First attempt at high key photography. I am impressed with the way the background simply disappears like that!
Low tech set up: a bright, naked bulb (my bedside light) focused on a creamy white wall. An over head light & a table lamp with the shade taken off to provide the front light. You can see in the unprocessed version (which I posted under January 21, 2013) that the image came out really yellow using auto white balance. Not sure how to fix that in camera. So I did a bunch of curves & hue/desaturation to make it a little more natural looking.
I converted it to black and white at first ~ that worked pretty well. But then I thought what the heck I want to figure out how to deal with the colour problem so I posted this version instead. I would love to figure out how to lighten the face while keeping the cream colour of the shirt.
I am not sure where that funny desaturated blob on my hair part is coming from ~ it's in the original too. Probably the product of my questionable lighting set up. I tried some hack processing on it, but it is way too obvious to my eye that there is a fix it job happening. Any suggestions on how to do a better job of it?
I had to blow out the edges of my hair and shoulders a little too much, I think, because I didn't have quite enough light on the front of my face.
Still, it was fun for a first try!
*Ed. Note: Hahaha! My seven-year-old housemate says this doesn't look like me because I "don't have all those neck wrinkles". High five, kid!
multiple levels....make to copies. make 1 the (top layer) color you want the shirt and another (bottom layer) for the tone you want your face...than erase the face in the top layer so that youre left with the face of the layer underneath. Anyway thats how I cheat.
@warrenbhall For sure! That's definitely one way to deal with it in post. :) I am all for the cheat (that's what I did with the weird desaturated blob.) But I am wondering what changes I can make during the shoot itself to do as much of the adjustment in camera. I think I will try again with a soft flash...
Thanks @jenteal! I am a total newby and admit I had to google "snoot". :) Mmm and that sent me down a trail of cool lighting ideas. I am currently restricted to the flash that is attached to my camera, so I've been experimenting with bare bulbs and laptop screens and other sources of light. Your comment gives me aspirations! I'm sure as I keep going with my project I will start branching out and getting new equipment. A decent off-camera flash is right up there.
@mathilde22cat It really wasn't that long ago that I was in the same spot as you (lots of ideas and no way to do them lol). There are hacks and little tricks you can do to get you along for now. One thing I used to do before I bought a flash was hold a piece of white paper in front of my flash so it would diffuse any light going forward and make the light bounce of the ceiling. They sell little contraptions that you can fit to your cameras flash but a piece of paper is free and works just as well ;) I actually made my snoot with black paper and rubber bands lol. transparent paper or tracing paper work great as a diffuser just be careful not to set your house on fire :P
