September 9th, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
09.09.08
Nina’s Yearbook Picture Choice, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
I am always surprised by what clients choose as their favorite photos from one of my portrait sessions. This photo of Gloria was actually the first shot I took that morning, and it turned out that this was the image she and her sister Jessica chose for her senior yearbook picture.
They both said the dramatic natural lighting on her face made her appear more mature. This wasn’t my favorite image however, because Gloria doesn’t have her signature, wattage smile that blew me away whenever I got a true one out of her and not some faked version she told me she normally flashed when taking portraits. But in this case, as with all others, the customer knows best. I will just be proud to know that a senior yearbook with have three of my photos in it, as I also shot Gloria’s friends, Jordan and Nina.
September 2nd, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
09.02.08
originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
On Saturday, I took senior portraits of Gloria at City Park in Denver. Several keepers are emerging from this session, even though it wasn’t what I would consider the best situation for shooting. I usually try to avoid shooting in direct sunlight because the strong light casts long, unflattering shadows on a subject’s face and under their eyes making them look like zombies.
Most photographers agree that the best time to shoot a variety of subjects from landscapes to portraits to cityscapes is during “the golden hour,” described as the hour after sunrise and before sunset when the quality of light is less intense and warmer, casting a lovely golden glow on subjects.
Time constraints meant this shoot had to be taken during the day, so I asked Gloria if we could shoot at 8 a.m., a couple of hours after sunrise while the sun was still low in the sky. Gloria’s sister was a great assistant, using a diffuser or reflector when necessary to shade or bounce light into Gloria’s face. A pop of fill flash with my 580EX II held off my camera with a Stroboframe adds a little more directional light on Gloria.
August 29th, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
08.29.08
Original, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
Here is an example of a “before and after” of an image from a recent senior portrait session. Jordan’s mother requested I remove her daughter’s piercing above her right eye.
To achieve this effect, I used some healing to erase the piercing above Jordan’s right eye, smoothed out the dark circles under her eye and around her neck. I sharpened her eyes so they would pop. Then I used a plug-in filter called Portraiture for the glamour affect which softened Jordan’s skin to a flawless glow and evened out her skin tone. Further selective adjustment editing in Curves brightened her face.
If you use this type of processing, I like to apply it in a separate layer and then lower the opacity to about 60 to 65 percent. A little of this kind of touch-up goes a long way and keeps the subject realistic. This image was Jordan’s mother’s favorite from the entire session.
August 19th, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
08.19.08
There’s a Rainbow in the Sky All the Time, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
Always be aware of your surroundings. A momentary drizzle forced my senior portrait shoot with Jordan inside to wait out the rain. But I would have missed this incredible opportunity to photography Jordan with the rainbow in the background if her little sister, Donovan, hadn’t grabbed my arm and dragged me to the window.
“Look! A rainbow!” I wasn’t sure if I would be able to capture this natural phenomenon before it disappeared. So I rushed Jordan to a balcony and started shooting.
To get this shot, I had to meter for the sky and rainbow, which left Jordan underexposed. To compensate, I used a bit of fill flash to lit up her face and body, but she was still more shadowed than I wanted. So in CS3, I used a quick mask to select Jordan’s face and a Curve to adjust the lighting in just that area. I think it works because I still want Jordan to be the main focus of the image, but the rainbow in the background gives the image depth.