Blue Eyes Portrait

[Bearface]

I've been toying with a few shots with a view to entering them into the latest "Blue" salon competition, but the other night I decided I'd make the effort and shoot something specific. However I'd already spent time on this portrait (which is a crop from one of my recent stock shoots) and so I thought I'd share it.

Many of you have seen the Dragan effect carried out on portraits shown on other websites, and if you're like me you've either loved or hated them, depending on the severity or quality of the work done. Anyway, I nevertheless thought I'd play around with some tone-mapping and localised contrast enhancement to see how this would effect the visible detail and impact of this particular shot. While the result isn't strictly of the Dragan variety, I think it has a certain something and therefore I'm posting it here to hopefully garner feedback or comment.

Some of the colours have been subdued to emphasise the eyes, but the eyes themselves are very real and have not been enhanced.

Many thanks for your interest

[coupekid]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

I've been toying with a few shots with a view to entering them into the latest "Blue" salon competition, but the other night I decided I'd make the effort and shoot something specific. However I'd already spent time on this portrait (which is a crop from one of my recent stock shoots) and so I thought I'd share it.

Many of you have seen the Dragan effect carried out on portraits shown on other websites, and if you're like me you've either loved or hated them, depending on the severity or quality of the work done. Anyway, I nevertheless thought I'd play around with some tone-mapping and localised contrast enhancement to see how this would effect the visible detail and impact of this particular shot. While the result isn't strictly of the Dragan variety, I think it has a certain something and therefore I'm posting it here to hopefully garner feedback or comment.

Some of the colours have been subdued to emphasise the eyes, but the eyes themselves are very real and have not been enhanced.

Many thanks for your interest

Hi Tim,

I really like the effect you have applied here, and it certainly does make the eyes focus on the eyes (see what I did there..haha) I am reminded of the opening scene to The 'F' Word (or one of Gordon Ramseys other shows)

If I had to be uber critical, I keep noticing a kind of halo effect around the right hand (as we look at it) ear though.

[lumix]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

First things first Tim, I find this a very powerful image. Those eyes are still burnt in my mind. I like the overall effect but just find the colour under the nose in the shadow a bit too strong. Just my gut feeling that reducing the colour in that part of the image would give a little more strength to the lips. Like it, no, I like it a lot.

[Josh Bear]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Hi,

Like the picture and the effect. The subdued colours work well especially when in contrast with the eyes. The sharpness and detail are amazing.

My only wish is that there was a little more room below the chin. It just seems a little cramped. Obviously my opinion only and does not detract from an excellent picture.

Oh and please stop posting pictures that make me want a 5D. Thanks

Best Regards

Josh

[Archangel]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

I've been toying with a few shots with a view to entering them into the latest "Blue" salon competition, but the other night I decided I'd make the effort and shoot something specific. However I'd already spent time on this portrait (which is a crop from one of my recent stock shoots) and so I thought I'd share it.

Many of you have seen the Dragan effect carried out on portraits shown on other websites, and if you're like me you've either loved or hated them, depending on the severity or quality of the work done. Anyway, I nevertheless thought I'd play around with some tone-mapping and localised contrast enhancement to see how this would effect the visible detail and impact of this particular shot. While the result isn't strictly of the Dragan variety, I think it has a certain something and therefore I'm posting it here to hopefully garner feedback or comment.

Some of the colours have been subdued to emphasise the eyes, but the eyes themselves are very real and have not been enhanced.

Many thanks for your interest

Tim,

This is a very nice portrait. I saw it in the galleries this morning. The job done in terms of tone mapping and contrast enhancement is very successful too. Easily can be entered in any competition.

One observation though: While the face has a lot of visible detail (e.g skin pores shown sharp and clear) these details are not so sharp or clear visible in the part of the nose. Maybe it is due to some local contrast adjustment, or maybe some additional local adjustment could correct this.
Maybe some slight additional room (just a few extra millimeters) under the chin would also be welcomed.

Regards

George

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Hi Tim,

I really like the effect you have applied here, and it certainly does make the eyes focus on the eyes (see what I did there..haha) I am reminded of the opening scene to The 'F' Word (or one of Gordon Ramseys other shows)

If I had to be uber critical, I keep noticing a kind of halo effect around the right hand (as we look at it) ear though.

Thanks for the feedback . The halo effect around the model's left ear is basically a result of backlighting from the windows behind him. The whole shot is lit by the surrounding windows in fact, hence the lack of uniformity in the catchlights.

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Tim,

This is a very nice portrait. I saw it in the galleries this morning. The job done in terms of tone mapping and contrast enhancement is very successful too. Easily can be entered in any competition.

One observation though: While the face has a lot of visible detail (e.g skin pores shown sharp and clear) these details are not so sharp or clear visible in the part of the nose. Maybe it is due to some local contrast adjustment, or maybe some additional local adjustment could correct this.


Regards

George

Hey George,

The lack of detail on the forward part of his nose is down to nothing less complicated than the shallow depth of field. I needed a fairly wide aperture in order to nail the shot using the ambient light in my studio, so I sacrificed a little depth in the process. This is one of the reasons why I had him square to camera - I really wanted to get both his eyes in focus without resorting to supplementary lighting

Hope this helps

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

First things first Tim, I find this a very powerful image. Those eyes are still burnt in my mind. I like the overall effect but just find the colour under the nose in the shadow a bit too strong. Just my gut feeling that reducing the colour in that part of the image would give a little more strength to the lips. Like it, no, I like it a lot.

Thanks

I wasn't sure quite what you meant when you said "those eyes are still burnt...", but I can only reiterate that I didn't do anything specific to his eyes - they're as I photographed them, I promise

The colour thing is more subjective and I actually think that this shot would've worked better in mono, although obviously I'd have lost the blue eyes and therefore the basis for considering the shot as a potential entry into the "Blue" salon....

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Hi,

Like the picture and the effect. The subdued colours work well especially when in contrast with the eyes. The sharpness and detail are amazing.

My only wish is that there was a little more room below the chin. It just seems a little cramped. Obviously my opinion only and does not detract from an excellent picture.

Oh and please stop posting pictures that make me want a 5D. Thanks

Best Regards

Josh

Thanks Josh.

I didn't want anything to draw the eye from the face area, so I felt that cropping the shot tightly would be appropriate. However as with all things subjective, individuals are going to see things differently and I respect that.

Just buy the f****** 5D willya..?

[lumix]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Tim the eyes are so effective I can still see them even when the image is not there. Not sure if that makes it clear. What I'm trying to say is they will remain in my mined. As for the colour I was suggesting a little selective desaturation on the upper lip were I feel it is still to pink. Hope I've explained a bit better this time.

[Andrew Thatcher]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Where's his legs?
Only kidding this is Outstanding already given you a 10 on your gallery for it. just like everything about it. Those eyes just grab you by the balls don't they.

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Where's his legs?
Only kidding this is Outstanding already given you a 10 on your gallery for it. just like everything about it. Those eyes just grab you by the balls don't they.

You have a way with words, don't you

[Pol]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Many of you have seen the Dragan effect carried out on portraits shown on other websites, and if you're like me you've either loved or hated them, depending on the severity or quality of the work done. Anyway, I nevertheless thought I'd play around with some tone-mapping and localised contrast enhancement to see how this would effect the visible detail and impact of this particular shot. While the result isn't strictly of the Dragan variety, I think it has a certain something and therefore I'm posting it here to hopefully garner feedback or comment.

Some of the colours have been subdued to emphasise the eyes, but the eyes themselves are very real and have not been enhanced.

Many thanks for your interest

]

I do indeed know the work of Dragan, also the work of jabomano/Ray and I'm a fan (most of the time anyway). I've tried it on a few self portraits - I binned them though. You'd have had nightmares if I'd shared them.

I like what you've done overall here but I had one or two reservations so I d/l a copy and have been considering it for a while this evening.

I've concluded I feel the overall colouring is just a touch too light for my taste, too 'silvery' and that makes him look too 'clean'. I'd suggest some slight darkening, more towards mono but keeping the eyes as they are - just making him more scruffy, for the want of a better word.


Pol

[Archangel]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Hey George,

The lack of detail on the forward part of his nose is down to nothing less complicated than the shallow depth of field. I needed a fairly wide aperture in order to nail the shot using the ambient light in my studio, so I sacrificed a little depth in the process. This is one of the reasons why I had him square to camera - I really wanted to get both his eyes in focus without resorting to supplementary lighting

Hope this helps

Tim,

It is obvious that it is because of the shallow DOF. I only suggested if it can be adjusted locally after with some post-processing in order to look more even with the rest of the face and in order to bypass the initial slight DOF sacrifice as you said.


Regards

George

[Bearface]

Re: Blue Eyes Portrait

Tim,

It is obvious that it is because of the shallow DOF. I only suggested if it can be adjusted locally after with some post-processing in order to look more even with the rest of the face and in order to bypass the initial slight DOF sacrifice as you said.


Regards

George

Not everyone understands DOF (or other such things) George, so I tend to compose my replies accordingly

That said, you suggested "Maybe it is due to some local contrast adjustment...", so it was not obvious to me that you were referring in any way to the depth of field.

Locally contrast-enhancing / sharpening a distinctly soft area within a larger area of crisp detail would produce sharpening artifacts more minute in detail and less organic looking than the surrounding area, which would therefore look obvious. While I agree that a deeper DOF would be preferable, I think that the best possible route to improving the soft area would be to clone skin detail from elsewhere.

Thanks again for your feedback