Shooting the significant other...

alaios · November 1, 2014

Hi all,
I am having a problem that I wanted to share. My significant other ( a great woman that I admire) she is classical singer and she would giving her first concerts soon and thus she asked if I can prepare some of the shots I already have from her for her web site.

I could not ever think that this would be that hard.

1. The only shoot out I have from here is one year ago where my technique was bad (more recent shots look better). Most of her shots have dark eyes for example. It looks impossible to take her out again to repeat something similar. We have a little young lady that takes all our energy and me and my wife spend every day long times commuting with trains, which leaves us with just few hours of sleep per day.

2. Second problem, harder than the first. I have selected like 50 shots where technical problems seem to be less of a problem but I really can not make any selection over those. Clearly I am so connected with her that I can not decide. I did not have any similar problem for any different subject so far but I really feel that I can not proceed with the selection (so to find like 10 shots to take them for post processing, before selecting 5 out of them as the best)

I wanted to ask your advice on this. Am I the only guy that had this problem ever? I was thinking to ask if I can even pay you for your advice so I can select like 10 out of the 50 for post processing, since I feel really inadequate to do that.

How would you approach this problem otherwise?

I would like to thank you in advance for your reply
Regards
Alex

Cavalier · November 1, 2014

Alex, do you have a website on which you can post the 50 photos (like SmugMug [grin])? If so, why not load them to a page and then ask the folks here to take a look at the photos and give you their opinion of which are the best 10? With enough replies, you should be able to compile what everyone considers the best of the shots. Be sure to give us your smugmug link when you have uploaded your images

lifeinfocus · November 1, 2014

Cavalier wrote: »

Alex, do you have a website on which you can post the 50 photos (like SmugMug [grin])? If so, why not load them to a page and then ask the folks here to take a look at the photos and give you their opinion of which are the best 10? With enough replies, you should be able to compile what everyone considers the best of the shots.

I second that. Others have done the same thing. It works well.

Phil

alaios · November 1, 2014

Yes I have smugmug. Thanks for answering positively, I did not want to look like that I do not want to do my "exercise" but for my wife is very hard to do.
I plan to upload the shots tomorrow night (Europe time)... as I have to complete my second pass on those shots
Alex

P.S Currently I have 81 candidates..and I will have to go down to 50 until tonight... what would be the more appropriate way to upload them to smugmug? A gallery with thumbnails or smugmug profile?

divamum · November 2, 2014

Alex, advice from a photographer AND singer:

- if these are the ones you posted several months back when you first started, with her by a window, they are not suitable for professional use for her. They don't show her looking her sparkly "diva" best, and if she's going to use them as promotional shots, they need to be flattering and highly professional. Btw, I don't mean the more American "glamourous" look - she can be much more natural in the European market - but they still have to be well-lit, well-posed, and represent her as well as possible professionally.

Btw, this is not a "natural light vs flash" comment - you can use windowlight as much as you want, but it still needs to be used well.

- YOU shouldn't be choosing the final photos. Put together a set which is technically solid and by and large flattering, and then let her look have them. THEN get other people in her professional world to look at them (teacher, coach, colleagues). Yes, you're too close to it and getting WAY too emotionally invested in the shots - I of course understand why and how that happens, but step back, look at them for light, posing, and expression and then let it go. If there are so many issues you're uncomfortable sharing them, that leads me to my next point............

- If none of them are good enough, get a babysitter for the afternoon and go take some more pictures. You're a FREE photographer, so a small investment in somebody to watch your daughter for a few hours isn't much. Believe me, if your wife pays somebody else to take her pictures it will cost a lot more!!

- She can do her own makeup, but it needs to be polished and professional looking - makeup helps even out skintone, reflect light more evenly, and generally lifts a shot from shapshot>headshot. She will need to LEARN how to do this for herself is she doesn't already know how (most pictures you've shown have her looking very natural, as though she doesn't wear makeup most days. Which is fine - neither do I! - but for photos/gigs... it's part of the presentation and she needs to master it).

- Appropriate post-processing and retouching. If you don't feel comfortable doing retouches yourself, consider investing in an inexpensive program like Portrait Professional - used with a light hand, it can do a nice job (NB LIGHT HAND. You have to dial the default settings waayyyyy back, otherwise it looks very fake).

I don't mean this to be harsh, but it sounds like you're getting "stucK" by, as you say, being too emotionally close to the situation. Short version: she needs quality pictures; you need to take some. If the ones you have aren't good enough, get a babysitter, go take some more, and go from there

alaios · November 2, 2014

divamum wrote: »

Alex, advice from a photographer AND singer:

- if these are the ones you posted several months back when you first started, with her by a window, they are not suitable for professional use for her. They don't show her looking her sparkly "diva" best, and if she's going to use them as promotional shots, they need to be flattering and highly professional. Btw, I don't mean the more American "glamourous" look - she can be much more natural in the European market - but they still have to be well-lit, well-posed, and represent her as well as possible professionally.

Hmmm thanks divamum for the reply. Respect for the memory you have and by the way very good comment about over doing it in states as a style compared to Europe. I see your point but my reality is slightly different... From the web sites I have seen most singers the medium class (not the best ones) do have just a blog with an ordinary page and I think my wife belongs there. From what she told me the market already considers her "dead", since she is over 30 (as she decided first to have a child) and always a 20+ would be preferred

divamum wrote: »

- YOU shouldn't be choosing the final photos. Put together a set which is technically solid and by and large flattering, and then let her look have them. THEN get other people in her professional world to look at them (teacher, coach, colleagues). Yes, you're too close to it and getting WAY too emotionally invested in the shots - I of course understand why and how that happens, but step back, look at them for light, posing, and expression and then let it go. If there are so many issues you're uncomfortable sharing them, that leads me to my next point............

I do not have technically solid photos of her and that is a pitty.. I have many good shots of friends but none of my wife, When we are the three of us photoshooting would not be the priority. Typically I take my best portrait shoots while I am at conference and ask from a colleague (Electrical engineers doing a PhD to pose for me). I did the same in my last trip in Baltimore and I would share some of these shots soon. From my wife I only have a set that was shot when I was still too technical poor and few more that were shot with a point and shoot camera.
I am lucky though that I have raw files and perhaps I can fine tune in pp.

divamum wrote: »

I don't mean this to be harsh, but it sounds like you're getting "stucK" by, as you say, being too emotionally close to the situation. Short version: she needs quality pictures; you need to take some. If the ones you have aren't good enough, get a babysitter, go take some more, and go from there

I am giving this advice and probably we would do just after christmas, before that everythink is booked.
Thanks a lot for your advice though. I will keep it high in my task list.
Regards
Alex

alaios · November 2, 2014

Hi,
there again.
You can find my pre selection here
http://alexpal.smugmug.com/ToShare/SignificantOther/n-5Zmg8/i-nknZ4Qs/A
Please keep in mind that the smugmug s thumbnails might not show the exact shot, but only a crop of it.

The idea is to select me the shots that should go to post processing, where I should fix problems, like red nose, smooth the face, add contrast, crop e.t.c
Most of these shots have no pp at all (only 3-4 exception there).
I would like to thank everyone taking part in this.
Regards
Alex

divamum · November 2, 2014

What repertoire does she sing? Makes a difference regarding which will best represent what she does.

Cuurently on my phone so have only had a quick glance, but I think there some very useable shots in there.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Cavalier · November 2, 2014

Hi Alex,
My choices are listed below. I assume that we can number the shots from 1 to 67 - counting across the rows.

#1 - I like the mood of this one (even though the top of her head is chopped). However, there needs to be some spot healing and smoothing done to lessen the distraction of the small marks on her pretty face.
#22 - Nice shot. Again, some smoothing would work here as well.
#42 - This might work if it were cropped with just your wife, the piano and the music stand.
#50 - I like the smile on this one.
#53 - this one might work
#58 - I like the window shots - but the shot is too low on some of them (too much leg showing under the skirt) and the shots with her left leg over her right makes her leg look larger than it really is. #58 shot has the best angle.
#62 or #63 - both of these may be good with some work.
#65 - Good smile, necklace shows up nicely in this one and the pose is nice.

Good luck with the project and maybe some day we will get to hear your wife as well as see her!

divamum · November 2, 2014

Hard to talk through as no gallery numbers on the display I'm using... Have pulled file names instead

I think you actually have some decent ones here! Much better than the ones you have previously posted

_DSC9798.jpg For a website, not a program/audition shot

Shots by the piano aren't bad - avoid the ones with the harsh shadows behind subject, clone out the orange chair, and use whichever one is the best expression for her. These are clearly "in action" shots and, again, will be fine for a website.

The ones peeping around the window frame are cute; again, could be fine as a photo on a website page - I like the smiling/laughing ones best.

The ones sitting in the window seat could work as website shots IF you crop heavily to remove legs and go from waist up; I particularly like _DSC2620.jpg for mood, and the outside view peeping in. Again, NOT a shot she can use when requesting an audition, but could be lovely on a website with appropriate cropping and pp.

The biggest problem is a headshot as such - the problem is you've used a wide-angle lens on almost all of them while standing pretty close, adn there is distortion. Not much to do about that. The best for a headshot is DSC9978.jpg, although the crop is kinda weird. That said, German agents and theatres don't care about 8x10 format - 4x6 or 5x7 is fine, so you can get away with that.

Again, what repertoire does she sing? Early music? Operatic? Recital only? Liturgical?

Cavalier · November 2, 2014

Alex, I just wanted to say that divamum is a lot more informed as to what shots you should use for auditions, websites, etc. for singers. The shots I selected are just ones that I liked, not necessarily with any knowledge of the profession or industry

alaios · November 3, 2014

Hi guys thanks for the answers. I will got through your selection trying to make an intermediate step of selections, so to allow more to comment. In case one wants to see what other professionals in this area have please contact me. I will send you private message (I am not sharing web sites publicly) so you can see a bit the standards... This might be useful for also your clients to have a better insight what others do (I can assure that you just do much better and you do not know it :P )

Regards
Alex

P.S I am updating this trying to translate from German to English. She is mostly singing in recitals , ArtSong, Chamber Music 17th up to 20th century

alaios · November 3, 2014

Hi there,
everyone I just wanted to confirm that I started putting your suggestions on an intermediate pool. This poll then gets post processing.
You should not though wait for me very fast reply. I am returning tomorrow at work (waking up at 5:00 and returning home late evening to support household) but I would keep post processing bit by bit day by day. That would also give time to others to comment and thus increase my intermediate pool.
When I will finish that I will come back with all the post processed shots to allow me select my keepers.

Thanks a lot
Regards
Alex

Shooting the significant other...

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