Cross Processing People!

Saw a tutorial by Joey L and started experimenting with some cross processing techniques. The image felt special because the US flag had a fluid quality that blended into the windows. Although there was something there, the image was not popping, so I decided to try Joey's technique on this image.

Three Photoshop layers changed this image radically. 

I added a curves layer to increase contrast. 

I then added another layer to play with the different color levels in the image, to achieve a look that looked interesting to me. 

And here comes the cream, to finalize it, I added a Channel Mixer layer, and played with the sliders. Hint: It is important that the values of the sliders you change always add up to 100%.

And here is the cherry on the cake! Play with the opacity slider and follow your instinct. You will see the cross processed look take place in front of you.

What I love about this approach, is that images have a degree of color and luma information that you can tweak at different stages of the process. Give it a try an let me know what you think.

Here are the before and after images.

Before 

After

The Five Non-Negotiable elements a Client must ask from a Headshot Photographer

Hi folks.

It's been a while since I posted, but I have some new exciting blog posts coming up. This one in particular is directed to actors looking for a headshot photographer and that deem a re-shoot. Here are the five non-negotiable elements:

1. SHOT MUST BE IN FOCUS

Day after day I get clients showing me their current headshots, or some shots that they had taken that had been sent to them that were not in focus. By being in focus I mean, the eyes must be in focus. That is the key part of our face agents, managers and casting directors relate to. Moreover, the eye closest to camera should be in focus if only one of the two is going to be in focus. Never have the one closest to camera out of focus and the one furthest away in focus. 

2. SHOT MUST BE WELL LIT

By this I mean, you don't want any distracting shadows under your eyes, over your eyes, under your chin, under your nose... Some shadows are necessary to create depth in the shot, but too much is distracting. 

3. SHOT MUST BE WELL EXPOSED

Make sure that the shot that you get isn't too dark or too light. If it is, the photo may be ruined. Some of this can be fixed in post-production, but too much will definitively ruin your picture.

4. IT MUST BE WELL COMPOSED

This one is pretty self explanatory. It is called a headshot for one and only one reason. It is a shot of your head. No half body, with lots of space around it. You really want your shot to focus on your face and a bit of the shoulders. Within this composition, you will see stylistic choices. Some photographers prefer to shoot landscape, me for example, whilst others prefer to shoot portrait. How much of the head is left in the photo is also a stylistic question. Look at photographers that you like and look at the way they frame their heads. That will give you an idea of the look they go for.

5. IT MUST BE SHOT IN THE HIGHEST QUALITY (raw) FILE POSSIBLE

A full res raw image will retain the maximum color fidelity and resolution provided by the sensor.

Best of luck and always remember, preparation is the key to relaxation.

Traveling Photography - Slowing Down

It is amazing how many of us carry our camera everywhere, and then just snap away at the first chance we have. I just came back from a trip to Europe, and I am guilty of this myself. During the trip I was looking at some of the images I was taking, and I pretty soon realized: "I am going too fast!" Careful composition, lighting and subject selection takes a little time. God Bless technology. I can look at my images on the day I shoot and learn from my mistakes. The next day I can be ready to implement the new knowledge. It enables you to get continuous feedback which is something that I find very useful in acting too. From my experience in Grad School, I found that I was also able to slow down, and get continuous input on my craft.

So the next time I go travelling, I'll try to remember three things that really helped me in this trip.

1. Go first thing in the morning or late in the evening (which happens to be Magic Hour) when people are beginning their day or winding down. The most interesting things happen here, and usually you are relieved from family and friend pressures during those hours.

2. Take a few shots, look, shoot a few more, look again... settle in a position once you have had a little time playing around with the composition and moment.

3. Breathe! Remember that 'inspiration is the act of allowing breath in'. 

Hair, hair and hair

View fullsize

Robin Thompson

Most people worry about the way their face looks during a session, but hair plays a very important part in defining your style. Some of the people who walk in into the studio struggle to convey a strong presence because they are self conscious about their hair. Never go to your session unprepared. If your hair ends are split and your hair looks frizzy, there is nothing a retoucher can do except replace your entire hair. Think that a Headshot is an investment that you do every 1-3 years, take it seriously, and don't be anxious to run into a session because you feel pressure from your agent, your manager or yourself. Take a step back and look at your hair: where it is, and whether you would like to stay with that style for a while. My personal take on hair, is that I much prefer healthy looking hair than interesting looking hair. As an actor, our image must portray strength, confidence and resilience, and I see that healthy hair always reinforces these.

What if you have no hair, or it is receding... again... keep it healthy. Don't attempt to style it so that it gains a lot of volume, or it covers areas that are less hairy. You may try to do that before you enter the audition room, but the truth is that the casting director notices it right away and moves on because he is infinitely more interested in your acting. If anything, coming to terms with it will present a personal challenge to you and acceptance will only lead to your growth as an artist. 

If you plan your headshot session carefully and you know how to take care of your hair, your will look confident, healthy and empowered in front of the camera. If you need help with your hair, don't hesitate to look for a professional that can give you some great tips on keeping healthy hair.

Should you lose weight before your headshot session?

View fullsize

Claudio Bandini

I am often asked the question, and I have demanded it of myself when I am in front of the camera, whether to lose weight for my headshot session. Have you been through the same process in your career? Before jumping to conclusions, I would like to expose what I think is important in front of the camera. You want to:

1. Look engaged.

2. Look confident.

3. Look relaxed.

4. Look 'clean'.

As you can see none of the above express the need to be 'thin' or to look 'tan' or to look 'beautiful' for that matter.  In today's acting market, there are many actors filing every niche. Therefore, you need to feel confident in your own skin.  If you lose too much weight and stretch yourself too far into a space that you don't usually inhabit, you will not see yourself in your headshots, and what's worse, the casting director will not be able to recognize you from the shots you submitted.

If feeling slim is going to make you feel better about yourself, then by all means go for it. For me, it has worked inversely. I have taken the route of trying to shed a few pounds before a shoot, and by the time I get to the shoot I usually feel starved and tired, which is the worst way to enter a photo shoot. What happened was that I tried to change something in a few weeks that I didn't like about myself, and that had taken all my focus and exhausting me. My realization was that real deep change takes a little longer because we are talking about changing habits, and in my opinion that is where true artists should be heading to.  If on the other hand you take your photo session as a snapshot of who you are at this moment in time, you will not feel the pressure to modify yourself. We all know that self improvement is something to strive for, but for those of us who are actors, self acceptance is crucial. Without it we lack confidence. I believe and have seen it in front of the camera that as an actor you have to do everything in your power to stay grounded and in your body at all times. This helps to stay present and alive during a shoot, and guarantee a successful session but has very little to do with losing weight.

In terms of being clean, obviously follow your look, bring to the photo session what you bring into the audition room. I have had some clients that didn't like the way their hair looked because they didn't plan well enough to come in with their hair ready and in good condition. Most of my clients also assume that the make-up artist will do everything for them. Be an artist, have a voice about your look.  Establish dynamic communication with the make-up and hair person in the room and communicate whether the tones are too light, too intense... and he or she will let you know where the boundaries are for the type of photography we are doing.  For me 'clean' means ready for work! Right this day, right this time, this very moment. And ladies, if your skin is prone to breaking out at that time of the month, plan around it. The bottom line is, no one can help you if you are not prepared in the set, and no photographer can do miracles if you are not ready for work!

So should you get in shape? Do what empowers you most, but please don't drain yourself the morning before the shoot by doing a monster weights session and get a good night sleep the days leading to this important date.  Don't forget to drink and bring lots of water! Trust, I am writing from my own experience.