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The Best of the Best! Right by Walt Disney Concert Hall!

Nill Toulme

New member
That's beautifully done Asher. Did you shoot her on a white seamless background, or do some fancy selection work in PS?

Nill
 
Hi Asher,

I really like your use of white background (Avedon-like ?). Your picture is indeed effective and clean, we can feel concentration and willness of this young woman.

Regards,

Cedric.
 
Quite effective cut-out (or on purpose background, who knows) although I'm just a little bit disturbed by the cropping of the left foot and shoe. But she seem so concentrated that our eyes focus on her serious face, it doesn't matter really.
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Sandrine, Asher,
l
Quite effective cut-out (or on purpose background, who knows) although I'm just a little bit disturbed by the cropping of the left foot and shoe.
Yes that is curious.

Maybe that's to allow for a mailing address label on the piece!

Or maybe it was lost by some interfering object in the original, and Asher wasn't ready for reconstructive orthopedic surgery.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
That's beautifully done Asher. Did you shoot her on a white seamless background, or do some fancy selection work in PS?

Nill

I always shoot these on white seamless, 12 ft wide. To each side of the back, there are, one each side white foam card, 2ft x 8ft. The cards stand vertically as they are score on the back, the black side and bent so a vertical V-shape card haas white on the inside and black outside. I light on shines up into the white V inner space pointing away from the white seamless on each side of it. This has about 30-50 W.S. on each side. This way the seamless becomes bright white and provides backlight which serves as a rimlight for the edges of the subject photographed and any flying hair.

Very close to the subjects I have an 8ft Octadome with a lumedyne head. To the right and high and 45 degrees in front and to the side there's a small box to create dimension. I split about 40 -60 W.S between these two and use various scrims to tame the accent light.

Like this, I open the skin pores and reduce blemishes by have even illumination but have just enough modeling to keep the figures alive and vibrant. No Rembrandt shadows! No somber mood of the lighting invades the image. I want to project the joy, skill and commitment the musician not their physicality or mental turmoils. It's a very intimate affair. They have to play first. That allows me to study how they move and relate to the instrument. Then I shoot with them playing.

Here I'll be on my comfortable 7 foot leather couch sliding from side to side to get different angles or else lying on the floor or perched on the top of a ladder in front or behind them. I shoot angles I have imagine at the beginning.

Then I will interfere. for example have assistants hold the back of the jacket out, with black tape, while a trumpeter plays or have the violinist jump with her $5-figure violin, taking a risk that pays off.

Lastly, it's formal shots and then fun, coming up with novel angles and compositions.

That's a typical shoot and lasts 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Quite effective cut-out (or on purpose background, who knows) although I'm just a little bit disturbed by the cropping of the left foot and shoe. But she seem so concentrated that our eyes focus on her serious face, it doesn't matter really.

Sandrine,

I noticed that too. It could be that her foot is simply as it's rotated inward, pressed against the floor. That might flatten the skin somwhat. However it did trouble me that it was so straight an edge.

This particular picture was selected from the library of files given to our image librarian. Likely this was not touched up by me. It could have been from a RAW or large jpg file. Once over there, it becomes a staff and faculty decision to chose one of my thousands of pictures as conservative or edgy as they dare. In this case, I too wondered about the left foot. So likely this was part of the giant library of unprepared images and could have had all sorts blemishes to repair and this would be done, without my supervision, by the graphic designer. Obviously, an extra step here could be useful: the photographer's eye and approval before circulating it too much!

Pictures for a brochure I completely design myself, where I have the responsibility to the very end, might have 40 to 100 pictures totally prepared, repairing in Photoshops, shadows of stands and cables, every hole or cut in the white seamless paper on the floor, (stilettos and chair legs and the stand of violins as well as scuffs from mens' shoes, LOL). I do that myself or send them to a retoucher in India if I'm pressed. Often, there will be progressively more detailed retouches until the picture is a perfect as can be.

Still, all complex retouching of the skin or faces, architecture or musical instruments, I do myself. For example when it was needed to have a version of a piano with the lid down and the sheet music gone, I reconstructed that over 2 hours work, but it came out well.

I'll recheck this original cello image and see if it can be corrected in time. If you noticed it, then that's an issue for me. Sandrine, you have a sharp and valuable critical eye!

Thanks for pointing it out. My own motto is, "Good enough, isnt!"

Asher
 
Obviously, an extra step here could be useful: the photographer's eye and approval before circulating it too much!


I'm not accustomed to these big organizations, and to me I though it was mandatory, I'm surprised it's not.

I'll recheck this original cello image and see if it can be corrected in time. If you noticed it, then that's an issue for me. Sandrine, you have a sharp and valuable critical eye!

I always do that, it's a second nature...Except on my own photos :). When the shot is average, you don't notice such things. It's the discrepancy that make them noticeable.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Sandrine,

I noticed that too. It could be that her foot is simply as it's rotated inward, pressed against the floor.

Hi, Asher,


Not possible!

Best regards,

Doug

Hi Doug,

I will check the original picture when I catch some time. however, the paper might have had a wave in it and not have been totally flat. Sometimes, moving a chair can pull the paper forward and give a slight wave. It's another thing to check for in future. I'm glad Sandrine points this out. We have a new vice President of Communication and he will add the necessary return of all images to me for final checks. Currently, there are so many print products in the pipeline, often fighting deadlines, that I get short-changed in the checking process. We ought to have a sign off process as in an atelier; bon a tirer "BAT! "A BAT is the proof an artist uses to compare any prints created at a later date. Often a signed BAT is required prior to any future printing being done."Source and more good information on print editions.

For me, this is the first time I have discovered such a fault. This would never happen to Nicolas who has the most responsible, impressive and authentic checking process i've seen. I'm always open to higher standards! "Good enough", Isn't!"

Asher
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Asher

Well done! I did notice the foot looking kind of strange as well- I think the invitations
are very sophisticated and translate well-sorry to be late to the party-

Charlotte-
 
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