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Pick your battles: 4 things worth fighting for on any shoot

Preparing for a commercial shoot, no matter what the size, is a stressful endeavor. Countless decisions need to be made in the weeks leading up to shoot day and most often these aren’t your decisions alone to make. Creative directors who have been working for months to concept the project, producers who have hawk like eyes on the budget, and account managers who are looking out for their client are just a few of the voices who will have an opinion — and rightfully so.

If there is one thing that experience has taught me, it’s that even the best intentioned ideas need to adapt to the practical realities of their capture. Believe me I’ve seen it all: From not having new cars painted when delivered from the factory (we ended up using Plasti Dip), to no fly zones due to military training; both planned and unplanned challenges are part of any production.

So, knowing which battles to pick when it comes to these conversations can be the difference between successfully executing your creative vision and feeling like a robot who is just pushing a shutter button. Here are the four things I’m never willing to budge on — and a few images from a recent production for the US based fabric manufacture Eastman to illustrate.

1) Location

As an outdoor/lifestyle photographer, to me, location is everything. REAL is king, and while it is possible to fake heat, rain, snow, and epic vistas, they always fall short on the authenticity meter. The mood of the shoot, and therefore the images we create, are directly related to a location. So I will fight to the death for the best location.

For the project with Eastman, we wanted to capture compelling photography while telling a visual narrative about the different conditions that their new fabrics were designed for. Practically, that meant the heat of the desert to the cool chill of mountain summits. For the ‘hot’ desert part of our story, I was inspired by the photographs you often see of Antelope Canyon in Arizona, where the dust stirred up by hundreds of people in the narrow canyon create beams of light that tell such a rich story in a single image. I wanted those beams, but in a more dramatic place. Tall, smooth walls of sandstone.

I think our team found an awesome spot for my creative vision, and the producers were happy that we could get everyone in and out safely, with minimal hiking, AND within the budget.

2) Talent

You can be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if you don’t have the right models you aren’t going to get the shot you need. Whether you are just using friends that you’ve worked with before, or having a casting agent supply models for the project, it’s incredibly important that you as the director/photographer talk with talent beforehand. Be honest about your expectations, locations, and direction ahead of time.

Then when it comes time to make a decision on who you will be using on the project, you can be specific about the talent you want to shoot and why. “He looks good” doesn’t hold up in a discussion about casting. “When I talked to him on Skype he shared his experiences in hiking in exposed environments, can do backflips on command, and has great energy” goes much further. This was the case with ‘Zuma’ our male talent in these desert photos. I loved his look, but it was his comfort in the dusty, dirty, exposed landscapes that made these locations really come to life.

3) Gear

No matter what the client asks for, use the camera equipment that YOU want. You are a race car driver, and the gear is your car. The equipment you pick will have as much effect on the look and feel of the imagery as the location.

Because I knew these images were going to be used as giant billboards, I wanted to capture everything in the highest and sharpest resolution possible. Additionally, I knew we were going to be operating in narrow canyons, river bottoms, and mountain ridges – places where the exposure and vastness was an essential element in the photograph. I wanted to be close to the action but still see the epic landscape.

For these reasons I shot the entire campaign on the new Phase One Schneider Kreuznach 35mm LS f/3.5 Blue Ring lens. I was blown away by the corner-to-corner sharpness when paired with the XF IQ3 100MP camera system, even when shot wide open. Shooting tight, but knowing that I’d still have the context of landscape, helped us move fast and efficiently, because the client knew they could crop in on an image if needed.

I normally don’t think of shooting medium format as faster, but it’s a big reason why we were able to shoot this entire campaign in a matter of a days – not weeks.

4) The Post Process

Once you’ve wrapped a production, the work is only halfway done. From stills to motion, the realization of your creative vision comes together in the post production process. This entire project was edited in Capture One Pro 9, which is the best tool I’ve found for pulling every ounce of color and resolution from your files.

Because we shot this campaign practically, meaning that what you see was how it was on location, it was important for us to remain rooted in reality, but push what the naked eye could see.

At the end of the day, the RAW file is just a foundation for you to build your story from — so don’t let the fact the that shooting is done, stop you from having your creative voice be heard.

There’s always a fine line between fighting for your creative vision and being a micromanager. It’s your job as the photographer to lead your team through the creative process of a production and be specific about what you want. However, it’s also important to remember that you are a team.

While there will always be several things out of my control, these four elements are always worth fighting for.

Creating fairytales with the XF 100MP

NOTE: This article discusses an outdated version of Capture One. To learn more about our latest version, click here.

At a recent workshop, organized by fellow photographer, Dennis Møller I had the pleasure of creating with and demonstrating the Phase One XF 100MP.

The workshop took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and ran across two days filled with shared knowledge and connecting with those who have a passion for capturing moments. On the first day we focused predominantly on shooting and storytelling. I shared my inspirations, how I prepared for the shoot ahead, how I set up scenes and later, demonstrated how I used the Phase One system in my shooting process. On the second day I focused on retouching and image composition. I shared various tips and the techniques I employ using Capture One Pro, followed by Pratik Naik of Solstice Retouch leading us through high end image processing.

Preparing a fairytale

For much of my work, a lot of time goes into the preparation of the shoot. This involves pulling together clothes, the right models, and getting a sense of the story I’d like to convey. The clothes were sourced by myself and sent to us from Fairytas, a talented designer based in the Netherlands. The models were Anna and Mathilde from Management Agency with hair and makeup by Maria Leonhard Bødker. Many of the details were overseen by Dennis Møller, who ensured a smooth running couple of days.

My inspiration for this shoot came from fairytales and old renaissance paintings leading me to envision a tale between two sisters. Our location of choice was The Kings Gardens. A walk there the day before revealed floral heavy bushes and a castle in the background, a more fitting place I couldn’t imagine.

An ‘almost therapeutic’ technical process

For the images created I alternated between three lenses; The 55mm, 80mm, and the 110mm. All three performed admirably and I was able to shoot quickly, capturing the images I wanted in a limited time frame. I was impressed with the focus and the ease in being able to set custom settings as well as change them during a fast paced shoot. There was a sense of peace in knowing that, due to the camera’s impressive dynamic range, I could recollect much of the information back, in case the image was over or under exposed in certain areas. This allowed me to focus on, well, the focus!

There was more time between shots due to a conservative rate with frames per second. I found myself really working on staying present in the moment and focusing on the scenes that slipped past in front of the camera. The students also got an opportunity to use the camera, and for many, it was the first time using the system and having medium format images to work on later in post.

The files really come into their own when adjusting colors in Capture One Pro. As an artist who enjoys building up colors in images, this process was almost therapeutic for me. Phase one renders color tones beautifully and I thoroughly enjoyed working up layers and layers of slight adjustments to create a color palette filled with depth and unique richness in Capture One Pro.

Retouching with Pratik Naik

Switching gears and talking about the post production and technical, I got to show the students what I do on a regular basis. The benefit of starting out with these medium format files; they got to also compare them with their own cameras. The true depth of the colors and sharpness was a really beautiful moment when they came to that realization collectively. People always wonder if it’s that much better, and it became apparent.

We started out in Capture One Pro and explored more in-depth color work like the influence of the color editor and the intriguing skin tone tab. Using the robust layering structure to bring out the potential of each image really set a great base for getting into the retouching element. Being able to retouch for the sake of bringing out the best parts of the image instead of using Photoshop to fix mistakes was a great feeling.

An honest test jury

The primary reason for choosing Denmark as destination is that the Danes are very advanced with their education. They are incredible photographers and they have the technical knowledge to back it up. With the Phase One camera system, could they appreciate the reality of what it has to offer, or was it an over-hyped product that isn’t worth the cost? Danish photographers are very honest with their response and we wanted to see if the camera beats their critical and honest thoughts.

We were fortunate to be able to use the system on location. Through the day, students used their own and the Phase One system. They obviously got to experience how to use it and the different style in shooting required. They also got to compare the full potential of each image when we went back to the studio to process them. On the camera end, there are huge improvements on the auto-focus speed from the previous model.

My favorite aspects of the XF 100MP

The XF body is also exceptionally intuitive and continues to improve with firmware upgrades. Aside from the hardware, here are my favorite aspects of the camera: The first element is the sheer real estate value of each image. Being able to crop and re-compose in post in a manner that far exceeded any SLR image was tremendous. Especially when you have clients who want a variation that is way more focused in than anticipated on set, you are able to re-adjust and still make large and clear prints. This comes in very handy on any commercial set.

Next, taking a look at just how sharp these images are, illustrated below. The clarity is diamond-like in quality, and you immediately notice that this isn’t something that can be done by adding a sharpening filter. Finally, the color output of these 16-bit images is my utmost favorite quality.

When you combine the clarity with an excellent variation of colors provided, the term “life-like” immediately comes across. Even within the skin and clothing, you see nuances of color that really make a difference. If you’re shooting clothing, it sells it. If you’re documenting environments, reality-level shades of green are recorded.

When you go back to any SLR file after looking at these images, you suddenly realize what is missing. And that is a dangerous thing because it will leave you with a desire to own one. The good news is you can rent them as well and include that into any expense on a client job should the budget be there.

Below you’ll find the images which we created that day, along with 100% crops to get an idea of the details in each image.

Essential steps in Capture One Pro

No Capture One Pro; No happy fairytale ending. As the screen shots illustrate, Capture One Pro 9 has played a major role in helping me fulfill the visual fairytale. Get an overview and gain an insight into my editing process here:

Step 1: Checking the focus

Step 2: Warm up via Kelvin

Step 3: Highlights and shadows

Step 4: Color toning via Curves

Step 5: Color toning via levels

6 - Colour toning via colour balance - highlights_Body

Step 6: Color toning via Color Balance

7 - Colour toning via colour balance - shadows_Body

Step 7: Color toning via Color Balance

Step 8: Skin Tone Correction

Step 9: Bringing back more highlights

10 - Setting up a layer adjustment _Body

Step 10: Setting up a Layer Adjustment

Step 11: Setting up the Brush

12 - Bringing back the shadow on her crown_Body

Step 12: Bringing back the shadow on her crown

Step 13: Exporting the adjustments

Step 14: Checking Export settings

Credits

Model: Anna @ Le Management

Model: Mathilde @ Le Management

Hair & Makeup Artist ~ Maria Leonhard Bødker

Instagram: @leonhard_hairandmakeupartist

Styling: Bella Kotak Photography (www.bellakotak.com)

Assistants: Pratik Naik & Poul Majgaard

Workshop organized by Dennis Møller (www.manipulateit.com)

Retouching: Pratik Naik (www.solsticeretouch.com)

Garments: The big gowns & blue cape were by designer Fairytas

Make or break your Beauty Shot

Color is arguably the most important part of an image when retouching. While Cleanup and Dodge & Burn are both important skills, the overall color can make or break an image even before any detail work is done. Photoshop has its place for color manipulation but, whenever possible, I prefer to work with Capture One Pro 9 to apply a grade to a set of images. My main reasoning for this is because there is so much more maneurverability while working with a RAW file rather than an exported TIFF or PSD.

Step 1: Determine mood and color harmonies

The first step into applying a color grade to a photo is to figure out the proper color harmonies that enhance the photo while bringing out the desired mood. For this photo, the photographer, James Barnes, told me that he had his color inspiration from old, run down swimming pools and wanted to name it “Chlorinated”. He did a very good job getting the color done in the camera but I came up with a color scheme that enhanced the base color to take his shot to the next level.

Step 2: Make adjustments in The Color Balance Tool

To get the final colored photo, the first tool I jump to in Capture One Pro 9 is the Color Balance tool. This is because I can separately adjust the hue, saturation and luminosity of the highlights, midtones, and shadows. Since this tool is so versatile, it’s easy to manipulate the color of a photo to be more color correct or to have a color grade applied. For this specific photo, I added blue and increased the luminosity in the shadows, then added yellow into both the midtones and highlights. The reason I added yellow was to make the blue into the green tone that I wanted from the color palette.

Step 3: Fix layers in the Local Adjustments Tool

With the majority of the color work done, there needs to be some selective adjustments to pull the color palette together. The Local Adjustments panel in Capture One Pro 9 is an amazing feature for taking care of these changes – and it is so easy to use. To fix the little areas of color that weren’t complying with the chosen colors, I would make a new layer, mask in the problem area, and make the adjustment. In this photo, I used Local Adjustments in three areas:

I darkened and removed some red from the natural skin color in the area around her ear, added some purple to her lips, and removed red as well as added blue to her hair around the dark edges of the shot. All of this was made extremely simple with the help of the Local Adjustments panel.

The final touch

To complete the picture, the only additional color work I did in Photoshop was the purple tones on the eyelids, otherwise all of the color toning was done completely in Capture One Pro 9. To get the final image from the color toned image, I used healing techniques as well as Dodge & Burn to remove distractions.

And that’s it! The colors of the picture have been improved significantly by the use of Capture One Pro 9. Have a look at the final result and make your own judgement:

If you are interested in more of Jordan Hartley’s work, visit his website on jordanhartley.ca or his Instagram account on Instagram.com/jordanhartleyretouch

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The importance of Flow control

In Capture One Pro 9 we added a couple of new features for drawing Local Adjustment masks.

These were Flow amount and Airbrush mode.

In this particular blog post we will take a closer look at the Flow setting in the Brush Settings dialog. It’s really important if you want to ‘dodge and burn’ (Selectively lighten and darken parts of the image) and will lead to better results in a shorter space of time.

That’s got to be good!

Lower flow, more brush movements

In Capture One Pro 8 (where there was no flow control) you can liken that to a setting of 100 in Capture One Pro 9. But what does that actually mean?

First of all, it helps to think of Flow as a movement based setting. So with a flow set to 100, one single pass of the brush onto the image will deliver a mask to the maximum set Opacity (in the example above that would be 100).

With the Flow set to 50, it would take two passes to reach an Opacity of 100.

So in conclusion, the lower the Flow, the more brush movements it takes to reach the maximum set Opacity. This is why you should also consider Opacity settings when thinking about experimenting with Flow.

So, what’s the benefit?

With no Flow control, it becomes much more difficult to make gradual controlled changes of a mask. In Capture One Pro 8, if you want to build up or reduce a mask, you have to lift the pen or mouse in-between every brush stroke with a very low Opacity set. It does work, but the control and speed of the result is somewhat diminished.

Therefore, using Flow is particularly handy for dodging and burning as mentioned earlier.

Selective Lightening and Darkening (Dodge and Burn)

Here is a simple shot, currently with one Layer named ‘Sky’, which is adding a small Luma curve to the blue areas of the image.

I want to experiment with bringing down the exposure on parts of the building and sky a little, and the easiest way to do this is with a Local Adjustment.

Before doing anything, I make a new Layer called ‘Selective Darken’.

New Layers are created in the Local Adjustments tool by clicking the + icon

As you can see in the above image, I have also reduced the exposure by 1.5 stops. The image, of course, does not change as there is no Masking on that layer as yet – remember, changes on each layer only show on the masked areas.

Next, I need to adjust my Brush Settings to allow a gradual and controlled build up my mask.

I choose a really low Flow (8 in this example) and also a low Opacity (30 in this example). You might be wondering why I don’t simply start with a less drastic Exposure correction, and this indeed could be a valid approach. But, it also gives me another level of adjustment to play with, as once I have applied the mask, I can increase or reduce its overall effect by playing with the Exposure slider.

With these settings, I can use my pen and tablet to ‘paint’ over the image. The more I brush in one particular area, the more the image darkens. I don’t have to lift my pen off at any point, I just brush away. Concentration in one area means the mask will build up gradually to my final desired look. Briefly brushing over a different area will be just a subtle effect.

Its important to add that I don’t have the mask showing when I’m drawing as I want to see the result on the image in real time.

Link Brush and Eraser Settings

If I feel like I have gone too far, I just press E on the keyboard to choose the eraser. Make sure the check box Link Brush and Eraser Settings is checked in the Brush Settings tool so that the Eraser and Brush share the same settings.

After masking, I settled on an Exposure value of -1.26 to reduce the effect a little.

You can see the before and after below:

Oh, and to finish the image I also used a repair layer to get rid of the tree branches in the lower left hand corner.

Don’t forget, if you want to selectively lighten, the process is exactly the same, just use a positive Exposure correction.

The Airbrush checkbox adds an additional component: Time. The mask will build up simply by clicking and holding with the mouse (or pen). Higher flow rates will lead to the mask building up faster. I haven’t yet found a way to use the airbrush function in my own work. If you have, I would be interested to hear in the comments!

I hope you find this useful on your images. Dodging and Burning can be a fun way to add another dimension to your images and also save a step in Photoshop. Working on the RAW file gives a better result… as always.

All the best,

David Grover