Assignment 2: Environmental Portrait Indoors_Final Image

Selected Images A & B - Raw version

Final Image (A + B) - Retouched Version

Lens Focal Length: 24 mm
Ambient light exposure: ISO 640 · f 8 · 1/60 sec
Fill Light Strobe exposure -Bounced on the ceiling-: ISO 640 · f 5.6 · 1/60 sec
Fill light Portable SpeedLight Flash exposure: ISO 640 · f 4.0 · 1/60 sec
Camera settings: ISO 640 · f 5.6 · 1/60 sec
Polarizing Filter

So finally the morning light in this side of the building was better than we expected. An f 8 at ISO 400 ambient light, and 1/125 sec shutter speed at 9:30am. We set up the first strobe while the model appeared, and we did the first shots with the bounced flash light on the ceiling to lit the model with a natural kind of light indoors. The indoors light was 1 f-stop lower than the ambient light (f 5.6) in order to overexpose the exterior a little bit. The only issue was the window reflection on the windows, as we were in a spot surrounded by windows in an angle of almost 180C.

The fill light was nice, the background was slightly overexposed but definitely we needed to get rid of the reflection on the window beside the subject. So, the use of a polarizing filter was essential at that point. And as usually happens when using this filter, the exposure went down in 2 f-stops. We tried to divide issues: We didn't go till ISO 800 as it was supposed to be to compensate the new exposure, but we stopped at ISO 640. In the other hand we change the shutter speed from 1/125 sec to 1/60 sec to force the background to be as overexposed as possible to pop-up our model in the composition.

After doing this, we realized that one of the sides of the model (the left side on the image) was not lit enough to have enough detail on the dark trousers and jacket. So we set up a second light, a small hot shoe flash in a 1/128 of its maximum power, aiming the model from the back left side. The light was nice and enough to add more detail on the clothes and model's head, neck and right hand.

Once the light was fine, we started to play with the model's pose. At the end, and after an important amount of images, we thought we had The Final Shot... at least one decent image to work with.

A few hours later, after downloading and choosing the images, I pick one image where the model's pose was nice but the reflection on the window was still too strong -Image A-, and another image -Image B- where the reflection was softer, and also where there was not a car passing by on the right side of the image, but where the model's pose was not nice at all. So, I took the right windows from the Image B, and I put them on the Image A after correcting the perspective and proportion (The image B was taken from an angle slightly different than the one in the image A), in order to keep the model in the nice pose and composition of the Image A.

Then I overexposed a little bit more the background to increase the ratio with the model's exposure, and I pushed a little bit the contrast on the model and the interior of the building. Finally I cropped the image a little bit to get rid of some noisy elements.

The result, a soft and natural kind of light filling the interior space with an overexposed building in the outside as a background, and a model looking through the window toward the horizon in front of him.

Pd: the model is a friend of mine who is an architect in the real life. I think that the composition, with the building in the outside as a background, and him looking to the horizon in the same direction as the building's perspective goes, works in a nice way for the purpose of the assignment, an actually could work very well as a portrait of a young architect as my friend is.

Assignment 2: Scouting & Lighting Test

Digital Polaroid 01 - Plan A

Digital Polaroid 02 - Plan B

Preliminary Lighting Diagram
-it works for Plan A and/or Plan B-

Camera settings for Polaroid Image 1: ISO 200 · f 2.8 · 1/320 sec
This image was taken just with ambient light and does not include bounced strobe light.

Camera settings for Polaroid Image 2: ISO 200 · f 3.2 · 1/80 sec
This image was taken using the bounced strobe light on the ceiling and the front wall

So, after scouting for a little bit, we chose two places to do the shot.:

The first one, called "the Plan A", is just beside a huge column in the main entrance lobby level. It is a small corner surrounding by windows, with a high structure and street building view which adds a strong character to the composition. The fact that it is surrounded by windows represents the challenging point in order to add the fill interior light without creating reflection on the windows. We did the test in the afternoon, where the main building in the background was nicely lit by the sun, with a blue sky as frame. The problem is that we will be shooting in the morning next weekend, and probably the main building will be in shadow (at least its main side). But hopefully this is not going to affect the composition. In despite of that, the difference between the outside lighting and the inside lighting will become shorter and it could be easier to have a nice view of the outside with a better lit subject and interior space in the inside.

At any rate, the idea is to use just one strobe bouncing the light on the ceiling and the column in the left side, creating a soft bounced light mood around the model. We are planning to use something as a white reflector or a Hot shoe mounted flash with a small reflector in front of the model's face to add a little "eehhhhh" of light on the eyes.

The second place -our plan B-, is the safe option in terms of light. The huge windows of the lobby in the second level are just in the right side of the subject, and the window structure adds a nice architectural perspective of the space. The safe side of this place is the absence of buildings or strong elements in the outside, which helps to concentrate the bounced light on the subject's face. Of course, if there is a blue sky that morning, we will try to add it as our background -at least a little bit-. And the nice thing about this spot is the huge wall in front of the model and ceiling on top that really help to reflect the light for all over the place in a very natural and soft way. At the end, the little thing to add, as we mentioned in the Plan A description, is the little "eeehhhhh" light on the model's eyes and face.

Things to see in detail: 1. If the model wears black clothes, we have to be sure that the light is enough to see detail in the blacks without overexposing the subject's face. 2. How the sun or the morning light could change the impact of our preliminary composition. 3. How strong and what kind of light is the one that we need to add for the eyes and face without changing the nature of light we are creating with the strobe.

We'll see if all this finally work out well next saturday.

Mid-Term Exam: Part 2

RAW Image

Retouched Image (Flip Horizontal)

Image on Layout

Final Lighting Diagram

Lens Focal Length: 57 mm
Main light Strobe exposure: ISO 400 · f 11 · 2 sec
Kicker light Strobe exposure: ISO 400 · f 11 · 2 sec
Fill light Strobe exposure: ISO 400 · f 5.6 · 2 sec
Camera settings: ISO 400 · f 8 · 2 sec

The product we shot was the "Trois couleurs Tortellini" in rose sauce. The product was kind of flat so we used the bread to compensate the proportion in height on the plate. We decided to crop the plate in one of the sides to leave an empty space for text layout purposes. When we finished the first composition we realized that the image was in balance but that actually it worked better in flip horizontal in relationship with the layout. So we decided to flip the image and it worked quite well.

The final shot was taken with the modeling lights of the Prophoto strobes, with a 2 seconds long exposure. We used a circular polarize filter to avoid flare and harsh highlights on the edges. We also decreased the ambient light power on the background to add a little bit more of drama on the overall image, and to pop-up the Tortellinis on the composition.

After a while working on the plate, the sauce was dry, so we used a small brush to add a little bit of sauce on the Tortellinis, as well as to wet the product a little bit more. And we added a little bit more of basil (or whatever the green thing on top of the tortellinis is) to bring the product freshness back.

I think the final composition works very well with the layout, and the final image shows the product in a nice way. Not bad for the first Food Style kind of work ever.

Mid-term Exam: Polaroid

Digital Polaroid 01

Digital Polaroid 01 & Magazine Layout

Preliminary Lighting Diagram

After doing the digital polaroid, we think that the perspective of the image could be nice in the way we previsualized it, because it allows us to show some nice elements from the place atmosphere, such as the pool table and lamp, and the ambient lighting on the walls, as well as the bright colours of this room. The product looks a little bit flat, so, the idea of increasing its height (with table props around or just replacing a little bit the pasta on the plate), could really improve the composition on the layout.

The accent lighting and the rose sauce on the product are the key elements to see this product really tasty and fresh.

Assignment 1: Final Image and Lighting Diagram

Inspirational Image

RAW Image - Preliminary Composition

RAW Image - Final Composition

Retouched Image - Final Composition

Final Lighting Diagram

Lens Focal Length: 24 mm wide angle lens
Ambient light exposure: ISO 100 · f 4 · 1/125 sec
Strobe light exposure: ISO 100 · f 8 · 1/125 sec
Camera settings: ISO 100 · f 7.1 · 1/125 sec

First big lesson of the day: If your ideal ambient light is there, take the shot right now, not after because the ambient light can change dramatically in just a minute!!!!! That's exactly what happened to us. Sunny and windy morning and blue sky just till 9:45am. It seemed perfect for what I was looking for. But after 9:46am there were just clouds and more wind. In short: a windy overcast day. That changed the lighting plan: No kicker sun behind the subject. No blue sky as background, just gray-white clouds and diffused light. An no umbrella to shoot through because the wind broke it.

So, we had to change some things, as follows: 1. We had to use the strobe head aiming directly toward the subject. 2. We decided to use a gold reflector to warm up a little bit the skin tone. 3. As the preliminary composition worked well thanks to the blue sky and the fence in the background, and as we didn't have the same lighting coming from behind the subject, we decided to re-compose the frame. So we moved everything toward the bridge, in order to use a dark background that helped us to pop up the subject in the overall composition (as it happens in the inspirational image). This last thing had been planned previously after the test session.

Finally, and after asking Val about it, I decided to "fake" the blue sky and the sun flare in a soft way in order to approach the final image to the original mood of the inspirational image. The result... not that bad, not that fake at the end. Isn't it?

In conclusion, what I think is that despite the fact that I really missed the fences from the preliminary image, the new composition -with the bridge as a dark background for the subject- helps a lot and gives the image more drama because of the high contrast between the lit subject and the dark background. However, the flat grass in the final composition kills the richness in texture that I had in the preliminary and test images. But, the overall final image works anyway.

Final thing: At any rate, a great and very useful location photo experience!!!!