Everyone needs a write-off
Everyone needs a write-off
Words get in the way of what I meant to say.
I thought I'd take my own advice and post my before photos that show what I was working from. Included the perspective correction image that shows the areas that I'm always shorted and I have to spend a lot of extra time redrawing these areas. That's where I am hoping that the 14mm Rokinon will outshine the 16-35mm canon plus the improvement in edge to edge corner sharpness. The rooms are always very dark and for the bonus I hadn't bought a new flash yet. The flash shot up into the ceiling really helps to brighten up the areas closest to the camera where the natural light from the window really fades. The rooms are my least favorite and I always dread them.
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/finished image by freelanceshots, on Flickr:550:0]
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/crop corners perspec correct by freelanceshots, on Flickr:550:0]
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/original image by freelanceshots, on Flickr:550:0]
Bryan I think having the image well lit (top image) helps to give the room more size. But at the same time the gradient lighting of the initial image has a little bit of mood and intrigue. However it is too dark to be left that way because it is a little claustrophobic and detail is lost in the shadows. Therefore for me, and my opinion only, I would like to see something in between. This is being picky because the photo is near perfect, but I like the window to be a little over exposed, giving a sunny feel, and yet a little bit of mood - especially around the bed area. This gives more depth.
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That was an above and beyond response. Thanks for taking the time to do that. I can see what your saying where a little more mood can go a long way. With my images I am really supposed to get them close to where the company wants them and then they tweak them the rest of the way depending on what the client actually wants to see. Doing these rooms gets really tough because there's never enough space, they all have a big bright window directly in front of you, the room is dark and then lite with three or four lamps. Also no matter how hard the folks try to get the beds right they never come close to looking really super nice. I mean when I look at them before I take the images you can't notice all the wrinkles but it sure as heck shows up in the picture and I explain that in detail. Before I even start shooting I have a walk a round with the GM and the head house keeper and go over everything I need but its really tough to get a perfect picture. They don't pay me enough to capture a near perfect room where its more about moving fast but trying to keep the quality level high. The top image could probably be tweaked to give it that more mood type lighting but I'm burnt out so that about all I can do.
I am looking forward to getting the new lens and seeing if it adds to my images. First my contract company needs to come up with more steady work and then I can look at adding some additional toys maybe for future work.
One more for good measure:
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/tweaked finished image by freelanceshots, on Flickr:550:0]
Bryan -
As one of your peers, I totally understand and relate to your frustrations (not enough time and budget to get the perfect shot). William
Awww, that was nice of you to say. Thanks for the kind words!
Bryan in order to stay competitive in this business you need not only to be a great photographer but also a keen businessman. And a big part of being a businessman is knowing where the boundaries are and when to know when the job is finished. In this regard I think you are hitting the mark. Your quality is very high and you are getting the correct balance between your constraints and the desired quality. One only needs to look at your images to tell that you are a perfectionist and without a doubt your clients are getting plenty of bang for their buck.
Most clients probably wouldn't notice a few wrinkles in a bed but some would. What you could do, maybe, is provide a checklist for them to consider while preparing a room for a photo shoot. Even an example photo with a red circle around common faults might be helpful for them. This wouldn't make your job any harder but the fussy clients might really appreciate a few tips on how to get the most out of their images.
I like your re-edit BWT!
Thanks for your additional information William. In my walk through I go into great detail with the G.M. and head house keeper on all the essential items that make for better photography. The first and second room usually look nice but then they usually go down hill from there. I try and touchup the beds a little but with the pattern in the sheets and comforters it gets really tough and to time consuming to remove or lessen all the imperfections. Now if I was only doing a few rooms for the entire project where I was getting paid 3,000 to 5,000 dollars for the job I would be required to carry a steamer, hire someone to take care of the beds specifically and do test shots and then study them to find the problem areas. As for now everyone's happy, the deadlines are met and I collect a marginal check.
Someone needs to make software like the portrait professional for skin that will take wrinkles out of fabric. Maybe they do and that's what the parent company uses to clean up our results.
Sounds like my job. You can only put your efforts where they
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