the subject a great injustice.

 

The subject, the crop, the fact that this was achieved from a chance meeting in a supermarket are just brilliant - more power to your elbow in that respect. But the truth is that both versions are overworked and need to be less harsh.

 

I think the trick with PP is knowing when to stop and each and every one of us on the forum is guilty of going too far at some time. We're all human (except Herr Lumix, of course!).

 

Korky

 

PS - I shan't be taking up your supermarket challenge as it's not what I do. It's what you do - and 90% of the time you do it brilliantly well.

[FUJI]

Cheers! KORKY,

Your comments and observations much appreciated.

With reference to the.....Waxwork look......I will post the original untouched.....the lady uses a lot of make up on that lovely lived in face.....it's her bloomin' fault ;-)

Be back later....

FUJI

[ChrisLumix]

Here I used a combination of Curves, then a push on reducing Exposure using soft brushes in the chosen areas, I guess it is a similar technique to that of Pauln when he is processing his zoo animals? I think I require tuition ........your input would be valuable especially on how to darken around a head of white to grey hair without losing the edges or darkening it.

Or......should Imleave all those shelves in and go for a Gassian Blur?

Unfortunately, because it was pouring with rain outside, I only had my little PANASONIC LX5 tucked inside my jacket, so didn't have the advantage of a lens that might have blurred the BG naturally.

 

Yes! I think we're so admiring of Pauln's treatment of zoo animals that we have got in the habit of thinking it translates to every situation. I fear it doesn't. A background blurred would have been far preferable I believe. For example, compare a rose I took with the OOC camera vs 'blurred background' versions. I think your old lady would have been better served the same way?

 

 

[Korky]

Just as an afterthought.....

 

Pauln's method of obtaining a darkened background isn't the only way to skin a kipper.

 

CS6 has some very sophisticated selection tools (I'm crap at using them, but that's my problem) and I wonder if they might be the way to go for getting rid of fussy backgrounds rather than the ACR method of burning to black.

 

As I said........ just an afterthought, but perhaps I'd better get my coat 

 

Korky

[FUJI]

Right......here goes....

 

First....My original shot, as from camera except for reducing to JPEG for posting here:

 

Second....my chosen crop untouched, ready for processing............"   "    "

 

 

Third (Reply Box) the newly processed shot with a Gaussian Blur BG

 

Feed back please!

 

Cheers!

 

 

FUJI

 

[FUJI]

THe newly processed shot......Gaussian Blur Background.......my usual proceesing on layers....

 

A tiny overall sharpen.......

 

A touch of High Pass eyes only, to add sparkle and defintion:

 

Feedback please:

 

FUJI

[kev7d]

CS6 is awesome for selections around hair.

[ChrisLumix]

Sorry, I don't like. 

 

The blurred background is fine, but the colour is way too saturated (the poor woman has red eyes) and for me, the contrast is also too much.

 

Finally, the crop has changed her beyond recognition; the hand gesture is what your original is all about, the way she is (perhaps?) showing you where a badge or something used to be, or maybe she's just doing up her coat. Whatever, it's part of who she is, and losing that hand has lost one of the most important elements of your original shot.

[Black Pearl]

Well I much prefer the original (if you cropped it a little) as its a good environmental portrait. It looks natural, she is part of her surrounding, the situation suits, everything .

 

The processing of the last image is (in my opinion) still massively over the top with the background looking very fake due to the selection issues and you've give her terrifying demonic eyes.

The crop is too tight looking like she's recoiling in fear away from the right hand side as it comes to blot her out.

[FUJI]

Very observant, Chris. I think (in popular psychology) that the hand -arm-across-the-chest gesture is a self-protective mechanism. Maybe she didn't even want to be photographed but couldn't say no.

Just my take on the original, which I prefer.

Judy

INFAMY, INFAMY.......THEY'VE ALL GOT IT IN FOR ME.....Ref: Carry on Cleo....film.

I give up!

No pleasing you lot today is there ;-) ;-)

You know........what is very strange.....in the very first instance ..I honestly struggled to decide whether to lose the arm and hand, my heart said leave it in but my head decided no........had I left it in......you all would have said it should be cropped off ;-)

I can still create one with the hand and arm in, I can see where your coming from...........

No! that is definitely NOT. A defensive gesture, the lady fuly agreed for me to photograph her......she isn't a stranger to me.....I don't jump out at old ladies;-) ......

She is in full flow of an extremely animated conversation about her past accolades as a prominent Speech and Drama Examiner and Tutor......her whole manner is theatrical......she is giving me a personal performance. Amazingly she still lives independently, but has few people to talk too, which is why she spent ages chatting.....so long in fact.....that I was forced to excuse myself with a white lie about frozen items thawing out ;-)

Over processed? I spent a good time attempting to get this to suit you all .....considered rendering, minimum sharpening......to no avail......Oh! Woe is me.....Oh! Woe ......and now......demonic eyes........I give up! ;-)

Had I posted the original, uncropped version, there would have been howls of protest about the busy, distracting background......a tight crop would have been suggested too.....and probably a need to darken the BG. ;-)

You shan't see the final version......so there ;-)

I'm goin' in me shed termorrer...........t get me lathe set up......chuckin me cameras in t bin.

( only joking)

FUJI

P.S. Great, honest feedback.

[Black Pearl]

You know what - all joking aside - you are a bloody good photographer.

 

What your photography doesn't need is the particular processing route you are currently hellbent on pursuing. Honestly it ruins pretty much every picture you apply it to with maddening patchy blur/over sharpening, restrictive crops, over saturation and eyes that do look demonic - they are so unatural they can only be found in nightmares.

 

Frankly it drives me insane that you utterly destroy your obvious and natural talent to interact with people, get permission to photograph them and capture them in their day to day lives. Please for the love of whatever you believe in just let them be who they are and present them in a way that is sympathetic.

 

BP