GreenProgressive wrote:
1st post in forums with a new identity after a very long absence. :-)

Due to a confined (but awesome) new studio space, my seamless backgrounds are going to be too close to the model for full length shots, and not even really far enough for anything else to be optimal. I would like to find someone who can duplicate the effect of the model standing much further from it and thus more blurred. Some sort of guassian blur effect?

This is all I want the retoucher for, to fix an obviously too close solid colored seamless background (gray, black, white, teal, etc) from the untouched original 16mp jpg, and send it back to me with just that and nothing else changed. And, in a way that looks as natural and UN-retouched as the wonky old background, not artificial or eye-catching.

This shot is a good example of what I could do in my huge fall studio, with the model the right distance away and the "fixed/after" look I'm looking for. There may be a boatload of work if I like what I see. I use a ring light sometimes so some might be tricky.

https://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos/1 … bde470.jpg

:-)

Thank you!

Retouching doesn't have the purpose to replace photography. Wasting your money for something like that will be far less efficient than renting a bigger studio where you can put the model further away from the background and not retouch that at all.

Also putting the model close to the background, especially if the background is bright or colorful, will most likely create a cast on the model (like on this image). Fixing this in post can be a travail and won't add much to the value of your work. If you want quality result all this is surely not something to do with just blurring and with tricky lighting it can be quite complicated. If your small studio also involves putting the light closer to the model this will influence falloff, shadow quality etc.

In any case, forums are not for jobs. Post a casting call, someone may be interested.

anchev wrote:

Retouching doesn't have the purpose to replace photography. Wasting your money for something like that will be far less efficient than renting a bigger studio where you can put the model further away from the background and not retouch that at all.

Also putting the model close to the background, especially if the background is bright or colorful, will most likely create a cast on the model (like on this image). Fixing this in post can be a travail and won't add much to the value of your work. If you want quality result all this is surely not something to do with just blurring and with tricky lighting it can be quite complicated. If your small studio also involves putting the light closer to the model this will influence falloff, shadow quality etc.

In any case, forums are not for jobs. Post a casting call, someone may be interested.

GreenProgressive wrote:
There may be a boatload of work if I like what I see. I use a ring light sometimes so some might be tricky.

anchev wrote:
Retouching doesn't have the purpose to replace photography. Wasting your money for something like that will be far less efficient than renting a bigger studio where you can put the model further away from the background and not retouch that at all.

that would be the best answer. you specifically want a natural look and then want all your studio shots done that way, as you put it - is "a boatload" of money wasted. but, if you really think the previous posted image above is "good enough" it may be ok for you. i can see all kinds of problems in that example.

i can barely stand a 600 sq ft studio. the smallest i've  seen that seemed workable for full length work was 800 sq ft or a 20 x 40 space. depending on the image, retouching is time consuming, and expensive for a well done image. once doing a flight simulation product, the art director wanted me to shoot from the cockpit while a plane did touch & go runs and he said they would retouch clouds & extra airport areas obstructed by the window area. i saved them all the retouch work by simply attaching an external camera outside the plane and they only had to composite the two images, saving them a huge retouch bill.