Photoshoot: Ethel Hallow

[jordax]

First shoot of the year! Hurrah!

Wednesday just gone I did a small shoot at Paul's Studio with Ethel Hallow. Partially it was a recon exercise for future days and partially just some fun. We didn't get through many ideas - Ethel didn't even swap outfit - but it was a nice warmup to this year's photography

Comments

Wallpaper

[ext_124644]

That's some serious wallpaper, looks like madness room is the intention. I'm sure that half an hour in there would be enough for anyone.

On second thoughts it could make for interesting approach with lighting. Make most of it disappear to little more than texture and then put a spot of light on part of it or throw a shaft of light across it.

Why is that ornate mirror so out of place and yet so right???

Re: Wallpaper

[jordax]

It's not so bad when you realise it's really just two sides of a box. :)

The lighting idea is interesting and has, in fact, given me an idea for another shoot, with or without wallpaper. I just need some shelves...

I don't understand about the mirror either. It looks hideous and then you start composing pictures with it and it works. I think the shear "wargh!" of the frame combats the "wargh!" of the wallpaper so it either fits in or you go blind.

[evilbun]

:) glad to see you taking photos and posting them! I like them!

What does the first one look like in Mono? Just out of interest!

Also- did you find the wallpaper annoyingly shiny? I got lots of odd shiny patches off it! :)

[jordax]

Cheers Bun.

For curiosity I made a mono version of the picture via the Channel Mixer in Photoshop. If you base it on the red channel, Ethel just blends into the wall aside from her hair:

100% red channel

A blend of 20% red and 83% green gives a better result as the dress now shows up black but the detail still gets a bit lost:

20% red channel, 83% green channel

The colour one works well as there's just enough colour to separate Ethel and the mirror from the wall. (Making the floor gray may be an improvement though.)

As to shiny: Paul warned me that the paper was quite shiny so "don't light it", though that proved quite hard. I found lighting along the wall helped a lot. Mostly there wasn't an issue, but on that first picture I did apply some localised contrast adjustment in Photoshop immediately to Ethel's right - It's a quick and easy fix but pretty effective. I should have spent more time on the fix as there's still some flowers that have come out a bit grey.

[davecharsley]

Those wallpaper sets are becoming really popular! Looks good at 10mm!

[jordax]

Yeah, had to try the wallpaper really! It's a bit busier than I'd like, but still quite fun.

That's the Sigma 10-20mm lens by the way - I think you bought one? Not a great lens but very capable, and a nice price for how often I'll use a novelty lens. :)

[davecharsley]

I've been using mine quite a lot for landscape stuff, which is really why I bought it and found it fine. I'm sure I've got loads to learn about lenses!

I've done some really close up shots of models just to get the distortion but not much else in the studio.

[jordax]

Yeah, I bought mine to do landscapes when I went to Iceland last year. It worked pretty well. I've even found use for it on weddings.

The only issue I have with it is that it's not always the sharpest of lenses - I've not quite worked out the pattern yet though. It seems to perform much better at the extreme ends of the zoom though than in the middle - which is fair, because I bought it for the 10mm end really. :)

[frozen_amaranth]

that first one is really good!!

[jordax]

Thank you my dear. Careful or we'll throw you in front of the wallpaper too!

The real test now will be constructing a set in Photoshop...