Monday, October 26, 2009

Good Shadows and Bad Shadows


I think the shadows on Kelly in this image are not the most flattering and I did some selective lightening and darkening on her face in CS3 to try to even the patches out, but I do like the effect of the shadow of her profile on the bricks.  Larry had set the lights to hit her when she was turned the other direction and the camera position was on the far left but she had the idea to turn around and strike this pose...it may have been after she broke the ladder...
Nikon D200, 24-70mm 2.8 at f7.1 and 1/125th, ISO 200.  Two flash, one from camera left and one from the right...I am not sure why you cannot see any shadow from the flash on the right, maybe it was only set for fill but you can see both catchlights in her eyes when zoomed in.

2 comments:

  1. At first glance, I did not like the shadow. After giving it more thought, I like the shape of the shadow. Just not sure I like these shadows cast by the flashes. Maybe I'm used to high contrast where there are very minimal shadows if at all!

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  2. I totally agree, the shadows are a little too dramatic for me too, for normal portraiture. But I can see the place for them if you want something more intense or theatrical. We just need to learn how to control and place them better to flatter the subject while increasing the drama. Probably not something for a bride or newborn!

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