Defying gravity

[surenj]

Had a chance to do some break dance portraits recently.

I had seen this sports pavilion and had an idea for a couple of years. Finally it's great to be able to at least attempt what you had in mind.

I would be grateful for your critique.

Frozen



About to be freeze...

[colin_12]

I like the feel of these Surenj. Very gritty and dark.
Well above the average.

[Big V]

Loving the vibe of these, I am sure they will be happy with the results - great effort and result.

[biggerry]

damn good Suren , you are definitely a strobist at heart eh..one flash to the left?

great choice for the POV, the low down POV works very well for this kind of shot, the backdrop is very fitting also, those two lights work well, I would however consider just cropping teh image to make them symmetrical about those lights, but that could just be me be pendantic..That bit of sky also works very well, satisfies that pesky thirds rule too..

[surenj]

Well above the average.

Thanks Colin. I know I am definitely above average. Just like 99% of the population.

Loving the vibe of these, I am sure they will be happy with the results - great effort and result.

Thanks BigV, he is pretty happy with these. It's interesting, while I am interested in the composition, color, lights, shadows etc, he is most interested in the 'correct' pose, difficulty of the trick etc. It's taught me a good lesson in listening and tuning in to the mindset of the person you are photographing.

you are definitely a strobist at heart eh..one flash to the left?

Definitely. Although I have stopped lugging my flash to photograph sunsets etc....
This is just the same softbox as yours. Single diffused and at a distance so slightly harsher. Although it would have been nice to have another light or two for accents, I don't have any other flashes or triggers.

those two lights work well, I would however consider just cropping teh image to make them symmetrical about those lights, but that could just be me be pendantic

Thanks for this. I am terrible with symmetry, levelling and cropping. I waste alot of pixels because of horizon issues. I will have another go.

That bit of sky

I waited until dusk so that my little flash would be powerful enough to be par with the sky... One of the problems of the ebay triggers is that they pull down your sync speed. [although not by much but still]

[photomarcs]

nice feel to the first one Surenj! =D

Great shots Surenj, 10-22 canon win for sure!

I would have personally made it a little bit colder.. with a hint of sepia toning.. but thats just me.

WELL DONE !!!!!

[surenj]

I would have personally made it a little bit colder.. with a hint of sepia toning.. but thats just me.

Thanks for this suggestion. Will look into it. I wouldn't have colorised at all, but I made a mistake with the color balancing. I used a tungsten filter on the flash which made the sky go electric blue; which didn't suit this mood... Grr..

10-22 canon win for sure!

I thought you didn't like this lens? I have noticed little problems with corner sharpness but then I don't use the corners too much at 10mm

[biggerry]

Although it would have been nice to have another light or two for accents

yeah true, but where would you have placed them, out of interest?

It's taught me a good lesson in listening and tuning in to the mindset of the person you are photographing.

exactly, what does the person want from the picture? typically they are not interested in the effect but more on teh subject/content, whether it be a dance position, part of a product shoot etc...I think you have learnt a valuable lesson here Suren.

[surenj]

yeah true, but where would you have placed them, out of interest?

1 more flash: likely camera right, back of the subject, +1EV, snooted, out of the frame = highlight him from the right
2 more = probably similar affair from the left OR try and do something creative in the background with coloured gels or something in the stadium OR just use it to fill the very dark shadows slightly although this may change the mood too much.

[photomarcs]

Hey Surenj! which sports pavilion is this at?

also, I don't prefer the 10-22mm.. I'd rather the 10-24 tamron... but it sure is a win for you here

[surenj]

which sports pavilion is this at?

Marc, this is in Melbourne. IF you really need it, I can look up google maps for you.

[ozimax]

Some great images here. While I really enjoy my 5D, the one thing I do miss with FF is the 10-22 lens. It was simply outstanding. Oh well, you can't have everything.

[surenj]

I do miss with FF is the 10-22 lens

Have you used the 16-35 ?

It would have been nice to have 2.8 on the 10-22 but then you CAN'T have everything! The Tamron doesn't quite have the range I was keen for. 22 is very very useful when you are out and about doing landscapes.

[ozimax]

Have you used the 16-35 ?

Nope, t'would be nice but I'm very happy with my current lineup of lens. 24mm on FF is still quite wide, but not wonderfully wacky like the 10-22.

[Willy wombat]

Loving these pics - quality work

Nice low point of view. Were you on your stomach or knees? Either way it cant have been very comfortable for you.

Only distracting issue i have seen is in image #2 - with the horizontal line running through his head. Its something that I do myself from time to time with horrizon lines so im a bit picky when it comes to that kind of thing.

[wendellt]

i really like the spatial feel between the enironment and subject you have achieved great lines and have finished off the photos with a great tonal style

well done

[surenj]

Were you on your stomach or knees?

I was actually standing. There was a ledge and the stadium is elevated on it! Still my chin was on the ground while taking these. I was wishing for live view then!

Only distracting issue i have seen is in image #2 - with the horizontal line running through his head.

Thanks for pointing this out! I couldn't see the said line until I stared at it for 5 minutes!!

i really like the spatial feel between the enironment and subject

Thanks Wendell.

[Matt. K]

Suren
That first image is bizarre! And therein is its appeal. I can picture product advertisements built around that image and perhaps for that reason it might even be a very saleable image...."Put your ear to the ground...Ipod" kinda stuff. Technically it's a very interesting image and you snagged it perfectly.