GT-Photography

Lens blur in Photoshop

Posted on 23/05/2010 | Leave a comment

I still have plenty of pictures and samples to post, but it seems that I don´t find the time to do this…. Hope soon it will work. Last month there was an interesting article in Digital Photo Magazine, about lens blur in photoshop. So I wanted to try this. I choose one of my snapshots from a BBQ last week and must admit result seems to be very good.

Before I started, I used the dodge tool to lighten some subjects behind the person on the picture. For the blur, I needed to make 5 layers starting with radius 7, then 15, then 30, then 60, then 90. When that was done, needed to brush out the lens blur on the person and at the end with another layer to add some noise. See below the snapshot out of the camera and the result.

Technical:

Settings for lens blur – set shape to Hexagon, blade curvature 20, rotation 15, leave all other settings at 0.

Settings for noise: new layer called noise, go to edit –Fill, pick 50% Gray and click OK. Go to filter – noise – add noise, use an amount of 10 %, set to Gaussian and Monochromatic, press OK and in thr layers palette, click normal and choose Linear Light, dropping opacity to 20%.

Above picture left is out of the camera, picture on the right is where I used the dodge tool and a little touch up of the eyes and skin tones. The big picture is the final result with the lens blur.

More tests with my 50mm and natural light

Posted on 19/04/2010 | 6 comments

Did recently several shoots, but need to find the time to post them on my blog. With each shoot I did some more tests with my Nikor 50mm 1.4 G, getting used now. I can only say that it is indeed a fanstastic lens and very sharp. Now saving for a 70 – 200mm 2.8…. keep dreaming.

Below are some samples of several shoots, all of them with naturel light and using the California Sunbounce or Sun-mover. For every picture sun was behind model. One problem I experienced, that it was almost impossible to use the lens and go below f2 during daytime, as the sunlight in Spain is currently getting very bright in April…so the model needed to be 100 % in the shadow, and sun peaking slightly from behind a tree to get some on the hair of the model !

Model Jade standing in the shadow, just used the sun-mover Zebra bouncing a bit of light on the face f 1.4 1/8000 200ISO

Model Liam standing in the shadow, but lucky to have a little sun coming from behind a tree. No sunbouce, just natural light. f 2 1/8000 200ISO

Model Kojo also standing in the shadow, using California sunbounce silver ( due to a darker skin color needed the silver side) and it was also a cloudy day but taken at noon so light was bright. f 1.6 1/5000 200ISO

6 Comments

Posted in Model, natural light, Nikon D300s, Sunbounce, Technical

Testing my 50mm & CLS

Posted on 05/03/2010 | Leave a comment

Have not done much during winter time … Just got recently my prime in Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G. I had a schoot last week, so good time to test it out. Its certainly working a bit different and getting used to it, I had put it on autofocus – very fast and smooth, great results but will need to test as well manuel focus which might be better.

It was a grey day and no sun at all. So I have been using my flashgun and pointing it to the California sunbounce gold which gave a nice reflection on the model. As Nikon has this great CLS build in, shame I never used it. Using it for the first time I was very happy with the result it gives.

f2 1/6400 ISO 400 50mm underexposure -0.7

f1.8 1/500 ISO 200 50mm

f1.8 1/6400 ISO 400 underexposure -0.7

Gaelle at the finca

Posted on 29/11/2009 | 1 comment

Here some more pictures of the shoot with Gaelle at the Finca (Spain). As explained in previous posting it was an interesting shoot and experimenting with light. To make the pictures look a bit more dramatic, I have been changing slightly the white balance in Raw processing and adjusting the colors. Then in photoshop I have adjusted as well the blue and red color tones. Note: white balance and color correction in Raw has been kept mostly the same for all pictures of this shoot, but in photoshop all color adjustments have been different for each picture as I did not want all pictures looking similar in color.

Technical details below for each picture.

f10 1/250 50mm Iso 200 -0,3 under exposure

Late afternoon sun coming in from the left of camera, golden California sunbounce right below and in front of the model, behind the model but on the right of the camera wireless Flash set at 1/8. Some dust was thrown from the right of camera but behind model in front of the flash.

f5.3 1/60 90mm Iso 200 -0,3 underexposure

Sunlight coming in from the back of model and just used a wireless flash put on the floor about 2 meters in front of model lighting up slighty. The picture was too clean (2 results on my flickr page) so I used ( very light !!) a texture over the picture.

f4,5 1/125 48mm Iso 200 -0,3 under exposure

Horizontal version of picture in previous post. Sun left and California Sunbounce right of camera but below model. Some dust have been thrown behind the model but we waited till there was only a little bit of dust in the air. Flash behind model on the right of camera set at 1/8 with diffuser clip over the flash.

1 Comment

Posted in Gaelle, Model, Nikon D300s, Strobist, Sunbounce, Technical, Texture

I´m back… teaser with Nikon D300s

Posted on 25/11/2009 | 3 comments

First my apologies for being absent so long. Moved temp. house during summer and had almost no internet. Then sold my D200 and since end of October I have now a Nikon D300s ( so happy about it !! ). Did lots of model shoots in the summer but for a model agency and there was some pressure. You will find my last pictures with the D200 on my Flickr page.

Yesterday I took the time to do a nice photo shoot with my daughter (and model) Gaelle. A location which I had already long time in mind and with the right outfit, it was great. Took my time to experiment a bit with light sources. Below is the first picture, which is post processed last night, there might be better ones coming.

This picture is taken with the sun coming from the left ( photographer side ), Golden California sunbounce below on the left side in front of the model. I put on my right but behind the model SB 600 flash to give some depth. At the same time with my new camera I decided to start a bit of a new style which I had already long time in mind…. so would appreciate any comments if you like or dislike 🙂

f5 1/160 75mm Iso 200 exposure -0,3

3 Comments

Posted in Gaelle, Model, Strobist, Sunbounce

Mediterranean colors with Laura

Posted on 12/07/2009 | 4 comments

I´m currently swamped with photo shoots, which I had more time to experiment a bit more…but sure I will have now a choice of models to make some new shoots later in the year. I also have to make time to test some new ideas I have with Gaelle my daughter 🙂

Anyway the shoot with Laura was interesting, she never modelled officialy before…but has a very strong interest to become a model and she has been testing some fun shoots with friends. We didn´t plan any location before hand, but upon arrival we checked what outfits she had…looked around and found immediately an interesting spot ( a blue tower in mosaic ). It was fun with Laura as with every click she changed facial expression or pose. Below are the first pictures, more to come later.

LAURA_3245-web

f 6.3 1/160 200mm ISO100 California sunbounce Gold

LAURA_3240-web

f 5.6 1/250 200mm ISO100 California sunbounce Gold

Below: different outfit and different location across the harbor

LAURA_3347-web

f 5.6 1/125 46mm ISO100 California sunbounce Silver

4 Comments

Posted in Model, Sunbounce

Shoot with a Scottish male model Stuart

Posted on 08/07/2009 | 2 comments

Stuart arrived recently at the Costa Blanca and did some modelling before but not in Spain yet. So perfect place for him to add some additional portfolio pictures. In posting below you have seen a teaser…. just finished post processing. Below a selection of some pictures I like.

Went out of my safe zone for the pic below, tried a different angle and did my post processing a bit different than usual. Sun was coming from left behind model. Put a flash on the right of the model at the same angel of the sun

Stuart-J_2508-web

f6.3 1/160 24mm ISO 100

To give this picture something different, I put the saturation and the luminance of the blue higher in the post processing. Used California Sunbounce Silver side.

Stuart-J_2606-web

f8 1/250 50mm ISO 100

Picture below slightly desaturated. Used California Sunbounce Silver side.

Stuart-J_2544-web-desaturated

f7.1 1/180 44mm ISO 100

2 Comments

Posted in Model, natural light, Sunbounce

Male photo shoot….teaser

Posted on 29/06/2009 | Leave a comment

The last 2 months I had plenty of female photo shoots….couldn´t find any interested male of boys, but now they are all coming together. Last week I had 2 young male models and 2 others this week. A bit different of female, had to step away from soft colors, flowers, etc… and more lloking into metal, concrete, etc. as a background.

The first male model had a little bit of experience, so that was good for me. He is from Scotland but lived around the world and settled down since a couple of months in Spain. Below is a picture I like, of Stuart ( more to come), the shoot went well, but couldn´t use the California sunbounce as strong winds at the coast. So I used for several pictures a flash SB 600, put on the floor lighting up….didn´t want to have that soft light of an umbrella. The below picture is just natural light, no flash and no sunbounce, sun coming from right behind…it was a bit searching to make sure the body and face was still well exposed.

Stuart J 2523 web

f 6.3 1/160 65mm Iso 100

Just a snapshot..

Posted on 16/06/2009 | 2 comments

Have not been able to do any shoots in June so far, too busy with my business…as you know photography is my passion and wish I could spend more time on it. But from now on have many shoots already planned with models, so time to take out my gear again after 3 weeks of silence. Dusting off 🙂 and went walking on the golf course, with my daughter Gaelle. Just took a couple of snap shots very quickly, and gaelle just natural not modelling or no make up. Did not even use any reflector. Below is one picture. Be back soon, as this week 2 shoots planned and next week another 2…and in the meantime it´s here over 30 degrees, so will have to shoot after 5.00 pm.

GAELLE-TEST-G_2418-web

f5.3 1/15 95mm ISO 100

2 Comments

Posted in Gaelle, natural light

Interesting shoot with Charlotte

Posted on 03/05/2009 | 2 comments

Just a small posting. In the last weeks I was asked to shoot some aspiring young models, they had never done it before but just love to be in front of the camera. Certainly not always easy, as sometimes you have to look more at the model and tell them what to do, how to look and pose, etc… all fine and at the moment you click, they just looked somewhere else…damn 🙂 . Charlotte was an exception, very natural in looking and posing. She was also interested in my camera settings and wanted to see afterwards the pictures that were not successful. The second picture in the previous posting was a good one of her. Here 3 other pictures of Charlotte, number one seems to be the best one ( more pictures of her will be posted on my Flicks page).

charlotte_2204-web