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The biggest complaint I get from other professional photographers is that my highlights are too muddy. Or that overall the images are too muddy. And I can't figure out what my deal is. I'm a human light meter. I follow "mostly" all the rules of photography. I'm the guy to ask about photography. But... once an image is brought up into photoshop, I'm a real dee dee dee. I NEVER like my finished images. I'm my worst critic. Would anyone be interested in allowing me to post some sooc images and giving me critique, and then critique my final image post production as well? I've never posted a thread on here so I guess it's time to have my cherry popped. Jan 09 13 09:52 pm Link well for one thing I am not a fan of those black picture frames Jan 09 13 09:55 pm Link I'm talking about photography here. Jan 09 13 10:01 pm Link Well from a models pov I think your pictures are great....I have seen some terrible photographers and some really good ones....and when it comes to your pictures you woud be up there with the best. I like photographers who can keep it simple yet capture great pictures and togs who know how to edit but dont over do it to try and make their pictures great. If I was you I wouldnt be too hard on yourself because a lot of ppl on here (if thats the photographers your talking about) are very anal but yet have no room to be. I posted some shots from my first nude shoot to get some opinions and was shocked when I got some smart allic coments and judging of my body especially when their ports were worse than mine! So keep your head up and keep doing what ur doing! Jan 09 13 10:07 pm Link  Holy Plastic Model, Batman. All of your shots appear to be lit in a very controlled fashion, but I'm going to agree with you that I don't like your retouching. Hard to tell if this is a woman or a CGI render. Feel free to post an OOC image. I'm going to posit that I'll like it better than your finished work. Jan 09 13 10:18 pm Link So far I can't see it (I really like your work. Works great for the commercial genre.) but do you do anything with your blacks and greys in photoshop? What is the extent of your editing? Shadows, Curves, ect... Jan 09 13 10:19 pm Link I think some of your pics are retouched a bit too much, but that is a style in itself, just not the style I go for. But I don't understand the "Muddy" comment... Maybe the colours are too harsh for some? Jan 09 13 10:25 pm Link I don't think they look muddy at all. And I like the black frame as it helps separate it from the page. But the skin is way to over retouched for my likings. Jan 09 13 10:28 pm Link First thing i noticed your models are almost all looking in the same direction with their head on the same angle. The images are oversaturated for my tastes. The backgrounds in alot of shots are competing for attention although it looks like on the newer ones this is improving and more focus on the model. I think a bit of colour grading wouldnt hurt either. The potential is there though. Jan 09 13 10:29 pm Link I'm going to talk about stuff you didn't ask about. Like the black frames, which I also don't like. They're all WAY too heavily airbrushed. The girl at the end is missing all the wrinkles that would naturally occur when one bends one's arm or fingers, and it looks really weird. Like, creepy. The only "muddy" image is the girl with the bass guitar. Most likely, the word 'muddy' is misused. The models are airbrushed enough that they have lost most of the highlights and shadows on their skin, making them look very midtone-y. Since 'muddy' typically refers to too many midtones (even in music), they might have been referring to the skin, and not the overall look. It's also possible that they were viewing the images on a monitor with lower contrast than my own. Or if you made prints, perhaps you didn't soft proof them first; many papers require raising the contrast to almost silly levels in order to print an image 'correctly'. In any case, I think the correct answer is the one that you don't want to hear. Jan 09 13 10:33 pm Link Ok great! So how do I post an image into this thing sooc? Jan 10 13 05:39 am Link Yeah, I gotta agree with all the others. Way too much post-production airbrushing. I smooth out flaws and minor skin imperfections usually, or if a model cakes on too much make-up I smooth it out as well. But I like natural skin texture to show through as well as it can. I don't have too much of an issue with the black frames, but I think a basic watermark would serve you better. Jan 10 13 05:57 am Link Square Jaw Photography wrote: alright, do I need to use photobucket or something like that to put some pictures in here? Jan 10 13 06:02 am Link Yeah there's a plastic feel to everything. Like you're over processing them somehow. They're very saturated as well. Jan 10 13 06:04 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: You mean here in this forum? Actually, I'm not too sure about that either. LOL. I usually just link it from a URL. Anyone else no the answer to this? Jan 10 13 06:08 am Link Square Jaw Photography wrote: Without being a premium member they can't post inline images in the thread so yes. Post a link to each image somewhere on the web whether it be photobucket or something else. Jan 10 13 06:14 am Link Aaron Lewis Photography wrote: LOL. Well I AM a premium member. Any chance you could enlighten me? Jan 10 13 06:16 am Link Square Jaw Photography wrote: Actually, no. I'm sorry but since I'm not, I've never actually seen the controls to do that. I know on other boards, while your composing a post or reply there are additional tools near the "reply" button? A small toolbar similar to what you'd see in Word maybe. One of the buttons on that toolbar allows you to put an image inline. Jan 10 13 06:23 am Link  This work? Jan 10 13 06:30 am Link From a model's perspective, while the shots are nice, there is far to much post work done on the models. They look fake, like dolls. One of the things I always ask of a photographer is "please don't change how I look, just edit the tiny imperfections". By imperfections I mean dark under-eye circles, the cactus scratch on my arm, maybe a scratch from my cats. Post work shouldn't change the entire appearance of the model but rather enhance it. The black border...yeah it's weird but that's the least of my concerns, you should work on lighter post work. What do you use for it btw? LightRoom, CS5/CS6? Jan 10 13 06:31 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: Yes it worked and I have to say that image doesn't need much post to it. Maybe a filter, some minor corrections on her skin (legs) and you're done. There isn't a need to edit that much. It's a lovely shot. Jan 10 13 06:33 am Link  This is my normal 5 min retouch. I white balance using a grey card before every shoot. So my images are white or grey balanced if you want to call it that. I haven't changed or messed with the color or saturation. Just a curve. insight would be greatly appreciated.  Jan 10 13 06:38 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: I think it's editing like this that is too extreme Jan 10 13 06:42 am Link [Edit] Guess you figured it out! Jan 10 13 06:45 am Link  Jan 10 13 06:47 am Link So far I like this look. The only thing I would change is the crop. Get it tighter around the Model so she stands out more. just my thought. Jan 10 13 06:47 am Link I agree. But I'm still concerned with what the heck muddy means? lol Would it be inappropriate to post the site of someone's work who I absolutely love and would pay big bucks to learn how to do? Jan 10 13 06:52 am Link *SHRUG* OK I'm confused. Please shed some light on how to post inline images. Jan 10 13 06:56 am Link I think you may be putting a bit too much emphasis on this word "Muddy". I agree with what was said above, it was probably misused. These edits that you have in here, are quite a bit better, although, I'm not on my calibrated monitors. You are a good photographer, Your framing is nice, your exposures are not all over the place, but whatever you were doing to the llamas' skin was too much. Now, these shots you have in here, look quite a bit better. From what I can tell. Are you using strobes? Continuous? What ISO are you normally at? When using a high ISO, and then attempting the "Noise Reduction" tools, you can get some very "detail-less" and plastic-y skin. Jan 10 13 07:00 am Link If you can not find it on U tube its just a myth.. You can find the edits on ther and how to do them. But if you like your photos thats all you need. Jan 10 13 07:04 am Link I can't see the question anymore as I type! lol That's silly. But I think I can answer pretty much what you are asking. Studio. 5 ft octabox, always using strip lights for hair and filling in the shadow side of the face slightly using either a reflector or a fill light behind me just filling in shadows. I follow most the rules. 100 ISO, 125-200th shutter in studio, F4, sometimes F5.6 if I'm zoomed in to the face. I get a lot of one eye out of focus shots with F4. Nikon D800, 70-200 VR. Use grey cards, though haven't decided if I like white or grey better. Still looking for different grey card actually. Ed Pierce Target makes it too cool using the white and too warm using the grey. I never broad light a broad and never short light a midget. JK Sometimes I will. I project my images right after the sale. Do a small adjustment, pop them into Proselect and make my money the same day I shoot. My lighting is NEVER all over the place. That takes too much work to be that bad. lol If I shoot everything the same way, I figure I should have a preset that would make every image look better right off the bat just to show the clients. Anyone have any tips on that? I basically pop the curves a little, then using levels make sure I don't clip my highlights or shadows, soften the skin a little and then show the clients that. Ready, set, go! Jan 10 13 07:09 am Link By the way if you are looking for that picture in my profile that everyone keeps bashing, I deleted it. Thanks for the critique. See I don't take it the wrong way. If everyone says it's trash, then that is where it goes. Thanks guys!Jan 10 13 07:12 am Link Your photographs are all good. I see nothing to worry about, although, I am not a big fan of those black frames. Jan 10 13 07:17 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: To see the "Question" while you type, the little button at the bottom right hand corner that says, "Quote" will put that text in you next message, like this ^^^. Jan 10 13 07:30 am Link Aaron Lewis Photography wrote: Under the picture in your profile is a link code to post in the MM forum. Jan 10 13 07:39 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: I can see in the first image why it's muddy. Muddy is all about tonality and the tones are a bit muted and a bit uniform the second image is much improved giving the image a bit more depth. Jan 10 13 07:42 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: I honestly don't see anything blatantly wrong with this photo. I actually kinda like it. Jan 10 13 07:43 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: Because she's so tanned, balancing with a "neutral" grey will make her look orange. I'm assuming she's orange anyway ... my monitor is a little bright and contrasty, but I'm pretty sure colours are accurate. At the very least, it's accurate in the sRGB colour space. Jan 10 13 09:07 am Link Studio 317 Photography wrote: Since these other professional photographers are the ones talking about your "muddy" images, and the professional photographers here don't have any idea what the other professional photographers are talking about, perhaps you should ask the other professional photographers just what the hell they're talking about. Jan 10 13 10:50 am Link Good Egg Productions wrote: +1. Jan 10 13 11:03 am Link |
