Just for Fun No C&C will be given: The Starving Artist

[Kathy Rappaport]

Asher,

Happy Birthday: My work fresh of the Compact Flash.

The Starving Artist...by Kathy Rappaport

Kathy,

Ths is one of the best presents ever. I am so delighted to see such work. Simple and well executed. The girl is lovely and shouldn't want for anything in a society that values immediate beauty in people. The ochre to yellow strong junction behind creates an awkward tension as if it might cleanly cut of her left arm at the shoulder. That might be its best point.

Asher
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[John Angulat]

Hi Kathy,
This is wonderful image! I absolutely love it!
I wish I had the artistic education to say why it works so well.
Alas, I do not.
so I'll simply say again - wonderful image!

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Thank you

Thank you, John.

 

[Ken Tanaka]

It's a very nice, pithy image Kathy! I suppose that it "works" due principally to two factors. The walls and table organize the frame near classic thirds lines. But the girl is placed at the intersection of these planes and in a diminished stature to reinforce the theme of deprivation.

Of course this cute, nicely dressed and nicely coiffed model hardly looks deprived. Her expression looks a bit coquettish. But that's an aside.

If you ever want to stage a more tuned-up version of this image try the following adjustments.
1. Camera approximately 2" higher.
2. Darker foreground and edges. Eliminate that flare and that foreground OOF area on the table, perhaps with a tilt lens or view camera.
3. Smaller plate, white -- not in the palette of the planes.
4. Dark-haired model wearing dark, but loose, top.

Just thoughts. Great fun, Kathy!!

 

[Rachel Foster]

I love this one, too. Very nice concept and execution.

 

[Asher Kelman]

It's a very nice, pithy image Kathy! I suppose that it "works" due principally to two factors. The walls and table organize the frame near classic thirds lines. But the girl is placed at the intersection of these planes and in a diminished stature to reinforce the theme of deprivation.

So Ken,

What genealogy might you grant this mage idea? I feel have seen such an idea before but can't place it.

I do like your suggestions, especially controlling the plane of focus.

Kathy,

I am so impressed and wonder whether or not you plan to work on this a theme for more some really distinguished images. I'd encourage you to go further with this motif if you are so inspired. Think about it, Will Thompson has more LF options for you than Bill Clinton's parsing list from the word "is"!

Asher

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Upping the Game

Asher,

Since you have watched my photography progress from one level to the next you must know that I am continually studying and upping the ante for the images I produce.

For the weekend I was in a three day workshop called The Exceptional Portrait. We had one extended session a day and we assisted with others. We had to come up with a concept and shoot with the intent of telling the story of the subject. Mark Robert Halper was the instructor - a fine art portrait and commercial photographer in Los Angeles. It was one of the finest workshops I have taken. On the last day having drawn straws for the location and model in the session, I had to arrive at what I was shooting and have it approved. Because I am so comfortable with Feminine/Fashion and Boudoir - I was not allowed to shoot any genre of that. I knew going into the day that it was going to result in a birthday image.

My first concept was to have the model do something in the genre of fashion since she has a perfect red, black and yellow dress with 6" yellow high heels. Well, that concept was trashed. I then had 35 minutes left to redo the entire concept using the model, her least attractive/plain wardrobe and she was not allow to give me any sexy in the image. Well....here you are. It was very well received by my fellow students. I like it enough to print and frame it.

As a pop quiz, let's see who can tell me how I lit the scene.

 

[Ken Tanaka]

So Ken,

What genealogy might you grant this mage idea?

I don't know about "genealogy" but the image looks like a preliminary study for a commercial or art shot. (What's the difference any more?)

As a pop quiz, let's see who can tell me how I lit the scene.

The scene appears to be lit with two soft lights. One, a kind of key, is located rather low at the (viewers') left and is causing bad lens flare and glare on the table top. It needs flagging and/or to be moved.

The other is somewhere at right, also appears low, and is creating another glare, this time on the table's edge. This light also needs flagging.

There is no hair light apparent, nor is there any light devoted to control of the background apparent.

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Not even

Ken,

Not even close on the lighting

 

[Ken Tanaka]

Ha!! Love it!!

But at the risk of humiliation how could "not even close" be true?

I'm eager to see how I've misread this setup.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Light(s) on the left. One is large and higher causing a soft shadow and glare on the wall. The one from the model is soft and large indicating a larger source but the shadow of the chair is harder which suggests it come from another smaller light, perhaps on the table on the left.

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Well now see your diagram, Ken, I need to believe in a third light. This is getting like the investigation of the shooting of the President in Texas! Is there a 3rd shooter!

Asher

 

[Ruben Alfu]

Because of the shadow in the center of the table I'm inclined to think that these are windows at both sides of model. Now just shoot me LOL!

 

[Ken Tanaka]

Because of the shadow in the center of the table I'm inclined to think that these are windows at both sides of model. Now just shoot me LOL!

Very well could be, Ruben. Maybe it's a restaurant setting? But that would not qualify as "not even close"; that's what has me flummoxed.

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Because of the shadow in the center of the table I'm inclined to think that these are windows at both sides of model.

We have a winner

One reason I posted this is because something I learned in my first lighting class was to learn about light you have to see it in images....I thought it would be helpful.

The location is a home.

 

[Asher Kelman]

We have a winner

One reason I posted this is because something I learned in my first lighting class was to learn about light you have to see it in images....I thought it would be helpful.

The location is a home.

Well Kathy,

So what's "My work fresh of the Compact Flash"? I thought that meant you were using compact flash, LOL!

Asher

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

The missing F

Fresh off the Compact Flash CARD.....
Not light flash

 

[Asher Kelman]

The missing "F" That has so much potential, LOL! F for fertile mind!

Asher