Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Hugo P on July 25, 2013, 07:29:54 am

Title: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 25, 2013, 07:29:54 am
Used to shoot mostly in BW film, when I came to Angola had to switch to digital... But when I am editing in LR or Darktable, the pictures only satisfies me when converted to black an white!  :D
With some few I make the exception and let them in color, like this one:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8524776873_c6ffa02cdb_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8524776873/)
Sem título (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8524776873/) por Hugo P. (http://www.flickr.com/people/pinhohugo/), no Flickr
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on July 25, 2013, 09:40:02 am
Well seen. And I agree that the color helps.
Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: RSL on July 25, 2013, 10:56:09 am
It's beautiful, Hugo. Bravo!
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 25, 2013, 01:39:17 pm
Thank you all!

Here is another from same place. I couldn't resist to make the BW conversion! :)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8555795055_9b5134708c_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8555795055/)
Sem título (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8555795055/) por Hugo P. (http://www.flickr.com/people/pinhohugo/), no Flickr
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: seamus finn on July 25, 2013, 01:41:14 pm
Good stuff.
#
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: cjogo on July 25, 2013, 01:45:21 pm
Like this one much better ~!
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: fike on July 25, 2013, 02:37:44 pm
These are lovely. That first one succeeds because, despite being color, it was realized with an eye for B&W tonality.  Sometimes I think there is a nice middle-ground between color and B&W.  Desaturated, desaturated in particular channels, or tinting can give you the best of both worlds--a little bit of color with the studied tonality of B&W.   
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on July 25, 2013, 03:14:43 pm
These are lovely. That first one succeeds because, despite being color, it was realized with an eye for B&W tonality.  Sometimes I think there is a nice middle-ground between color and B&W.  Desaturated, desaturated in particular channels, or tinting can give you the best of both worlds--a little bit of color with the studied tonality of B&W.   
I agree with Marc. You have hit it right on. And the conversion to B&W for the second is just right, too.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 25, 2013, 03:47:53 pm
The truth is that I don't know how to take color pictures. At least good ones! Ah ah!
Here we have several months without a single cloud in the sky, so the light is too harsh and contrasty. Becomes difficult to take pictures outdoors.
These were taken in the rain season:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8550672577_3b47e408b9_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8550672577/)
Sem título (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8550672577/) por Hugo P. (http://www.flickr.com/people/pinhohugo/), no Flickr

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8094/8551774382_72081121df_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8551774382/)
Sem título (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinhohugo/8551774382/) por Hugo P. (http://www.flickr.com/people/pinhohugo/), no Flickr
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: BernardLanguillier on July 26, 2013, 03:19:49 am
Love the first one. One thing though is that my eye keeps being attracted by the saturated red behind here, which may not be good.

As a side comment, for some some reason I thought the subject was a man until I saw the second image.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 26, 2013, 01:44:52 pm
I was asked by a portuguese magazine to send a group of pictures, but never suposed that one would be the front cover! :)

http://zoomfp.com/?p=2696
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: fike on July 26, 2013, 01:46:30 pm
Love the first one. One thing though is that my eye keeps being attracted by the saturated red behind here, which may not be good.

As a side comment, for some some reason I thought the subject was a man until I saw the second image.

Cheers,
Bernard


I agree that the red is distracting.  In some other threads we have been discussing selective color in B&W images. In this case, I think you want to desaturate/darken that red--is that called selective B&W?  I don't think you need to do anything crazy like cloning it out, just de-emphasize it a bit with local color and/or exposure adjustment...burn that part in.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 26, 2013, 01:52:38 pm
Yes, I agree. Although it is a color portrait, it's almost monochrome. I could dessaturate the red chanel.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: RSL on July 26, 2013, 02:13:48 pm
How about desaturating the whole thing? The subject is beautiful and the picture is magnificent in B&W.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 26, 2013, 02:20:57 pm
Works great RSL! Better than the original.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Justan on July 26, 2013, 02:35:07 pm
I was asked by a portuguese magazine to send a group of pictures, but never suposed that one would be the front cover! :)

http://zoomfp.com/?p=2696

Congratulations and well deserved!

Not that I know anything, but I predict that if you submit work to more publications, you’ll get more of the work published, or at the very least get some great feedback and future opportunities. The work you've shown is powerful, and very well done. Try some of the bigger houses - NY Times, LA Times, National Geographic. Pick any and this work will succeed.
Title: Re: Portrait [color]
Post by: Hugo P on July 26, 2013, 04:49:21 pm
Thank you very much Justan! Your words are inspiring!