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In Perspective, Fun: Proud of your spouse/partner/devoted friends? Then you don't need fancy lights!

Nigel Allan

Nigel Allan

Member
I took this of my (soon to be) wife Elisabet in 1984 on Ektachrome with my Pentax LX and just scanned it with a Nikon Coolscan from the original tranny. No retouching or PP, full frame and not cropped.

The lighting was provided by a single bulb Leitz Pradovit slide projector which is all I had at the time (actually I don't have any lighting now either since I never work in a studio setting) and shot in our hallway of our small London flat

I am no lighting expert but I feel you can improvise with what you have to make captivating, iconic images. This was part of a set which I still love to this day

1984-Elisabet-portrait.jpg

Nigel Allan: Portrait of Elisabet - 1984​



P.S. It is occurring to me going back over my old pictures and starting to scan them and bring them back to life with my new toy (Nikon Coolscan 5000) that I was a better photographer 25 years ago than I am now. I feel like I am relearning how to ride a bike as Mike Shimwell suggested in another thread
 
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Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
1984-Elisabet-portrait.jpg

Nigel Allan: Portrait of Elisabet - 1984​

Nigel,

Even if you were plane ugly, this explains why you have such a wonderful bunch of kids. What a special lady! I like the one touch of Vogue, the generous glossy lipstick. The face is well lit with this open light and the shadow adds drama with this si simple but aristroctatic lighting. what could be more noble in lighting than derived from Leitz?

The raised right shoulder seems to be just the element needed to balance the strength of her face. An entirely satisfying portrait and one to treasure.

Asher

Today, with the eye dropper in Photoshop, I might possible consider correcting the yellow from her eyes so they are white. The b.g.? It doesn't matter and the warm tungsten light might be just best as it is.
 
Nigel Allan

Nigel Allan

Member
Asher Kelman said:
1984-Elisabet-portrait.jpg

Nigel Allan: Portrait of Elisabet - 1984​

Nigel,

Even if you were plane ugly, this explains why you have such a wonderful bunch of kids. What a special lady! I like the one touch of Vogue, the generous glossy lipstick. The face is well lit with this open light and the shadow adds drama with this si simple but aristroctatic lighting. what could be more noble in lighting than derived from Leitz?

The raised right shoulder seems to be just the element needed to balance the strength of her face. An entirely satisfying portrait and one to treasure.

Asher

Today, with the eye dropper in Photoshop, I might possible consider correcting the yellow from her eyes so they are white. The b.g.? It doesn't matter and the warm tungsten light might be just best as it is.
Click to expand...

I am ashamed to say I have CS4 and don't know how to use it. I even recently bought an instruction book on it which I haven't read yet. But I do use Lightroom since it is quite simple and intuitive and with my limited PP skills have tried to do as you suggested. Does this work better or can it not be noticed?

1984-Elisabet-portrait-2.jpg
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Nigel Allan said:
I am ashamed to say I have CS4 and don't know how to use it. I even recently bought an instruction book on it which I haven't read yet. But I do use Lightroom since it is quite simple and intuitive and with my limited PP skills have tried to do as you suggested. Does this work better or can it not be noticed?

1984-Elisabet-portrait-2.jpg
Click to expand...


You certainly moved in the right direction Mike! CS4 has a lot. You might look at a trial of a plugin iCorrect Edit by picto color to get skin right. They also have portrait professional.

Asher
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Nigel Allan said:
I am ashamed to say I have CS4 and don't know how to use it. I even recently bought an instruction book on it which I haven't read yet. But I do use Lightroom since it is quite simple and intuitive and with my limited PP skills have tried to do as you suggested. Does this work better or can it not be noticed?

1984-Elisabet-portrait-2.jpg
Click to expand...


You certainly moved in the right direction Mike! CS4 has a lot. You might look at a trial of a plugin iCorrect Edit by pictocolor to get skin right. They also have portrait professional.

Asher
 
Nigel Allan

Nigel Allan

Member
Asher, I like the tones created by this tungsten bulb. For me, this almost has a forties Hollywood glamour feel to it
 
fahim mohammed

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Nigel, of course YOU don't need any special lighting. In your wife, you are blessed with all that is required
for a lifetime of photograhic joy.

The fancy equipment is for those that need to make things look better.

Regards.
 
Nigel Allan

Nigel Allan

Member
fahim mohammed said:
Nigel, of course YOU don't need any special lighting. In your wife, you are blessed with all that is required
for a lifetime of photograhic joy.

The fancy equipment is for those that need to make things look better.

Regards.
Click to expand...

Fahim, you are too kind. Thank you so much...of course the corollary of this is that I don't need to be much of a photographer either :)

But I'll take it as the compliment was intended. Thank you
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Elizabet is a treasure. How many of us can say that about ourselves or our spouses? I feel so fortunate to have a great lady by my side too. I know Doug's wife, Clara, is a wonderful catch too! I'll find a picture of my wife as there must be some explanation for good-looking children!

Asher
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I rediscover important ideas in photography by looking back at earlier threads. Stuart's picture of his wife Elzabet is taken with a simple tungsten setup and the walls are, of course yellow and a huge dark shadow is thrown on the wall, but with earrings, LOL


We need to revisit such simple approaches. It's the concept of a treasured person that's carried. I go for concept above everything. Anyone can buy a lens. Getting a concept to materialize in a photograph is a harder thing to accomplish and done well here.

Asher
 
E

ErikJonas

Banned
Nigel Allan said:
Asher, I like the tones created by this tungsten bulb. For me, this almost has a forties Hollywood glamour feel to it
Click to expand...


Hi Nigel....(A very classy sounding name)

I think you nailed it when calling it a Hollywood glamour type shot....You know its a great image, i just wanted to say that it was...Not something you see done a lot either...Maybe you will get a call to shoot some actor or actress =)
 
R

Rachel Foster

New member
This is a shot of my husband, Steven, taken just after I began shooting (about two years ago). It remains a favorite of mine.

0653-1.jpg


Rachel Ann Foster: Music Man​
 
Doug Kerr

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Here we see Carla, generating electrical energy to recharge my flash batteries.

On the console in front of her: her trusty Kindle, loaded with a fascinating book about the woman whose cells were the genesis of a line used throughout the world for biological research.

Carla_F14845R.jpg


Douglas A. Kerr: Does this machine have something to do with ellipsis?​

Canon EOS 40D. Lit with Speedlite 580EX II bounced off the ceiling, catchlight reflector card deployed.
Full Exif and IPTC (IIM and XMP) metadata embedded.​

Yes, that is a portrait of her. A number of years ago, she sat for a friend, a noted artist in Dallas (we met her in a dance club we were in), during a class the artist taught. Later, she did this portrait as a gift for Carla.

Well, off to lunch. Today: red beans and rice with sausage. Mmm!
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
This thread reminds me of the Leonard Cohen song, "Dance me to the End of Love" here and the official video, here. This is required viewing and listening for all lovers with a long term commitment, until at least the morning.

Asher
 
M

Mike Shimwell

New member
Oh, go on. No special light needed for my special wife:)

This is Sue, studiously avoiding my gaze as I train a 100m lens on her for a hand held 1/4 second portrait:)

Just the room light.

Mike


Sue_.jpg​
 
J

John Angulat

pro member
Rachel, Doug and Mike -
These are very nice captures of your very special partners!
Here's a glimpse of my lady, her name is Maud.
She not often photographed, however I managed a surreptictious shot of her.
As usual, she was poring over a newly purchased cookbook (I guess that's what chef's do, even on vacation).
Taken in one of Savannah's many park squares.
No fancy lights, just the sun filtering through the trees and Spanish moss.


Maud_bench.jpg
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi John,

The picture of maud shows a amiable and trust worthy character. You are a fortunate man! For hte picture, I feel that the green is far to powerful and so this image could, perhaps, be more effective as a portrait of Maud herself, by using a B&W presentation.


John Angulat said:
Rachel, Doug and Mike -
These are very nice captures of your very special partners!
Here's a glimpse of my lady, her name is Maud.
She not often photographed, however I managed a surreptictious shot of her.
As usual, she was poring over a newly purchased cookbook (I guess that's what chef's do, even on vacation).
Taken in one of Savannah's many park squares.
No fancy lights, just the sun filtering through the trees and Spanish moss.
Click to expand...


Maud_bench.jpg


John Angulat: Maud

Original​



.......and in B&W, with your forbearance, light filtering though the trees,


Maud_bench copyeditsAK copy.jpg



John Angulat: Maud

B&W edits ADK​
 
Doug Kerr

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,
Asher Kelman said:
Hi John,

The picture of maud shows a amiable and trust worthy character. You are a fortunate man! For hte picture, I feel that the green is far to powerful and so this image could, perhaps, be more effective as a portrait of Maud herself, by using a B&W presentation.
Click to expand...

Usually works better on steam locomotives.

Best regards,

Doug
 
R

Ruben Alfu

New member
Here´s my wife Sandy. Sandy means to me more than I can say in words, I can do anything for her and she can do anything for me, except pose for the camera. She´s fine with a smile for a quick snap, but that´s all I´ll get.



20091224-IMG_9575.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Sandy 1 (ambient light, bounce flash)


20100101-IMG_9663.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Sandy 2 (sunlight, fill in flash)

​
 
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