New Photos

**mattlange26** · November 27th, 2006, 11:14 PM

I took these the other night. I took them in sort of a rush. Not my best work, but nice none the less.

**mattlange26** · November 28th, 2006, 02:46 PM

31 views and no replies. that's interesting. let me know what you think.

**FitnessPhotos** · November 28th, 2006, 03:04 PM

I'm a fan of black backgrounds when done properly; looks like you did a fine job.

Attractive model.

The only thing that stood out as a negative for me was the left arm in the first pic (I couldnt get the second pic to load); maybe a lighting issue?

Either way, excellent job!

**mattlange26** · November 28th, 2006, 03:09 PM

wow, i didnt even notice that. thanks a ton. right now i just do portraits and all that stuff. but i really want to get into the fitness, swimwear stuff. not real sure how to break into it. but if i can get the response to that, that im getting to my regular work, then i should be set. thanks again for the response.

Matt
www.mattlange.com

**bhen13** · November 28th, 2006, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FitnessPhotos

I'm a fan of black backgrounds when done properly; looks like you did a fine job.

Attractive model.

The only thing that stood out as a negative for me was the left arm in the first pic (I couldnt get the second pic to load); maybe a lighting issue?

Either way, excellent job!

yep, the left arm is quite a distraction from her beauty, kinda one of those things you cant quit staring at, but overall very nice.

**FitnessPhotos** · November 28th, 2006, 03:37 PM

The lighting seems a little harsh to me; like a quarter stop too bright and the softness seems more like either out of focus (depth of field) or just an artifact of being resized.

Are you shooting at f8 or higher? Or do you use any kind of sharpening in your images when you reduce them?

I'm only offering some suggestions - picky, yes; but I hope constructive.

**mattlange26** · November 28th, 2006, 04:06 PM

it's all digital so im not sur ewhat the F Stop was on for that one. i think my iso was on 800 from a previous shoot, so yeah, a little harsh. when i reduce the image, i just reduce the size in photoshop, no sharpening.

**mattlange26** · November 28th, 2006, 10:35 PM

please delete this thread.

**Vizigoth** · November 28th, 2006, 10:47 PM

Strive to have your background be a different color from what the model is wearing. Using a neutral grey or cream colored background would work well. The problem with the arm, is that the black band around the sleeve of the model's top is swallowed by the background, making the arm stand alone. The exposure of the shot is okay. If you are within a stop of the "correct" f setting, it becomes a matter of the taste of the shooter. A lot of current advertising uses over exposed images that seem "blown out" to me. It forces people to look more closely at the image to discern the content. If you cannot change the background color conveniently, use a separate flash or strobe to highlight the background behind the model. Screen that background light so that none of it touches the model. Doing so will separate the model from the background, even if the two colors are identical. Also, if you check the histogram of your digital shot, it will tell you the f stop, exposure, length of the telephoto used (if used), color densities, and other helpful data should you want to change it later. If your photo processing software will not provide you with histogram data, consider moving to Adobe Photoshop Elements ($100). If you are a student or know one, you can get it for less than $50. You can even get the complete Adobe Creative Suite 2, which is the best processing system around for under $300. Photoshop is only one of the systems it contains.

**gYmgIrL** · November 28th, 2006, 11:39 PM

what do you use for backgrounds normally? (for normally i mean in a non-budgo situation

)

**mattlange26** · November 28th, 2006, 11:46 PM

an amazing black king sized bed sheet nailed to my living room wall. lol. seriously.

**Vizigoth** · November 29th, 2006, 11:21 PM

Go and check out your local fabric store. At many of them, you will find cotton muslin in nine foot wide rolls for a few dollars per linear yard. The natural color is a rich off white, nearly cream color. You can die them any color you want or spray paint them in a combo of colors or patterns. They are cheap enough that you can keep a bunch of them to have the right color/pattern to accent your shots. Be sure to wash the muslin prior to use or treatment. Pull them out of storage a few days before use and ruffle them up to break down accumulted wrinkles and creases. Always bunch them up and release them to allow the fabric to loosen up. Doing so will allow the fabric to relax more quickly when it is needed.

**mattlange26** · November 29th, 2006, 11:45 PM

awesome. good tip. i just purchased a background stand that will allow me to have colored paper backgrounds and clip on whatever other backgrounds i need to use. any tips on what kind of indoor lighting i need i.e. soft boxes and what not? specs? where to buy?