Shallow DOF portraits in the studio ~ Continuous Lighting

Portrait Session - equipment

For my planned session in the studio I will be using Canon 5D MK2 but I have not yet decided on a lens.

I have available 24-70mm and a 50mm macro and have used both to take portraits in the field.  I also have available, through the college, a 50mm prime lens which I am assured will do the job.  However, after reading various magazine articles and books most seem to recommend 85mm.

HERE IS WHAT CANON SAY ABOUT THEIR 85MM F1.8 USM LENS

A short telephoto focal length, combined with a large maximum aperture and fast autofocus speed, make the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM an ideal optic for any photographer shooting portraiture.

Features

Fast f/1.8 aperture Short/medium telephoto lens USM focus motor with full-time manual focus 85cm closest focusing distance 58mm filter size Super Spectra coatings reduce ghosting and flare

A very popular short telephoto lens with portrait photographers.

A practical and portability telephoto lens The EF 85mm f/1.8 USM produces images that are sharp and clear at all apertures. A virtually circular aperture diaphragm gives out-of-focus regions a softer, more even feel, and lets in-focus subjects stand out against a blurred background. The lens features a non-rotating front element during focusing, enabling specialist filters (such as polarisers and graduates) to be used. Large f/1.8 aperture A large maximum aperture of f/1.8 lets photographers shoot hand-held in difficult, low-light conditions, as well as restrict depth-of-field for creative effects. Compressed perspective in portraiture The short telephoto focal length of the lens slightly compresses perspective, reducing the size of prominent facial features for a flattering result. Ultrasonic focusing A ring-type ultrasonic motor drives autofocus extremely quickly, and in near silence. Excellent holding torque ensures the point of focus is reached accurately, without overshooting. Furthermore, full-time manual override is available, making it possible to adjust focus without leaving AF mode. Super Spectra coating Super Spectra coatings ensure accurate colour balance and enhance contrast. They also reduce flare and ghosting – a common problem caused by light bouncing off a camera's sensor. Integration with E-TTL II flash metering The lens passes distance information back to a compatible EOS camera's E-TTL II flash system to ensure optimal flash metering."

AND ITS SIMILARLY PRICED 50MM F1.4 USM With its fast maximum aperture and rapid focusing system, the compact, high performance EF 50mm f/1.4 USM standard lens can be relied on for superb performance in any field of photography. Features Fast f/1.4 aperture Standard 46° angle of view USM focus motor with full-time manual focus override 45cm closest focusing distance Aspherical lens element 58mm filter size The ultimate mixture of versatility and image quality. Versatile, compact standard-lens design Gaussian optics, combined with two high-refraction lens elements allow photographers working in all fields to capture crisp, clean images, even wide open at f/1.4. The lens is ideal for photographing landscapes and travel scenes as well as portraits and reportage. Ultrasonic focusing A ultrasonic motor drives autofocus extremely quickly, and in near silence. Excellent holding torque ensures the point of focus is reached accurately, without overshooting. Furthermore, full-time manual override is available, making it possible to adjust focus without leaving AF mode. Smooth background blur A virtually circular aperture diaphragm gives out of focus regions a softer, more uniform feel. Sharp foreground objects stand out against a smooth blurred background. Super Spectra coating Super Spectra coatings ensure accurate colour balance and enhance contrast. They also reduce flare and ghosting – a common problem caused by light bouncing off a camera's sensor. They would seem to recommend the 50mm more as a general purpose lens whereas the 85mm is specifically recommended for portraiture.

Portait Session

I have a male model (my son in law), coming into the studio next week and need to plan how I would like him to pose and what type of lighting and what lens to use.

Following earlier research I find that I am most interested in head shots and for the model  I have, low key lighting will give the character and moodiness I want to create.

Here are some portraits taken by David Bailey  in the 60's and 70's featuring famous people of the day, using the type of lighting I have in mind.

Terence Stamp

A somewhat more recent portrait of a very young Jonny Depp

Catherine Denueve

Pablo Picasso

David Bailey

On these portraits he has used a combination of 'broad', the side of the face nearest to the camera is lit and the nose casts a shadow of the short side cheek, and 'split lighting', where half of the face is illuminated and the main light is placed to the left or right of the sitter.

Lighting for Portraits

1. Broad Lighting

   • In portrait photography, broad lighting refers to a technique that corrects facial flaws by deemphasizing features. In broad lighting, the main light showcases the facial features that are turned toward the camera. This technique is most commonly used to make a narrow face appear wider. Typically, the nose faces away from the light source, casting a shadow on the short side of the face (the side that is less visible to the camera) rather than the broad side.

   Short Lighting

   • When the person photographed has a round face, use short or narrow lighting to make it appear more slender. Often used in low-key portraiture, the main light enhances the side of the face that is farther from the camera. Short lighting also suits photographers who wish to emphasize the curves of the subject's face.

   Rembrandt Lighting

   • Named after the painter, Rembrandt lighting is a type of short lighting that mimics the painter's way of creating light and shadow when painting portraits. In this case, the subject's nose casts a shadow on the broader side of the subject's face. The shadow cast by the nose joins the shadow on the cheek to create a triangle-shaped spot of illumination.

   Butterfly Lighting

   • Use butterfly lighting to create a glamorous effect when photographing women. The main light illuminates the subject's entire face, casting a shadow below the chin that is parallel to the subject's nose. Often used when photographing subjects with oval-shaped faces, butterfly lighting emphasizes the ears.

   Split Lighting

   • Use split lighting to highlight half of the subject's face. Typically used in broad, short and Rembrandt lighting, split lighting requires that the main light sit to the far right or left of the person being photographed.

Impressions

'Enchanted Path'

Fine Art Photography ~ Does this count?

'Parkland'

Taken in the grounds to Chatsworth House Derbyshire, October 2011 with 24-70mm lens, two texture layers added at different blending modes, with some of the texture cleaned away.

I am not sure whether to go with landscape or still life for my fine art assignment, will have to do more research to firm this up.

Fine Art Photography ~ A First Try

A photograph taken in my garden 30th Sept with a 100mm macro lens, cropped slightly and two textures added, blending mode at Overlay, with the texture taken off the wings slightly.

A snip taken showing the layers used, and below the original image opened in photoshop.

I used a shallow depth of field with the intention of blurring the background and even part of the wings.  It is a reasonable image of a butterfly but I wouldn't call it art, since it is just a simple representation of the object.

After adding textures and blending I feel it is getting somewhere near an art work.

Fine Art Photography ~ Research

Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products or services. source - Wikipedia

I have found several definitions of 'Fine Art Photography', but mainly they seem to refer to photography that expresses the aritists impressions, perceptions and emotions and share them with others.

Pretty broad definition then, I suppose you could call any photograph you take 'fine art' but I have the feeling that it becomes fine art when it is not just a straight forward definition  or representation of the object, but an expression of the artists/photographers emotional response to that object.

We render it into fine art by capturing the scene or object as we see it as an idividual, it may be something that has been captured a thousand times before, but when the artist sees it, he has a unique emotional reaction, and it is this that is being offered for view and shared with others.

Pretty deep and thought provoking then.  Well here are a few images that I personally would think of as fine art, please let me know if you agree!

Images from http://www.veriteneue.com/ , Flicker contact and artist Carla Ciuffo

These images have been heavily textured to give the look of art work produced from scratch rather than a pure photographic image.  Since I have been heavily influenced by viewing painted art work in galleries at home and more recently abroad, this is the type of finished work I prefer.  It is almost a cross between photography and painting but is obviously more immediate in that with the technology we have available, it is more quickly produced.

Most of this artisists work has a figure in the landscape, adding scale and intimacy.

Images from blog, Slabjorg Rita Jonsdottir, Flickr contact Dalla

This artist is an expert at using light and movement in her images which delights the eye and keeps you looking around the frame to discover every nuance of the image.  She also uses blur created with a Lensbaby lens, this adds texture almost as in brushstrokes, althought in a different way than the added texture on the landscapes.

Research ~ Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Nutzhorn (Lange) born 26 May 1895, in New Jersey, the family was deserted by her father early on and from that time she used her mother's maiden name of Lange. She began training as a teacher, however, after deciding this would not suit, moved into photography, working in a studio before studying under Clarence White at Colombia University, setting up her own studio in San Francisco in 1918 and joining the California Camera Club, where she was influenced by the work of other photogaphers including Consuelo Kanaga a radical photojournalist with the San Francisco Cronicle.


Images from Consuelo Kanaga

The business was a success, until the great depression which followed the Wall Street crash of 1929.  At this time she turned to social realism and her work was featured in Camera Craft magazine.

She was invited to join the federally sponsored Farm Security Administration  in 1935 which was a group of photographers employed to publicize the condition of the rural poor of America.  During this period some of her more notable pictures were published including the famous Migrant Mother.

Later she documented the internment of Japanese Americans during the second world war.  She also worked for Time Magazine and with Ansel Adams.

A major retrospective of her work was planned in the mid 1960's at the Museum of Modern Art in New York but unfortunately she died of cancer 11 October 1965 just before this was staged.

Her work has a gritty realism with no frills or fancy lighting, she worked with what was available and made many memorable images.

I would ideally like to get this realism in my work, showing the character behind the outer surface of my sitters, rather than a plastic type of surface realism which is generic to every portrait I produce.

Mother ~ A Portrait

Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on a face they think is one they would like to show the world. ...Very often what lies behind the facade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares to believe- Irving Penn

Another try using slightly different post processing techniques, the first image has blown out highlights, which I don't dislike, but on the Macs in college are even more extreme and Mr Steve seemed a bit shocked!  I thought I would try a darker look this time.  I have used a square crop and shallow depth of field to keep her face in focus but blur the background.  This finish is still to harsh, I will have to try again.

Contemporary Photographer ~ Tracie Taylor

Tracie Taylor is an American photographer who operates mainly through her website tracietaylorphotography@yahoo.com. She also has a flickr site where I have her as a contact. Based in California and working as a professional photographer for 10 years, she specialises in wedding and lifestyle photography with an edgy modern style, which I very much admire and would like to emulate in my portfolio.

She doesn't always take the usual full face shot, although the conventional and high key does form part of her work, but takes pictures which show the character and emotions of her sitters.  She sometimes uses colour or black & white and adds textures or grain for character, turning photographs into fine art.

Here is some of her work;

This is such as expressive shot, with blue tones matching the sitters eyes and red lipstick, the face is fully lit with the left side falling slightly out of focus and without that over processing which makes the skin look plastic.

An inspired crop on this one cutting out the models eyes concentrating on the texture and form of the lips.  An overlay texture has been added to give it a gritty modern feel and as a foil to the soft gossamer fabric

filling part of the frame.  Again focus is on the lips with hair slightly out of focus making up the frame to her face.

Here the hands have been used to form a frame to her face and a glossy magazine style of editing used, it could be an image taken in the 50s and very flattering to the sitter.

Tracie is not afraid of the unconventional and here the model is photographed under-water, with a tight crop unnecessary detail is kept to a minimum and the piercing gaze draws you in.

This is a moody and beautiful shot, very demure with the model looking down hiding her eyes, very modern and gritty yet reminding me very much of the work of Dorothea Lange.

This is such a fun shot with a cheeky expression and showing peeling painted fingernails, again focus falls away from the main features.

An expressive pose with his fist filling a good part of the frame it immediately gives the impression of an active sporty boy with a fun character.

Again a different pose for this young man, concentrating on his eyes and leaving skin natural, he looks an intelligent, sypathetic young person.  The partial lighting is very expressive and moody.

Finding my Style

I have recently begun to work more in black and white, trying out different tones and finishes and find it a challenge to resist packing too much visual information into my shots.  Taking away the colour seems to concentrate the eye by taking away some of the visual information.

After reviewing my recent images Steve pointed out that alot were cropped in a square format, perhaps subcontiously on my part, again, trying to simplyfy the image, and I think this would be an interesting format to follow for my assignment.

'Daydreaming'

The image above was converted to black and white and then overlaid with a texture to give it a slightly aged appearance.

'The Ballet Class'

Converted to b&w and tone added with 'colour balance', slightly grainy since this is a crop of a larger image, however I like the grainy finish.

'Fiesta Girls'

Converted in photoshop and cropped from a larger image, however, I had to use a high ISO since this is a night shot with no lighting.  I was trying to capture the movement and excitement of this annual Fiesta in Andalucia.

'Big Brother'

Converted in photoshop to give a high key image.  The biggest part of the frame is given to 'big brother' as the main subject, to show his role in the family, with little sister trying to get in on the shot  in the background.

I used a shallow depth of field to emphasise the main subject and throw the rest of the shot into soft focus.

Contemporary Local Photographers ~ Research

Jackie Stubbs is a successful local photographer who operates from a studio close to the town and also has her own website, Jstubbsimages@aol.com.

She specialises in weddings and portraits and also undertakes some photographic tuition.  Her images are usually high key with some duotone, (selective colouration) and low key on request.  She has available white or black backgrounds for portraiture, but most clients prefer white for high key images.  I can see why these are popular since they fit into today's minimal, neutral, interiors and the lighting is very flattering to the subject.  She generally uses and apperture that keeps the whole of her subject in focus, using full face shots for babies and sometimes selective colouring after converting to black and white.

She offers a professional, personal service which is reasonably priced, starting at £15.50 for an 8" x 6" print, £25 for a studio session or £35 for a home visit.  Various wall portraiture and canvases plus multi mounts and contemporary stretch pictures are available.  She can also arrange professional hair styling and makeup for your session, at a cost of £100.

With a comprehensive service and sympathetic eye for portraiture, it is easy to see why she is so successful.

Portrait Photography ~ A definition

Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people (a group portrait), in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is the person's face, although the entire body and the background may be included. A portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the camera.
Unlike many other photography styles, the subjects of portrait photography are often non-professional models. Family portraits commemorating special occasions, such as graduations or weddings, may be professionally produced or may be vernacular and are most often intended for private viewing rather than for public exhibition.
However, many portraits are created for public display ranging from fine art portraiture, to commercial portraiture such as might be used to illustrate a company's annual report, to promotional portraiture such a might be found on a book jacket showing the author of the book. (source - Wikipedia)



Photographic portraiture quickly replaced portrait painting in popularity, although the very rich and aristocracy would still use an artist to paint their likeness as a means of proving status and wealth, for ordinary people at least, a studio portrait was accessible and affordable, and studios were opened in almost every town and city in the western world, often dealing with hundreds of photographic plates a day.  Ordinary citizens could have their likeness taken at reasonable cost, although this was usually in front of a standard background and the sitter placed, looking rather stiff and dour, in a fixed position.

As camera equipment evolved and pictures could be captured with shorter exposure times, photographers became more creative and adventurous, taking their cameras out into the field capturing scenes from all over the world, as well as people in everyday life, going about their usual business and leisure pursuits.


Roger Fenton, an early pioneer of photography 'in the field' and the founder and first secretary in 1853 of the Photographic Society, becoming Royal Photographic Society under the patronage of Prince Albert.

The 'photographic van' used by Roger Fenton on his travels.