The lived in look

[Phrasemaker]

Had another shoot today, still experimenting with the lighting and working out how to use shadows and eliminate them if needed. I'm in the process of sorting backdrops so tinkered with a large softbox to the rear of the subject.

 

[juggler]

oo, interesting!

My starting point for a subject like this would be much more dramatic lighting but that'd be more of a cliche. What was your thinking behind the setup?

ps the whites go to grey on the right side, you might want to attend to that.

 

[cargo]

Lighting aside. You had a great subject and managed to capture a great moment/look/connection or what ever the term might be.
This chap grabs your attension. I think even without the body art on show his gaze would still grab you.

Gaz

 

[Phrasemaker]

oo, interesting!

My starting point for a subject like this would be much more dramatic lighting but that'd be more of a cliche. What was your thinking behind the setup?

ps the whites go to grey on the right side, you might want to attend to that.

Thanks Simon, my thinking behind the set up was to make it a little brash and unrefined/harsh, make the subject prominent to the point of being the only information in the image aside from the errant grey which is a quick fix.
I've seen so many soft and fluffy images where a white background is deployed and also wanted to avoid my first instinct to shoot against a dark background with some more directional light. I will likely shoot the same subject this coming weekend
and will adopt a different approach this time, once I decide what that is.

Thank you.

Lighting aside. You had a great subject and managed to capture a great moment/look/connection or what ever the term might be.
This chap grabs your attension. I think even without the body art on show his gaze would still grab you.

Gaz

Gaz, thanks for your input. I'm shooting the same subject again and will have the body art obscured, it will be interesting to see if it appears, how the gaze comes across in that context, could be more striking, I'm looking forward to it.

I knew this wouldn't be a chart topper and not to everyone's taste, it's also not a perfectly lit shot but it does have impact and that's what I needed from this first sitting.

Many thanks

Tim

 

[rick448]

I like it, if it does what you were trying to achieve then it's worked. If everyone lit all pictures the same it would be pretty boring.

 

[juggler]

Thanks Simon, my thinking behind the set up was to make it a little brash and unrefined/harsh, make the subject prominent to the point of being the only information in the image aside from the errant grey which is a quick fix.
I've seen so many soft and fluffy images where a white background is deployed and also wanted to avoid my first instinct to shoot against a dark background with some more directional light. I will likely shoot the same subject this coming weekend
and will adopt a different approach this time, once I decide what that is.

If you want harsh I think the light on the subject is actually still somewhat soft, I think you could use a single smaller light source like a gridded 7" reflector, some distance away. Perhaps put it at a steeper angle too? I was going to post an example but all the ones I've got to hand have been carefully posed & processed to eliminate wrinkles rather than emphasise them.

I'd also be inclined to include a hard shadow on the backdrop but that's just my current taste.

 

[Phrasemaker]

I like it, if it does what you were trying to achieve then it's worked. If everyone lit all pictures the same it would be pretty boring.

Thank you Rick, much appreciated.

If you want harsh I think the light on the subject is actually still somewhat soft, I think you could use a single smaller light source like a gridded 7" reflector, some distance away. Perhaps put it at a steeper angle too? I was going to post an example but all the ones I've got to hand have been carefully posed & processed to eliminate wrinkles rather than emphasise them.

I'd also be inclined to include a hard shadow on the backdrop but that's just my current taste.

Thanks Simon, I'll try a variety of lighting options with this subject at the weekend including a gridded reflector, I'll have a play with a darker background this time. When I say harsh, yes the lighting was at the softer end of the spectrum and the harshness for me was the combination of character against the very flat, white backdrop. As always I read and absorb and enjoy try out any suggestions I've been offered.

All the best

Tim