"Studio is easy" - discuss

DiddyDave

DiddyDave

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Hi all

This image (below) has caused some local controversy & argument as it's apparently crap :'(

Our club President (who is also a YPU Judge) says that it's crap because you can't see the edge of her nose and the skin smoothing is too great

[I can see her nose edge okay on my screen & in print too, and there has been NO skin smoothing on this shot, she's 15 had quite a lot of make-up and has great skin - but that's by the by here]

But his main argument on these points seems to be that as "Studio work is the easiest form of photography" there should never be anything 'wrong' in an image

So what's your thoughts? Is it crap? And more importantly, is studio work like this the easiest form of photography? :thinking:

Cheers

DD

Emma_285_.jpg
 
In one way yes. you dont have external things affecting your shoot, you control the lights, where they are, how strong they are etc etc etc.. so no once you got good exposure should work fine. you also dont have to worry bout background/foreground clutter

but i would also say no because you have to pose the model more and capture them at there best. you also seem to keep your lighting real(as in the one sun one light thing, without harsh shadows). you also have to show the person your shooting(unlike every other form of photography) and you have to consider what they want as well.

so yes and no from me

forgot to comment on the gorgeous photo. looks good to me, and her skin doesnt look processed to me, just a good complexion(spell check) nicely posed. personally, think your judge doesnt like portraiture
 
No its not crap, and its not only people shots you can get in a studio.

I see nothing wring with your pic DD, I cant believe some people have said its crap, are they insane?

Ive recently set up my own little home studio, couple of basic lights, and thats about it, I am getting the results I want. I wouldnt say its easy, not for a n00b like me anyways ;)
 
I can see the edge of her nose too and her skin looks fine. He probably needs better glasses. It happens as you get older but for a good reason. So you don't realise that your partner looks older. :)

Studio photography is the easiest to control once you know what you're doing I would guess. You shouldn't really have any problems with exposure if you're going for the 'standard' shot. However, what about the non standard, when you are experimenting with 'effects'. Like, say, a low key nude shot. Maybe others can think of more. It's a bit early for me. :P
 
errrr nope.

It's certainly not the easiest form of photography. Sure it's the most managable form of photography because you are not working with the elements, no blown skies to worry about. But the other side of that particular coin is that it is now over to you, as the photographer, to create, and manage every single element of that image.

The level of control in a studio is greater and thus it may be easier to create certain shots but by no way is it easy.

Not only do you need to know your camera inside out (there is no P in studio) you need to know how to meter, how to operate the lights, how to balance lighting for certain effects, how to manage a model, how to shoot certain features and body shapes, how to shape light using a range of modifiers. The effects of reflection and flagging...........................

No, that's not easy.

And I can see her nose just fine!
 
I had similar comments from a judge at my local camera club. I'd taken a photo of a penguin. He said 'Hrumph, standard Whipsnade shot. There is no detail in the feathers. I'd go back and take it again if I were you'.

All detail was in the feathers and I took it on a beach on the South Island of New Zealand. Bit far to go really to take it again. :D
 
AliB speaks truth. Having *finally* got myself into a studio I found it easy enough to do the basics, but with a hell of a lot of room to expand my knowledge. I find working with landscapes a damn site easier than working with models as well.

Oh, and that picture is great, and if anyone can't see the edge of her nose I would suggest an eye test.
 
Studio photography easy? Nonsense.
The mechanics are easy, provided that you have the right gear - but having total control of the lighting and the shooting environment means having total responsibility too - you can't blame the weather, the subject or anything else. Perfection is theoretically possible but unachievable.

I'm talking about still life here really, with a live subject lighting can never be as precise and there's an element of luck involved too, but the general principles apply.

Frankly your shot doesn't do anything for me but there's nothing actually wrong with it.

My advice is to take shots to please yourself, you can safely ignore the opinions of others who feel constrained to give out advice, especially when they clearly don't know what they're talking about.
 
Some people feel compelled to criticise. I'm not sure if it's because they don't know how to praise or because they think it makes them look more learned. The latter I suspect. Ignore them if you like what you're doing and the client is happy. If everyone took the same shots it would be boring.
 
As has already been said, studio hands full control to photographer, no excuses available so how anyone can claim that it's easy is beyond me.

Still DD, yu know what to do - ask him to show some of his 'perfect and easy' studio shots if he is so effin clever :bat:


At the club I just started attanding, a few were chatting abou tthe next print competition at the end of July last week, and there was much eye rolling and tutting about the Judge last time, also an 'official' from the association, who apparently judged everything completely the opposite of club members expectation, and having seen posts on here of similar happenings, I am not sure that being some kind of 'offical' judge necessarily indicates any kind of judgement or ability
 
Nice image-just a little more shadow detail would be nice as a contrast to one side of the face-this is what the judge meant.But having said that do all pictures have to have shadow detail-a high key shot doesnt have any shadow detail.

Judges-mmm. Those who cant do teach-those who cant teach judge. LOL
 
The picture is far from crap. Her skin despite having make up on looks natural. Take it from a woman!! I can't see anything wrong with the image at all.
Did the young girl see the comments made by the judge?
 
The only thing that is crap are the comments from your 'Judge' who has probably never taken a decent shot in his life. Studio work is NOT easy - it's diffrerent - different challenges to other forms of photography but it's hard work to get good results.

Your pic is excellent - he is talking b*ll*cks I'm afraid. Nicely done technically - and most importantly - you've caught a great expression.
 
I think it's a great shot. Far better than I can take!

Peachy (The Stunning One!) does fantastic studio photography.

Keep up the good work!
 
Chin up DD, your shots are awsome, and if someone says otherwise, big deal :) I love a lot of the comments I get on the site here, and I like that some of my images work for people. However, if I post something that gets slated, who cares - either listen and learn (if what they say is true), or politely ignore if you feel your shot already does it for YOU.

Are you happy with the shots? Is the model happy with the shots? Answer yes, job done :D

Gary.
PS - could it be a case of sour grapes? What are his shots like?
 
I think the club president is full of it. :D
 
It looks even better on a different monitor :D

Tell him to sod off, and lets see some of his work ;)
 
I've been into a studio, and come out with ok shots, with no training. But wasn't completely happy with them. So I went on a day course, which taught me studio techniques for a style of photography. I learnt quite a bit from that.

I have seen studio shots that look ridiculously poor, and some that I just think, how did they do that.

Camera clubs are a strange breed. I stopped going to my local club for a few reason. one was because photos in competitions have to fit a formula, if they don't they are deemed useless and poor. There are certain things expected from landscape photos, and portraits and so on. If you have a fresh contemporary style of photography, forget clubs, you could be making thousands from your photos, but they wont gain you many marks because they simply don't fit in their traditional formula. Portraits must always have a feather scarf thingy (80's style), and so on. They are simply stuck in a rut. If you want to win portrait competition, get and old 80's photography book and copy those styles.

One of my popular stock shots, is a female standing by a car with the bonnet open and her looking inside it. It simply wouldn't gain any marks at all in a photo club. I've also made money from a photo, where everything apart from the subject of the photo was in focus, believe me it was a poor photo. But it has paid my bills. If your making money from photography and your pictures sell, then don't worry about it. Your customers are the people that you need to listen to, not some old fuddy duddy in a tweed jacket, that probably smokes a pipe.

Next time your in London (another London meet), head to the photographers gallery, and look at some of the photos there, and in contemporary photo magazines (not your usual photography monthly). I often wonder, what these judges would say about some of these off the wall photos.

Anyway, thats enough of my ranting about these clubs.
 
Ooh - been out a couple of hours and so many replies !!!

Thanks for all the comments, both the many positive ones and the not so

Aside from is or isn't this a crap shot, my main annoyance is the statement that studio work is so easy

I do lots of Landscapes, and even Street (!!! still shocked at that myself :lol:), and I have to say I find that loads easier than a studio shoot can be

Outside, I move myself to alter the lighting or simply wait a bit (even come back another day), I can't do that in a studio - I have to sort the lighting exposure, angle, intensity, size, etc. as well as the background and compose blah blah blah

Often in Landscapes, it's merely a case of picking an f-stop and composing - the camera does the rest

Anyway... is said President good as a tog? I wont give an opinion on this, just to say that recently he's come last and almost last in club comps more than once - and some of my newbies have ranked way above him too !!!

Cheers :thumbs:

DD
 
I can't understand people who say that studio photography is easy.

I think that landscape photography is just about the easiest form of photography. I mean you just go to a spot where the photograph is already there and all you have to do is press the shutter right?

In the studio, you are in total control. This also means that all the creativity, and all the lighting control comes from you. Outside you actually don't need anywhere near the amount of understanding of light to get a good result, as nature does alot of it for you. Stick one large softbox infront of a model or a product and you are going to get a flat flat flat image.

Generally I think people who sit around in photo clubs and comment on other peoples pics have opinions that don't matter (and they probably could not take that same shot anyway). Ask a person who makes money from photography, or a person who runs an art gallery, or someone who is involved in publishing an art photo magazine. A technically perfect photo can often have no value as a photograph.
 
I suppose you could argue a case at one level, that once you have a known lighting setup which works, then you can churn out shots like shelling peas, I've seen High Street booth togs doing just that, and you can understand why with a queue all round the corner, but like all genres of photography, studio is a specialised skill, and I'm sure lots of studio togs, are a little more creative than to adopt that approach. A very ill considered remark from El Presidente imho Dave, Ah ..the politics, intrigue, and pecking order which is your average photographic society. ;)
 
If someone can convince you that your own work is crap - then lay down your weapons, and you can think about it this way. Never let people to do so :) Fight for it!

Be proud of what you are doing, dude. As long as it's something that you wanted to achieve, your own vision - it's all right and it is YOU who decides if it sucks or not.

Even if I don't think that this particular photo is stunning (due to the facial expression of the model), I don't see it as a crap - that's for sure.

And do I see studio as the simplest to work in? Well, in some ways - as it gives me the full control over light. But on the other side, most of the times I am finding it pretty limiting with the decorations, etc. - therefore I prefer fancy locations :)
 
Anyone see the Midsomer Murders episode on photographers? That just summed up camera clubs for me. Never been near one in my life - and stuff like this just re-enforces my view of them.
 
awp said:
Anyone see the Misommer Murders episode on photographers? That just summed up camera clubs for me. Never been near one in my life - and stuff like this just re-enforces my view of them.
Click to expand...

'Midsummer murders' eh???

There's a thought... but if I kill him, should I take photos for TP's interest & critique ???

:thinking:

DD
 
DiddyDave said:
Our club President (who is also a YPU Judge) says that it's crap because you can't see the edge of her nose and the skin smoothing is too great

[...]

But his main argument on these points seems to be that as "Studio work is the easiest form of photography" there should never be anything 'wrong' in an image
Click to expand...

There never should be anything 'wrong' in any image. That, anyway, should be the target for every photographer.

Your 'club president' has a big mouth. Unless he shows you he can do better, I would ignore him.
 
The features are all there DD the smooth skin is just down to the youthfulness of the model,
Is studio work easy? I have no idea I have never tried ( too scared :D)
All in all it looks great to me. I'd tell him to 'koff :D
 
its a lovely shot of an attractive teenager which shows so well. As for studio work, the phrase never work with chidren or animals should be edited to include the phrase "or anything other than natural light" to it, studio's I stay out of them, my clastraphobia does not take to it well????
 
Worth trying to see - very humorous if you're a photographer :D

more info:
http://www.midsomermurders.net/episodes_series10.php


A Picture of Innocence
UK Broadcast Date: 03 June 07

Rivalry between traditional film photographers and digital camera fans in the village of Luxton Deeping reaches fever pitch at the annual photographic society exhibition when snapper Steve Bright threatens black and white film enthusiast Lionel Bell. Lionel is photographing his favourite oak trees in Luxton Wood when he is strangled with the cord from his light meter. A memory card from a digital camera is found in his mouth.
 
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