In Search of The Perfect Picture
Dancer, Jalila B. - Canon EOS-1D Mark II and EF28-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens
43mm focal length f/13 @ 1/125 sec, ISO100.
Converted from color to black and white to selenium tone using Adobe Lightroom.
43mm focal length f/13 @ 1/125 sec, ISO100.
Converted from color to black and white to selenium tone using Adobe Lightroom.
This weekend, I spent A LOT of time behind the camera, a place that I find I'm loving more and more, (even more than DJing, if you can believe that), for a number of reasons.
Over the course of just a few hours on Saturday, I shot close to 1000 frames, and each of them, as imperfect as some may have been, gave me a certain joy, from just being utterly creative, and capturing the moment as best I could. Of course, processing so many images can be time consuming, but hey, it's part of the territory.
Not only that, but I am learning a lot about the creative process, things that I never experienced in music, or writing. The biggest thing: that there is no "perfect." There's only the best mix of available ingredients, the best output given the constraints of skill, time, money, and patience.
There is no "perfect image," no holy grail, but there is a point of satisfaction where one realizes they've done the best their skill allows at the time.
Anyway, this is the kickoff of something new we're starting, here at the 'Hustle. Today is the first Photographic Monday. Each Monday, I'll feature an image that I shot, the rationale behind it, and what went into the end product. I'll not be too technical, but just enough to get the point across.
Today's image features my friend Jalila, a professional dancer and attorney here in New York City. I asked her to give me a couple hours to shoot her in a few different looks, since she is utterly gorgeous, and has the poise and physique of a dancer. She agreed, and a couple of hours turned into nearly six! This was one of the best images of the bunch.
Since she is a dancer, I knew that she'd be able to strike incredible poses. She got right down to it, and in short order, she struck this position, which I instantly knew would be a great high-contrast, low-key image.
The shot shaped up with me having to sit on the floor, about nine feet in front of her, with my 28-70mm lens mounted. I set up my lighting with a single studio strobe in this case, a Calumet Genesis 400 studio monobloc, camera right, about seven feet up in the air, and aiming down onto Jalila's head, set so I could shoot at f/13. I chose a very small aperture (large f-stop number) for excellent depth of field and sharp focus throughout the image.
After capturing the image, in post processing I simply cropped to her legs, keeping the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the original shot. I applied some light sharpening in Lightroom, and applied one of the pre-configured shortcuts, bringing the image to a selenium toned look. I also tried it as a high-contrast black and white, but the soft blue worked well with Jalila's skin tone, and musculature. To close the deal, I applied some light output sharpening and the image was ready to go.
There's an almost holy quality to this image, along with both a somber element, and an inspiring feel. It really reveals Jalila's flexibility and photogenic quality, giving her a classical look, that exploits her physical and stylistic assets.
Over the course of just a few hours on Saturday, I shot close to 1000 frames, and each of them, as imperfect as some may have been, gave me a certain joy, from just being utterly creative, and capturing the moment as best I could. Of course, processing so many images can be time consuming, but hey, it's part of the territory.
Not only that, but I am learning a lot about the creative process, things that I never experienced in music, or writing. The biggest thing: that there is no "perfect." There's only the best mix of available ingredients, the best output given the constraints of skill, time, money, and patience.
There is no "perfect image," no holy grail, but there is a point of satisfaction where one realizes they've done the best their skill allows at the time.
Anyway, this is the kickoff of something new we're starting, here at the 'Hustle. Today is the first Photographic Monday. Each Monday, I'll feature an image that I shot, the rationale behind it, and what went into the end product. I'll not be too technical, but just enough to get the point across.
Today's image features my friend Jalila, a professional dancer and attorney here in New York City. I asked her to give me a couple hours to shoot her in a few different looks, since she is utterly gorgeous, and has the poise and physique of a dancer. She agreed, and a couple of hours turned into nearly six! This was one of the best images of the bunch.
Since she is a dancer, I knew that she'd be able to strike incredible poses. She got right down to it, and in short order, she struck this position, which I instantly knew would be a great high-contrast, low-key image.
The shot shaped up with me having to sit on the floor, about nine feet in front of her, with my 28-70mm lens mounted. I set up my lighting with a single studio strobe in this case, a Calumet Genesis 400 studio monobloc, camera right, about seven feet up in the air, and aiming down onto Jalila's head, set so I could shoot at f/13. I chose a very small aperture (large f-stop number) for excellent depth of field and sharp focus throughout the image.
After capturing the image, in post processing I simply cropped to her legs, keeping the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the original shot. I applied some light sharpening in Lightroom, and applied one of the pre-configured shortcuts, bringing the image to a selenium toned look. I also tried it as a high-contrast black and white, but the soft blue worked well with Jalila's skin tone, and musculature. To close the deal, I applied some light output sharpening and the image was ready to go.
There's an almost holy quality to this image, along with both a somber element, and an inspiring feel. It really reveals Jalila's flexibility and photogenic quality, giving her a classical look, that exploits her physical and stylistic assets.
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I guess great minds think alike. After getting my Master's in December I got myself a graduation present. A decent camera. Canon EOS xTi. A few lenses later, I am still finding myself thinking of angles, lighting, the framing, you know the deal... I guess the beauty of working is that you can explore things that a poor man couldn't (like a needed audio upgrade to pair or Numark TTX, Pioneer CDJ-200 and a DJM-400 mixer). So between music and photographs... HEAVEN. Look forward to seeing more of your images.
Ooooooo! That's nice. You're talents are endless, Mr. Tony.
@effaridi: Dude, I know how you feel...Great minds do think alike.
I am contemplating another multi-dollar purchase of new glass, and some more lighting, and gels. But I tell you, the satisfaction of creating something new that didn't exist before is liberating. And interpreting the world around us through a lens is more enjoyable than I ever though it would be.
I'm obviously still growing as a photog, but I feel like I've had a "click" moment already. I can't wait to amaze myself with what images I capture next...
And, yes, thank God for income, otherwise all this creative ability would be bottled up doing no good at all...
@Gigi: thank you Miss Gigi! Glad you like it! You can see more of the images at my Flickr site (Click the Flickr widget on my home page)...
Tony, you definitely got skills, and I'm digging your various web albums. Personally, I prefer photographing nature to people, mainly because I prefer the spontaneity of wildlife to the technicalities of setting up a real photography session. Seeing your stuff makes me wish I had the time/money/patience for that sort of imagery.
I'm about to pull the trigger on a new setup myself (40D and a bunch of f/2.8 glass). I may have to holla at you for some tips. Efaridi - we'll have to get together for some shooting when I'm in the Chi in July.
Thank you, Mister Early! I appreciate the Love! I'm really working on getting the photo game up, so criticism and recommendations are always welcome.
I enjoy nature shots too, for my own enjoyment, but you know, I like trying to capture people in all their infinite individuality. That's the real challenge. Even the shots that I get of people that aren't studio, get a piece of that person right then and there that you may never be able to capture again.
Start with shooting the missus in natural light by a window. Or out in the countryside. You'll find that those shots are even more expressive, as much if not more fun, and much much cheaper to stage! :)
As for the new rig, go for it! The 40D is a helluva body: excellent low-light performance, great color rendition and high frames-per-second. I shot with one for a minute when they first came out last year and I was very pleased. You can't go wrong with f/2.8 glass, especially "L" stuff (70-200mm, and 24-70mm are must have's).
Get at me on the tips...Plus I'll have to make a trek to the Finger Lakes region so I can shoot with ya!
Peace!