Sean's Recent Shoot: Panos Galore

[bob williams]

Sean, I really like this shot and the way your lighting amplified the "intensity" in the face. If your interested in going further with this theme/technique, I have a couple of suggestions:

1. IMHO the beanie conveys more of a gangster message than a military one. Try and get your hands on a military ball cap with the same digital camo. I think it would add to the shot considerably.

2. I actually like what you did with the back ground, but if your looking for more blending with the subject, you may try a piece of digital camo netting normally available at your local military surplus or even a piece of realtree camo netting available at your local sporting goods store---both are fairly inexpensive for a 6x6 sample.

Regardless--cool shot.

[Sean Setters]

Sean, I really like this shot and the way your lighting amplified the "intensity" in the face. If your interested in going further with this theme/technique, I have a couple of suggestions:

1. IMHO the beanie conveys more of a gangster message than a military one. Try and get your hands on a military ball cap with the same digital camo. I think it would add to the shot considerably.

I think a military ball cap would make the same style lighting very difficult. The cap bill would shade most of the face. In order to get a decent amount of detail, I could use a low power on-camera fill (I don't have a ring flash, so it would likely be a large softbox behind the camera), but it still wouldn't be the same. However, the soldier would need some sort of headgear if he were bald, because the light would be way too overexposed on his head.

2. I actually like what you did with the back ground, but if your looking for more blending with the subject, you may try a piece of digital camo netting normally available at your local military surplus or even a piece of realtree camo netting available at your local sporting goods store---both are fairly inexpensive for a 6x6 sample.

I wasn't necessarily wanting the subject to completely blend into the background. What I really wanted was some type of common looking background where the soldier might use the camo effectively. It's not quite the same if you're blending into the same material that your clothes are made out of--it's just cheating (says the guy who faked a background in the image...the irony is not lost on me). :-)

By the way, the background texture in this image is plain ol' asphalt. If only buildings were clad in asphalt, this image would make perfect sense!

[bob williams]

I think a military ball cap would make the same style lighting very difficult. The cap bill would shade most of the face. In order to get a decent amount of detail, I could use a low power on-camera fill (I don't have a ring flash, so it would likely be a large softbox behind the camera), but it still wouldn't be the same. However, the soldier would need some sort of headgear if he were bald, because the light would be way too overexposed on his head.

I agree, The lighting would really be a challenge with a ball cap, but I was thinking this: Same setup as you have now, but add an additional light about 15 degrees camera left, just below the subjects eye level and at a much lower power level. The intent would be to maintain the structure on the face but light the eyes just under the brim of the ball cap. The eyes should still be shadowed by the brim of the cap but just visible enough to see.

Please keep in mind, when I make a comment regarding strobist technique, I don't have a clue what I am talking about, just thoughts I have if I were presented with similar situations. I also like seeing your responses on why it would or wouldn't work.

As far as the camo background, I see your point with the digital camo, but the realtree or woodland may be just what you are looking for ---both natural prints of wooded areas but the realtree is a little brighter and a little more detailed.

[Sean Setters]

As far as the camo background, I see your point with the digital camo, but the realtree or woodland may be just what you are looking for ---both natural prints of wooded areas but the realtree is a little brighter and a little more detailed.

That's a really good point--you'd simply be simulating an actual wooded area. I wonder how well the digital camo would work there? I always got the impression it worked best against sand and stone/dusty urban areas. I'd kinda liked to see that now...