Painting with light... hit me!

[Briggie]

Was trying out a new technique, and would like your feedback. Shot at f13, 30 sec exposure, and lit selectively with a small mini mag... think i could have gotten a better light with a video lamp or something... what do you think?

http://briggie.smugmug.com/photos/203678874-L.jpg

exif (http://briggie.smugmug.com/photos/newexif.mg?ImageID=203678874)

[Gary Glass]

You definitely need more light on that one! :dunno

Did you forget to link it?

[Briggie]

You definitely need more light on that one! :dunno

Did you forget to link it?

is that better? i see it when i view the thread...

[Gary Glass]

Smokin' hot model! It's romantic and sexy. The feel is guiltlessly voyeuristic: watching someone you love sleep.

The shot has promise. A 30" exposure on anybody not dead is not going to be sharp. But not every shot has to be sharp either. However, in this case, I think a little sharper might be better. You might doing most of your painting from the same general direction, so that you still get some shadows, though in fact it looks like that's most what you did. Use a brighter light for a shorter exposure.

There's also a big dark L on the left side. You could dodge that away easily enough. However, it also obscures much of the definition in her hair, and her hair adds a lot to the mood of the shot.

And you have quite a bit of exposure and/or ISO noise.

[Briggie]

Thanks for the kind critique, Gary! I'm still learning this fun technique. this was my first crack at it. I had been playing with the ISO earlier that day, and now i can't remember if it was still punched up to 1600 or not. so that could explain the noise. i have to remember to check ALL my settings before a shoot :doh.

i'm still a novice at my dSLR, and 30sec is what the camera threw at me at this aperture. but i was afraid i wouldn't have enough time to "paint" my model with a shorter exposure. i'll try 15 secs, and maybe that will reduce the noise... but i'll have to find another willing model...this one is back in germany :D. i was visiting her and her new husband last week. she's very free and easygoing. the type of person who would let me take pictures like this.


i hear you about the missing hair parts... you almost need to use a patern when painting with light...not to forget to go over certain areas! fun to do, though!

thanks for looking!!
B

[Briggie]

You might doing most of your painting from the same general direction, so that you still get some shadows, though in fact it looks like that's most what you did.

Could you explain this a little better? not quite getting what you mean!

Thx!
b

[Felicia]

This is a beautiful shot - very moody which I believe the light painting has helped with. I agree with Gary. There's too much noise. Also, the color balance seems a little off to me. It's a little too red for my taste.

The great thing about DSLR's is that you can see your results instantly and keep fine-tuning for what you want.

Oh, and if focus is an issue, and the model is not really asleep, you could turn the lights on, AF on the model, turn your AF off, turn the lights off and shoot and light paint away.

[Briggie]

This is a beautiful shot - very moody which I believe the light painting has helped with. I agree with Gary. There's too much noise. Also, the color balance seems a little off to me. It's a little too red for my taste.

The great thing about DSLR's is that you can see your results instantly and keep fine-tuning for what you want.

Oh, and if focus is an issue, and the model is not really asleep, you could turn the lights on, AF on the model, turn your AF off, turn the lights off and shoot and light paint away.

Thanks Felicia! I did do the focus thing, then turn it off before cutting the lights. i think i may have had my ISO jacked up from a previous shoot that day. The red might be due to the blanket she was laying on. i've got a willing model lined up, and should be able to try this again. i might try a better grade of light, ie: video light, or maybe LED, to give it a different tone. that will have to be my before and after i guess, since i'm no longer on the same continent as this model!:D

I'm happy you liked it, dispite the noisiness!

Brige

[jeffreaux2]

I like it. Is it perfect?....debatable......but I like it.

I especially like the fact that you tried something outside the box at least as far as portraits go.

Beautiful!!!

[i_worship_the_King]

I LOOOOVE this shot. I blanked out for a minute while my brain processed the overloaded buffer of ideas spewing forth.

However, the noise here is just out of control. I like the out-of-focus, it adds character (and I know she's still breathing). My idea about this would be to use a LED or something that you can flip on/off really quickly. I would hit the go button on like 30 second exposure (with the lights on), flip off lights (to add fill lighting), then take my LED and 'paint' on whatever I wanted to highlight.

I'll definitely be trying this.

THANKS FOR THE IDEA AND AWESOME WORK. :thumb

[DavidTO]

I would like to have more attention drawn to her face, something like this very rough, quick job:

http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/203678874-l.jpg___100___layer_1__rgb_8__-20071004-203310.jpg

[Briggie]

I like it. Is it perfect?....debatable......but I like it.

I especially like the fact that you tried something outside the box at least as far as portraits go.

Beautiful!!!

Thanks Jeff!!! it's a first attempt... so i'll be trying to perfect it for sure!

[Briggie]

I LOOOOVE this shot. I blanked out for a minute while my brain processed the overloaded buffer of ideas spewing forth.

However, the noise here is just out of control. I like the out-of-focus, it adds character (and I know she's still breathing). My idea about this would be to use a LED or something that you can flip on/off really quickly. I would hit the go button on like 30 second exposure (with the lights on), flip off lights (to add fill lighting), then take my LED and 'paint' on whatever I wanted to highlight.

I'll definitely be trying this.

THANKS FOR THE IDEA AND AWESOME WORK. :thumb

Thanks!!! it's certainly a fun technique. We actually got about 5 shots off, and that took about an hour! lots of set up, etc! Thank goodness for digital!! i'm all over the LED, i think it could make for an interesting glow!

[Briggie]

I would like to have more attention drawn to her face, something like this very rough, quick job:

http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/203678874-l.jpg___100___layer_1__rgb_8__-20071004-203310.jpg

I certainly agree with you David! its hard to remember if you went over the desired area enough with the light.

[DavidTO]

I certainly agree with you David! its hard to remember if you went over the desired area enough with the light.


My point is you can still make it happen. :dunno

[Briggie]

My point is you can still make it happen. :dunno
meaning...photoshop it, or reshoot?... i've approached my buddy with the idea, and we should be setting a shoot up soon!... just won't be as pretty as Iwona:D ! in the mean time i'll try to play with it in PS.

[DavidTO]

meaning...photoshop it, or reshoot?... i've approached my buddy with the idea, and we should be setting a shoot up soon!... just won't be as pretty as Iwona:D ! in the mean time i'll try to play with it in PS.


Either. :dunno

[Gary Glass]

its hard to remember if you went over the desired area enough with the light.

See this would be the easy part for me. Though a lot of the picture would be pretty black. :wink

[Briggie]

See this would be the easy part for me. Though a lot of the picture would be pretty black. :wink

:rolleyes .... men!!!

[i_worship_the_King]

^ I laughed... he DOES have a point there - hence why I would leave the lights on for a second, then highlight those 'important' parts. You know, the face, hair, arms - you know...

I was also wondering why you shot @ f13... I was thinking like f2 or f2.8, really low DOF with the face the only thing truly in focus - that would draw attention to her face and really make the red lips stand out brightly.

[pathfinder]

Very interesting image - I like the color, and the softness of the image. Beautiful girl.

I would crop the left vertical border and, thus , lose the dark area to the left, and move the model's head farther from the center of your frame though.

[Briggie]

I was also wondering why you shot @ f13... I was thinking like f2 or f2.8, really low DOF with the face the only thing truly in focus - that would draw attention to her face and really make the red lips stand out brightly.

I shot f13, only because it seemed about half way on the nifty fifty i was using. and f15 and up gave me an interminable exposure length on aperture priority... it didn't dawn on me at the time to shoot full manual :doh!! i had done a little research on the web, and most sites suggested a small aperture. i'll try a bit more open, but, i guess i'd have to go with a shorter exposure? anyway...i'll be playing with this technique a lot more in a few weeks.

[Briggie]

Very interesting image - I like the color, and the softness of the image. Beautiful girl.

I would crop the left vertical border and, thus , lose the dark area to the left, and move the model's head farther from the center of your frame though.

Thanks!! good idea cropping the negative space on the left. would fix the black "L" problem pointed out in an earlier post!

[i_worship_the_King]

you're probably right. I always think something sounds great. But when it looks like crap I end up working it around again.

If you end up opening the aperature or something try turning the ISO down so you still have adequate time to 'paint.'

[Briggie]

you're probably right. I always think something sounds great. But when it looks like crap I end up working it around again.

If you end up opening the aperature or something try turning the ISO down so you still have adequate time to 'paint.'

For sure! the sites i've refered to all say to shoot at the lowest ISO, quite a small aperture, and a long exposure. can't wait to try it again! its a lot of fun. almost like christmas, since you don't know what you'll get until after the shutter closes. you should try it!!

[Ken Lapp]

I blanked out for a minute while my brain processed the overloaded buffer of ideas spewing forth.

Love the comment...i'll need to remember this one!

Like the photo too, and I agree with the others that more emphasis on the face, and a little more on the hair would be good. Plus, you can go with a low ISO since you are using a long exposure and lighting the areas you choose. Can't wait to see what you come up with next. :wink

I have tried this once, the last time I went camping. I picked out one tree to light up and left the rest a siloutte against the sky, which still had some nice dark blue light left. Now I need to go find that photo... been too busy with other stuff.

[Art Scott]

If you have a threatrical supply house clsoe by you might want to try adding some extra color with theatrical gels and if you using a mini mag light the FREE swatch books would do the trick for you.......

Personally I really like what you have done here as it is...if you want more emphisis on the face then just dodge it a bit to lighten or burn to darken (in photoshop that is)............

[Briggie]

Love the comment...i'll need to remember this one!

Like the photo too, and I agree with the others that more emphasis on the face, and a little more on the hair would be good. Plus, you can go with a low ISO since you are using a long exposure and lighting the areas you choose. Can't wait to see what you come up with next. :wink

I have tried this once, the last time I went camping. I picked out one tree to light up and left the rest a siloutte against the sky, which still had some nice dark blue light left. Now I need to go find that photo... been too busy with other stuff.

Thanks Ken! I will certainly try something with a bit more facial focus! Thanks for the comments! I've also got some more ideas on what to do next with this technique. I've just got to get a bit more practice in with PS Elements and try to tweak this existing pic!

Cheers!
Brige

[Briggie]

If you have a threatrical supply house clsoe by you might want to try adding some extra color with theatrical gels and if you using a mini mag light the FREE swatch books would do the trick for you.......

Personally I really like what you have done here as it is...if you want more emphisis on the face then just dodge it a bit to lighten or burn to darken (in photoshop that is)............

Great ideas, Art! I'm also thinking that there maybe be a better temperature light to use...i think that's how you'd explain it. i find the mini mag gives a bit of a yellow light. needs one that's more a pure white! but the gels is a great idea...i feel new ideas brewing!:wink

Thanks for the kind coments! I'll be giving it a go in PS soon!

cheers!
Brige

[CatOne]

I like it!

Perhaps it could use a LITTLE more light on the face, but I think David overcooked it by quite a lot. David, did you pull up with your light bar and your KC Daylighters and throw a billion lumens on her head? WHOA!

Anyway... this picture is unexpectedly different. Can't say I think it's perfect, but I'm having a hard time telling what I'd do differently. I'd say, if it were me I'd probably experiment with this -- take the same shot 20 different times with a variety of experiments on time, angle, etc. with the light. It would be great to shoot tethered in this instance so you could get more immediate feedback. Oh, and the model may have a scowl on the last few shots if you try to make her do that same pose for an hour or so, but hey, that's where the charm of the photographer works its magic :wink

[Briggie]

I like it!

Perhaps it could use a LITTLE more light on the face, but I think David overcooked it by quite a lot. David, did you pull up with your light bar and your KC Daylighters and throw a billion lumens on her head? WHOA!

Anyway... this picture is unexpectedly different. Can't say I think it's perfect, but I'm having a hard time telling what I'd do differently. I'd say, if it were me I'd probably experiment with this -- take the same shot 20 different times with a variety of experiments on time, angle, etc. with the light. It would be great to shoot tethered in this instance so you could get more immediate feedback. Oh, and the model may have a scowl on the last few shots if you try to make her do that same pose for an hour or so, but hey, that's where the charm of the photographer works its magic :wink

I agree, practice makes perfect. I plan to play with this alot yet! hopefully in the next couple weeks. I'll be posting back!!

Yeah, i think if i were to up the highlight on the face, it would have to be fairly subtle..

thanks for looking!

[DavidTO]

I like it!

Perhaps it could use a LITTLE more light on the face, but I think David overcooked it by quite a lot. David, did you pull up with your light bar and your KC Daylighters and throw a billion lumens on her head? WHOA!




Oh, yeah. Overcooked, no doubt. It was a quick illustration using the lighting effects in PS. They can really help focus your eye in an image, if done correctly. :wink

I was at work, and shouldn't have spent ANY time on it. But I couldn't resist playing. :D

laptop monitor....ok, I'll stop now.

[Briggie]

Oh, yeah. Overcooked, no doubt. It was a quick illustration using the lighting effects in PS. They can really help focus your eye in an image, if done correctly. :wink

I was at work, and shouldn't have spent ANY time on it. But I couldn't resist playing. :D

laptop monitor....ok, I'll stop now.

:rolleyes.....men!!!

hey, maybe i should get my last model (GQ guy) for my next "Painting with Light" experiment??:D

[DavidTO]

:rolleyes.....men!!!

hey, maybe i should get my last model (GQ guy) for my next "Painting with Light" experiment??:D


Heh. I actually didn't mean it like that at all. :D

[Felicia]

:rolleyes.....men!!!

hey, maybe i should get my last model (GQ guy) for my next "Painting with Light" experiment??:D

That'll make us women happy! :wink

[timk519]

:rolleyes.....men!!! Would have us be anything else? :D:wink