People and Portraits - Backgrounds

In order to get orgainsed for taking my pictures, I have been walking with the dog this morning and have taken a number of backgrounds that could do well in my final portfolio. The aim has been to get vibrant colours, different texture, and different shades, to provide contrast within the image. All of which I have managed to find within a mile of my front door!

Ideally I am also looking for some graffiti and some concrete too, as this will add to the mix. However, I think that may involve a trip to somewhere like Birmingham.

These were just experimental photos, so I was not too worried about the settings in the camera, as I really was just trying to get an idea of location(s). However, I have included settings for reference purposes.  They were taken quite early in the morning and the sky was cloudy and dull, so the colours are a little bland.

 ISO 800: f/10: 1/250: Lens 18-55mm

 ISO 800: f/10: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/100: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/25: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/15: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/80: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/60: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/60: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/32: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

ISO 400: f/5.6/: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

Setting The Scene

I have spent a lot of time looking at images on the internet and magazines etc, thinking about my portrait portfolio and have put a kind of story board together, although these are just rough ideas of what I think I would like to capture.

Use if Light - People and Portraits

In many of the photographs that I have seen the models are highlighted with additional lighting. Clearly I do not have a full set of lights and all of the necessary equipment that may be necessary to achieve much of this. However, I do have a Nissin Di622 Speedlite Flash gun.

I have been researching the internet to see how I can get the most out of this as a tool.

So far I have learned that:

• The flash is triggered remotely using the infrared burst from the camera flash.
• To avoid the camera flash affecting the shot too much, you can adjust the Flash Exposure Compensation, on your Canon camera. Hence I have adjusted this down by 2 whole stops.
• The infra red receiver needs to be able to 'see' the infra red burst from the main unit.

I spent a while yesterday evening trying to set up different scenarios. Using my camera on my main Manfrotto tripod, I put the remote flash unit onto a smaller tripod and adjusted it so that I could use both flash units at the same time. The results were quite pleasing, although I did not have a subject in the shot, I was happy with the way that I got both of the units working together.

The next step is to take them both out with me to test a 'shoot', which I hope to be doing over this weekend.

Working on my Portfolio - People and Portraits

Since Thursday evening I have been thinking about my portfolio in some depth. I want to take some urban portraits with my model(s) captured against walls, doors, or other structures. In a similar style to Joe Miles or Mark Tierney. That is not so easy.

I am currently looking for suitable locations, with the right amount of space around them and the right texture to them.

There are a couple of possibilities that I have seen, for example garage doors, fencing panels and a specific wall on a housing estate in Lichfield.

Later today i shall be going to Birmingham and will be keeping an eye out for interesting locations. I am particularly interested in some of the small industrial units in Aston or close to there, where I think there should be some good opportunities.

Joe Miles

http://www.joemiles.com/

Joe Miles has over fifteen years experience as a professional photographer. Based near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, he has photographed models, politicians and celebrities. His clients include Liverpool FC, Marie Claire, Nivea, The Portland Hospital, The Sunday Times Magazine and Tesco.

Joe specialises in portrait photography for advertising and commercial assignments.
He does all his own printing to ensure the highest standards and uses an excellent local framer, when required. Joe has photographed families from many parts of the UK, particularly Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and London. 

In his location work, he seems to have a simple style using colour to contrast greatly.

The following images had to be screen grabbed, as I was unable to drag them off the website.

Illuminated from the front, the wooden doors in this image have a sheen across them. The subject is almost silhouetted against them.

There is an element of interest within the various catches and hinges, lines and shapes, on the doors that does, detract form the model a little, which is exaggerated by placing the model in the centre.

However, given the darkness of the model you are instantly drawn towards him, as he does stand out from the background.

This image is stark in its simplicity. Two guys against a red wall and nothing. 

It is the plainness of the red in the wall that contrasts so well with the guys in the picture. 

However, they are dwarfed my the mass of red.

Simplicity rules. This is a bit whacky, but the use of colour, the offsetting of the main subject and the starkness of the white wall, all work very well together.

I like the way that this image works. Yet again, vibrant colour contrasts very well with the background. However, in this image, the background too has some texture and interest. Placing the model in the right had third satisfies the rule of thirds. Having said that, he is seemingly walking out of frame, glancing over his shoulder as he goes, and this should take your eye out of the image, but strangely it doesn't and I think this is because he is looking back and you are then drawn into the textures in the background.

Yet again the background is all important here as it sets the tone of the picture. The horizontal lines created by the wooden fencing, or boarding, give a soft texture to the image. 

In this picture however, rather than exaggerating the contrast by having Stephen Gerrard (even I can recongise him)  in bright clothing, he has allowed the face to become the focal point, as this is the only really contrasting element in the picture. As this is such a famous face, then it makes perfect sense to attract the viewer towards it.

The last picture I chose has a lot going on in it. The background, whilst bland in colour, is rich in interest. There are many shapes, lines, textures and other to keep you thinking and looking.

The use of light in this image is interesting too. The model almost blends into the background and she too, as in most of his other images, is looking out of the frame.

this is a dark image that could almost be black and white, but it has an intriguing quality.

PhotoNut Blog

I stumbled across this website by accident. It just happened to have many examples of the kinds of images that I am looking to reproduce for my work. However, I have no idea who the photographer is, but the commentry and the photo meta-data is very useful.

The photographers comments and detail are indicated in grey italics  with my observations in this orange colour.

 

Beautiful side light was falling on this rugged wall and that gave me an opportunity to use the shadows as part of the composition. ISO 1000, 1/40th second at f/3.5 using a 145mm focal length.

It is great to get an insight into why the photographer took this photo. However, you can instantly see the texture in the wall behind. 

The use of colour, gold dress, blonde hair, tanned skin, contrasts well against the grey wall.

 

I love this picture. It has an element of mystery about it. I find it easy to seek out colour and go mad with it and sometimes all that is needed is a calm monochrome frame of mind.

Taken in black and white this image lacks the vibrancy of the others, However, it does create an intrigue all of its own. 

This near mono picture is a favourite of mine. Aperture Priority, ISO 200, 1/60th at f/4 with plus 1 stop of exposure compensation.

I love the simplicity of this image. The image is taken in colour, but it almost looks like it has been taken in black and white and the shoes have been coloured in.

 I used a zoomed in on camera flash for this frame too. Getting the mix of natural light and flash is the key to the success of this style of shot. ISO 100, 1/200th second at f/18

This exhibits a wonderful vibrant use of colour. Red skirt, yellow wall, white blouse, all contrast well in this splash of colours.

The way the model is highlighted too, with their use of flash, simply drags your attention to the main subject.

Another frame against the red doors. This time I used on camera flash to add the punch. ISO 400, 1/200th second at f/11

As above, the background colour is striking. It is interesting how the model is lined up against the wall, with her breasts actually lining up with the break between the top and bottom of the doors.

The straight lines add a feeling of structure. The peeling paint and the damage to the doors erases any thoughts of formality and also adds a nice element of texture.

The use of flash highlights the main subject allowing the colours of her light top and skin to contrast well with the red backdrop of the doors.

http://www.prophotonut.com/2009/04/08/cork-urban-portrait-pictures-2/

Mark Tierney

http://www.tierneyphotography.co.uk/about/

Mark has been interested in photography since a very early age (12). However it was not until the birth of his first daughter that he really got into taking photos. At that time he bought his first digital camera and he started to develop a flair for landscape photography.

Winner of several awards in local and national competitions he went on to undertake some courses with some of the UK's most well know Wedding and Portrait photographers. He started to take photos for friends and family (from portraits to weddings) and gradually got better and better at his craft to the point where he is now fully professional.

I am not interested in his wedding shots, rather, I like his urban portraits and this is exactly the type of thing that I am looking to emulate.

Classic rule of thirds with the subject looking from left to right, this image fulfills many standard techniques.
The lighting is interesting and he must have used some additional flash to remove the shadows of the girl and also to highlight the colours in the graffiti on the walls.
This use of colour adds an extra warmth to the picture, although I cannot help wondering what it would look like on black and white and if it would be more 'moody' in that context.

In complete contrast, this shot highlights the woman in the middle to make her stand out against the background.
There is a lot of interest in the brick in the background and the perspective draws you to look past the subject towards the rear of the photo. However, the use of the light makes the subject dominate the picture.
Using a relatively low angle on the light source has created a very long shadow that curls up the wall to create more interest.

In this image he has combined both of the techniques in the previous two. He has used the lines of the walls, floor, and ceiling , to create that element of perspective, as the woman looks like she has been projected forwards. Colour explodes in this picture with the graffiti on the walls. However, the woman dominates the image. Centrally placed with the majority of light filling her face and upper body, you cannot help but focus on her instantly.

I am interested in the colours in the bricks contrasting with the woman in the picture. the warmth of the bricks makes the pale colour of her skin really stand out. Indeed the fact that she is wearing a dark leather jacket, which does not stand out, draws you towards the features of the main subject.
Using a curved wall adds and element of perspective, but the real beauty of this picture is its simplicity. A wall and a girl - that's it.

In stark contrast to the previous picture, this wall is very dark. Yet again, the girl is in dark leather, so her facial features are exaggerated and she instantly stands out.
Even so, there is a nice texture to the blue wall which adds to the overall image.
Place her on the left, looking out of the photo is not what is normally taught. However, rules are made to be broken and in this instance I believe that the image works extremely well.

Light is everything in this image. There is much happening in the upper third of the image, with the support structures in the car park. However, the low angle of the image and the placing of the main subjects in the top third, with the SLOW sign in the lower third, proportions the image very nicely.
Putting this image in black and white really works. I would imagine that it would be a very bland environment at best, so rather than spoil the effect with drab colouring, he has been able to exaggerate the blandness by using black and white as his medium.

This image works as it has a great contrast between the brick wall and the wooden doors. The horizontal lines against the vertical lines, really work well. The two elements provide a great sense of texture to the image.
Also, the soft browns of the wall contrast with the greyness of the wooden doors.
Placing the subject in the grey section enables that splash of colour to contrast against the greyness. This would not have worked had he placed the subject against a very colourful wall.

Looking at texture, the bricks in this roof space create a very interesting backdrop. The way that they are not straight (vertical/horizontal) adds a feeling of the image having been shot and then turned through 30 degres. However, the subject is standing upright, so that is a contrast.
Yellow background, blue T-shirt contrasts well.
The lighting is interesting as the model is well illuminated form the front, but there is no shadow on the bricks behind, so that is something to think about when creating my own images.