Ok guys, so i have decided to set a general direction on where i want to go in photography for next year 2013, my final decision will be based on which one of these set which is generally catagorized as actually passable in your view

Some of them of which you may be familiar but i have selected these out of everything and remaster the color except the #2


#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10



Links to full sets in case u want to see all then only decide but these are not remastered la ( actually these top ten photos above are highlighted to present to you concisely, they are the cream of the top but thats imho la haha but if you made decision based on seeing these series below then please let me know also ya )

#1 http://famecherry.com/models/good-morning-gentle-singer/

#2 http://famecherry.com/models/wild-wild-yakuza-soldier/

#3 http://famecherry.com/models/picnic-in-the-park-v1-5/

#4 http://famecherry.com/models/ace-model-fro...rabbitluvs-you/

#5 http://famecherry.com/models/angel-of-your-heart/

#6 http://famecherry.com/models/good-morning-lovely-singer/

#7 #8 http://famecherry.com/models/everglades/

#9 http://famecherry.com/models/pop-shoot-hap...r-stephy-yiwen/

#10 http://famecherry.com/models/wild-wild-yakuza-soldier/



Thanks for your viewing all this while and thank all of you so much for your help ! =)

Happy 2013 !!!

This post has been edited by Wholleymolley: Dec 31 2012, 02:53 AM

So, your style of photography that you want to undertake will be decided by the public ah? Seriously?

Anyway, just to answer your question, I think pic #1 is the best of the lot in terms of subject interest, composition, lighting control and Post Processing.

p/s: Please provide links to each of the set as one picture is not enough to give a good representation of your work

I want to know what the market / audience wants, it is very important

Thank you, i have been trying and trying to replicate the lighting set up for #1 ! lol

its actually all artificial light, with 2 cfl lights indoors bounce ceiling, single hmi outdoors shooting in to replicate sunlight exact angle from outside i forgot =(



Thank you, i have included the links to the full series but they are not remastered la

Coz now i know better how to adjust color in lightroom d only few weeks ago

I don't understand. Are you going into photography for your own interest of for them? If I say the trend now is Wedding Photography and that's what people like, would you quit shooting portraiture and start taking up wedding jobs?

I do sincerely hope you're into photography because of your OWN interest, not because of your job. If it's truly the latter, then I wish you good luck because photography without passion will not bring you far.

Regarding the picture, I believe #1 is just a very simple set up. Natural, diffused light from the right. Fill flash on the left using a reflector or something.

Playing with colours in Lightroom is just experimentation. Have a basic idea on exposure and colours. It's usually best to just stick to producing natural colours for portraits if you're just starting out. And spend more time editing your pictures, I take about 10 minutes to edit a picture. Usually a lot of work to be done

My workflow is usually:

1) Adjust curve levels and make sure tones are nice. From the shadows right up to the highlights. Add or minus exposure if too dark/bright
2) Adjust for highlights if blown, pull back using the highlights slider. Adjust until satisfied
3) Adjust for shadows
4) Adjust for White Balance and saturation/vibrancy
5)Brush tool. This is your best friend. Do specific adjustments on areas that needs adjustments such as exposure. I usually have 4-5 specific adjustments. Each has their own purpose, some to +exposure, some -exposure, some to pull back highlights, some to add contrast
6) Apply Sharpness/Noise Reduction if needed
7) Export to Photoshop if there is any parts that needs to be cloned off, for example the subject's face/hands/arms or to remove any distractions that is unwanted in your picture. Photoshop is also used to liquify the subject
8) Final output- Save for web (ALT+SHIFT+CTRL+S)
9) Review back your picture. See if there's anything you missed out or that needs further adjustments before publishing on the web.

All these would usually take about 10-15 minutes depending on the complexity of the picture~

Anyway, don't get the wrong idea that Post Processing can save your picture. Post Processing only enhances your picture (like make up on a lady), it cannot create things that are not there neither can it turn a bad picture into a good one

I think that's about all.

Happy New Year to you. I honestly wish you the best of luck for 2013

The general term for the lighting and the style of shooting for pic no. 1 is called high key.

See how the highlights are close to be blown out and the light that flood the frame gives it a soft feel? See how almost all the background is white? That's most commonly found when doing high key shots.

I thought you knew about this. You have so many tools to experiment with. You have access to a studio. You have access to studio lights. You have a beauty dish and I do not know how many reflectors. I'm sure you have a large silver one and a large gold one (that you like to use) and maybe a large white one too? And it seems that you can easily find models for a shoot.

Seeing that you have so many lighting equipment and modifiers it's a bit surprising that you know very little about how to light.

I suggest that you keep all those lighting equipment for now. Learn to shoot using just ambient and after you get the hang of that, add one flash. Then learn about on camera and off camera with one flash. After you get the hang of that, add another flash.

You need to learn about light. Harsh lights. Soft lights. How they affect your subject. When you have lights, you have shadows. Shadows are as important as the light. You need to know how the deal with them. Where do you want them? A picture that's all bright lights with little or no shadows does not always work. Most times is just a overexposed blown out shot.

Forget about all your lighting equipment and gears for now. Get back to the basics and work from there. That's how I see it.

Shooting for money i tried already, its not for me, too hard work la haha somemore pressure to deliver the homework

Thank you for the tips =)



In all of my studio bed shoots i prefer continuous lights instead of speedlight or strobe coz i want to mix with ambient plus continuous light is easier to use in this circumstance

the cfl fill light -> 2 x Illuminator 5500K Continuous Lighting System ( bounce ceiling )

the sunlight from outside -> Artemis A300 HMI Continuous Light ( but angle forgot to cause this soft light coz its directed at an angle towards the glass panel from outside plus got curtain )



btw #2 and #10 , i tried to copy ur favorite photographer dragon chow style =P



erm, do u meant the part where i forgot the setup ? coz i got do second attempt with roughly the same setup but the result diff a bit lo

but then again since i mixed with continuous light maybe perhaps does it have to do with the actual outside sunlight also ? haha ( coz diff day / diff time of the day so light is diff )

this set the outside window light is brighter a lot but i remember the light is setup exact like this one wo, next time i try pointing the light at a greater angle and see



but then again my angle of shoot also diff so maybe the light collecting by sensor also had influence

This post has been edited by Wholleymolley: Dec 31 2012, 11:17 AM

It's not about forgetting the setup. Setups for one shot will not work for another. Understanding the concept behind the setup is the important matter.

If you understand the concept, then you can work on replicating the effects. It's not about where you placed the light and what aperture you used.

Like EXIF data. Apart from telling you what setting is used for the shot it serves no other purposes. You cannot use the EXIF setting of one shot you liked and hope to get the same result in your shot. Everything is different. You will never, ever get the exact same settings as when the shutter button was pressed.

Understanding why the photographer used the settings will help you to replicate the shot. That's understanding the concept behind the data and not memorizing the data itself.

That's why I said you need to get back to basics.

Cheers thank you mate =)

Voted, the no.9
hope i got chance to work with some model above...

hehe Stephy is perfect


If Stephy what concept u want to shoot ?

I will be having some helium balloons soon ... =P

in 2013, stop shooting model unless its free.

Dont understand,

Model should pay money for photographer to shoot, not the other way round.

Anyway, i believe photography shouldnt be staged.

haha, but ya cute girls always welcome.

Cute girls who know how to pose excellently and make up perfect for photography are never free haha

Well ... unless the model finds his/her photographs interesting of course

Thats just the way the world works






This post has been edited by Wholleymolley: Jan 3 2013, 02:10 AM

No.4 i also want
Maid, nurse, teacher

my opinion:
1. each album's scene (background) is not well emphasized, even if it is portrait, if background is not well taken care of (framing), the model will just look like she is not supposed to be there, and spoil the series.
2. model in #9 shot is the best in my opinion; carries the innocent feel, and the right theme to have it outdoor, but the WB throughout the series, just make me give up to continue moving on to the next shot. The consistency of brightness, saturation level, and WB, are very crucial to persuade viewer to continue to go through a photo after another, and it can be addictive.
Sorry if I sound offensive, but if you can accept the above 2 points, I think you will have great outcome in your next series. Shoot with your own feel, and adapt to positive feedback if needed. I do understand your feedback survey, that is to cater for public majority flavor, but then again, -kytz- is right in certain extend, if your photo is the same as the rest, what makes you different compared to others?

hehe


#1 true, u are right, being aware of fitting the subject with the theme with the background would greatly enhance the shoot ( but i am still weak in this hehe, i will try work it )

#2 heheheh i know, the wb not consistent ( next time maybe i consider just grouping those same wb in one set maybe will be less messy )



No worries mate, u are fine, I really appreciate the feedback and help =)

Yes u are right, to differentiate ourselves would be the ideal thing to achieve

but i think i not so creative type la hahah

sad =(

i like number 1 but the model abit pale, dun desaturate so much

Hi Eugene,

Great to see you here.Your work is amazing.Keep it up.

hehe thank you so much ! =)

Your works also very nice

I got tons of portrait waiting for me after CNY,so need your help to get my portable strobe come in fast

Your photography style seem abit blown off. It's like when we use Raw file edit and we boost the Fill light to the max like that. Another thing is the colour itself. You got to work out on white balance and tint also. Me myself also learning and sometime spoils my own picture. Time to get an LCD as I think my laptop making my eyes confused. Hahahh

This post has been edited by knight: Jan 25 2013, 01:10 AM