Taking the photo is but the first step...
Tools, Workflow, and Style
If you are a fellow photographer or someone who enjoys being behind the camera, I've dedicated this space to my gear and post-processing workflow. These details are often of interest to those interested in photography or the effort and skill required to engage is robust, advanced post-processing. I am a photographer firmly in the same camp as Kenneth Hines Jr., a.k.a. "Professor Hines" meaning that I am a multidisciplinary photographer, often guided by feeling & vision. This does not appeal to everyone and rightfully so. Though I emphasize portraits, headshots, and fashion photography, it is worth pointing out that there different technical demands for every genre and different perspectives or states of being as well. I specifically built a kit that will allow me to take photos of things that interest me, regardless of the subject, speed, lighting, distance, or other influential factors.
The impact of lens focal length
Aside from the ability to merely photograph what interests me, I also seek creative flexibility for creating different looks. Much like a painter may have brushes of varying size, diameter, and tip design (flat, beveled, pointed, etc.) for different looks, a photographer must have different lenses for painting with light. Aside from the obvious need to stand at different distances from your subject, different lens focal lengths also do different things with the background, the subject, and the relationship between the two. Wider focal lengths (24mm - 35mm) allow you to stand closer totot your subject minimizing the space you need to work with but, they tend to distort features by increasing the distance between them. Borderline-telephoto and telephoto focal lengths (85mm - 200mm) require more distance from the subject but render features in consistently flattering ways along with compressing the background and blowing background elements out of focus (bokeh effect) further emphasizing your subject.
Consider the differences in the following images:
Lindsay Adler Photography
50mm Headshot
You can more readily see the distortion from the center of the lens radiating outward approaching what would be considered a wide angle or even fisheye lens. Increased distance and size of the eyes, nose, and mouth are noticeable here.
Lindsay Adler Photography
85mm Headshot
The 85mm focal length is widely considered a go-to prime lens for Portrait & Wedding photographers. This image shows why. A much more flattering and proportional representation of facial features and natural fall off in focus naturally smooth skin.
Lindsay Adler Photography
24mm Portrait
Whatever is closest to the lens will appear bigger. Wider angle, shorter focal length lenses exaggerate distance, as seen above, making the subject's shoe appear quite large. Notice also the increase in perceived distance between the foot and the subject's head, the farthest part back in the image, compared to the image on the right.
Lindsay Adler Photography
70mm Portrait
Same subject, location, and angle with only a change in focal length. 70-85mm approaches a sweet spot for ideal portraits that flatter features, as seen in the more realistic and attractive proportions between the subject's feet & head.
Lindsay Adler Photography
24mm Portrait
Above you see the dramatic results of wide-angle focal lengths. The hand is made significantly larger with the head and body being made significantly smaller. The result is an almost cartoonish image that fails to let the subjects natural beauty and proportions shine through.
Lindsay Adler Photography
135mm Portrait
After the 85mm prime focal length (prime = fixed focal length,no zoom), the 135mm prime focal length is a crowd favorite. Shooting at 135mm on a 70-200mm lens will achieve a similar, albeit slightly different, image. You can see above that the subject is now very flattering with limbs and features intact. This more pleases image is also closer to what you would see when looking at the person with your eyes, compared to the 24mm image.
DATE THE CAMERA BODY.
MARRY THE LENS.
Photography Aphorism
Tamron EF SP 24-70mm f2.8 Di VC USD
The 24-70mm focal length, along with the 70-200mm, is widely considered a workhorse lens owing to its incredible versatility & effectiveness in a variety of shooting environments. The large f2.8 aperture, vibration compensation, autofocus speed, and zoom range support effortless composition changes while moving around a subject or environment.
Tamron's incredibly smooth and sharp auto-focusing capabilities mean that I never miss a shot while still enjoying performance on par with that of a native (brand-specific) lens. Tack sharp images and bubbly bokeh when stopped down make this lens an absolute gem for the price.
Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM DS
For portraits & headshots, there is no alternative to the 85mm prime focal length and Canon's flagship 85mm is an unparalleled market leader. The large f1.2 aperture delivers breathtaking image quality with a "Defocus Smoothing" internal lens coating that renders out-of-focus areas (bokeh) silky smooth. The result is consistently nailed focus, jaw-dropping subject separation from foreground and background elements and crystal clear image details.
The natural fall-off in sharpness at wide-open apertures means this lens naturally creates the smooth, photogenic look to skin textures that are often endlessly pursued in Photoshop. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to operate this lens. It is a genuine optical wonder.
Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM
The 70-200mm telephoto focal length, after the 24-70mm, is a must-have in every photographer's kit. High image quality is enabled by the bright f2.8 aperture and optical image stabilization. Lightning fast and quiet autofocus performance with a minimal focus distance under 3 feet means that this lens can almost do it all.
Perfectly weighted and ideally matched for fast-moving subjects or complex shooting situations where lens changes are impractical, this is my supplementary lens for portraits. The design and number of aperture blades create buttery smooth bokeh (background blur) that is a hallmark of professional photos. If you made me choose one lens to rule them all, this would be it.
Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L USM Ultrasonic
Canon has spent decades developing the technology of their "L" lens lineup (L is for Luxury) and the super-telephoto focal lengths (200mm+) are the pinnacle of optical performance. This 400mm Prime Lens is an optical icon; lightweight, tack sharp, superb autofocus, and easy to handle while delivering the hallmark "L" lens bokeh.
Though ideally suited for wildlife portraits, aviation, and athletic events, in certain circumstances this lens is also phenomenal for portraits. The incredible background compression and creamy, dreamy bokeh create beautiful subject separation while accentuating subject features. A highly specific lens not suitable for all photographers, I find it to be a highly useful vintage super-telephoto prime lens.
Portability & Power
Shooting primarily on location, I require lightweight, portable, powerful, and reliable lighting. Lume Cube's high-quality, edge-lit, internally diffused LED panels give me soft, even lighting for ample exposure as natural light fades or as a supplement to manipulate shadows and lighting under normal, naturally lit circumstances. Adjustable brightness and color temperature powers creativity for any mood, scene, and environment.
Continuous Lighting
Rather than using flash, continuous lighting allows for easier workflows due to the ability to manipulate light more accurately. Continuous lighting is excellent for spot adjustments to compositions and subject exposure while also reducing pupil size so that the subject's iris color stands out more dramatically, giving a punchier look for portraits and headshots. The studio panel barn doors allow for the directing of light to achieve the desired end result.
Enhanced Control at your Location
When you have the perfect location in mind, you need lighting to gain control over image creation via optimal exposure. Shooting outdoors and on location means that I need to be mobile with lighting that is not cumbersome and does not detract from the goal at hand. LumeCube panels give me the ability to bring additional creative direction to your shoot by minimizing limitations that arise from a lack of adequate or mobile lighting.
Image Post-Processing Suite
Adobe Lightroom
Available on destop, laptop, and mobile devices, Lightroom enables easy editing, & organization powered by Adobe Firefly AI for precise color correction, grading, and masking of global and local elements of photos. Precision & fine-tuning of image details make every photo unique and tailored to you.
Adobe Photoshop
Create and work with layers in images to intelligently retouch, refine, add, remove, and engage in editing for clean images free from distractions. A critical part of my headshot & portrait workflow for localized & sophisticated editing, highly targeting color-grading, retouching, & stylizing.
Topaz Labs Photo AI
It is not uncommon for images to have noise, blur, or fuzziness, however minor. I bring out the important details, adjust background image quality and ensure that clarity exists where it should. Denoise, sharpening, face & text recovery ensures that any detail or color lost is restored in a true-to-life fashion. Low-light, fast moving moving subjects, and images with fine details benefit immensely from the addition of Photo AI.
Topaz Labs Gigapixel
Representing the pinnacle of image upscaling, Gigapixel is designed for upscaling small, low-resolution images, old photos that have been digitized, or photos that will be used to create large prints. Images can be upscaled while retaining maximum quality so that prints or precious photos look their best. Highly specific use cases only.
Guided By Visual Patterns -- Not Photography Rules
First Steps in Post-Processing Images
Upload the Image to Lightroom or Photoshop... Then what?
Color Correction
When shooting in Manual and RAW, the camera body makes no adjustments to the image, retaining all the original detail as a digital negative. When exporting directly out of the camera, images often appear flat or lacking in color. Left unprocessed, this leads many to believe that RAW images are subpar when compared to JPEGs which immediately look more appealing. RAW images required restoration of exposure and color correction to bring back the color as it was seen in real life.
Key Color Selection
This refers to the selection of one or a handful of colors that will serve as the dominant color for establishing any color harmonies. This can also be referred to the color weight as the key color may make up the largest percentage of color in an image. Key Colors can be determined intentionally with outfits, props, locations, or backgrounds. Thorough pre-shoot consultations allow for an ideal selection of colors and moods to enhance your final images.
Color Harmonies & Weight
Put simply, color harmonies are the selection of colors to be arranged and weighted to achieve a particular look. The ratio of all colors following the selection of the key color(s) provides the base for adding style and flair to your images. Outfits, locations, props, and accessories can all be planned to create a certain look or mood while working cohesively with other image colors in post-processing.
White Balance & Temperature
White Balance, or the whiteness of whites in an image, and the blackness of blacks can be set in camera, adjusted based on the scene, or fixed in post-processing. The most flexibility in fixing white balance is offered in RAW images. Temperature, the coolness (blue) or warmth (orange) of an image interplays with the white balance. The intent of an image and the present conditions will influence to what extent white balance and temperature are manipulated to produce an appealing image.
Contrast, Highlights, & Shadows
The difference between the brightest and darkest parts of an image is the dynamic range. Contrast in an image can be manipulated in different ways with each representing a different means of working with the characteristics of that image. While generally it is recommended to avoid "blowing out" your highlights or "crushing" your blacks, there are stylistic choices where this is permissible.
Global & Local Retouching
There are layers to a photo; foreground, subject, and background, with each subject to selecting processing. For instance, an overly saturated and vibrantly colorful background may distract from the subject is it is a person. If taking a landscape photo, equal weight may be given to all dimensions of the photo, rather than a single point. Determining what adjustments should be global (the whole photo) versus local (parts of the photo) is pivotal to obtaining the most from an image.,
Visualizing Color Weight
As demonstrated below, the ratio or weight of colors compared to one another will influence the final look of an image. Aside from color weight, you can also tinker with the amount of hue, saturation, luminance, and temperature within each color. Understanding these dynamics allows us to tailor images to your preferences as closely as possible.
Fundamentals of Color
Making images pop
Modern camera systems allow for unprecedented details and richness in color. When designing a session, colors, harmonies, and overall mood are critical elements to explore right away. The time spent learning to manually operate a camera to shoot in RAW is earned back endlessly when creatively playing with color, mood, and emotion in final images. I seek to move beyond taking photos (making a product) and offering access to a creative system. In essence, we jointly design the supply chain that will produce the final images you desire.
Hue
Pure color selection without tints or shades
Useful for constructing the color palette of images
Saturation
The intensity of a hue (color)
Muted or vibrant colors depending on how you wish them to appear
Luminosity
How bright or dark a hue (color) is. This is accomplished by adding black or white to a hue. This affects the intensity or saturation of the selected color
Brighten and darken colors to create certain moods
Temperature
Whether colors are warm or cool
Contributes to image aesthetics and feeling
Skin & Lips
A lens with an aperture in the f1.2 - f.2 range will usually do a great job of smoothing skin naturally with the fall-off in focus. However, once in Photoshop, I apply one of a few Frequency Separation methods. depending on the image & needs. Frequency Separation involves separating color and texture data in the image apart to edit each individually.
For skin and lips, this is used to address textures & blemishes. In clothing, as seen below, it is used to remove small wrinkles and creases while retaining global fabric textures.
Iris, Catch Light, Brows, Lashes, Liners, & Eye Shadows
Where eye detail is available and critical to an image, I separate out retouching into the following categories. Iris/Striations (radial lines), catch light (reflection of a light source), eye whites, brows, lashes, and liners.
There is untold detail and beauty in the iris and when the pupil s smaller from the right light source, you can capture all the color details. I enhance this with iris stamps in Photoshop, along with adjusting brightness in the catch light and bring a bit more white with hints of teal to the eye whites. This brightens the eyes slightly helping with the contrast with the iris.
Where necessary, lashes, liners, eye shadows, and brows are enhanced, cleaned up, and/or colorized where collaboration dictates.
Hair
Excessive or distracting flyaways and stray hairs are a first stop along with determining how the hair is catching light in the image. For women, showcasing textures, curls, highlights, length, or radiance are best done with natural or artificial light casting rays through the hair.
Lightrooms makes it easy to apply masks to the hair and apply linear gradients so that the natural fall-off in light and shadow can be enhanced. Golden hour photographers rightfully love to shoot backlit or side-angle-lit to get rim light through the subject's hair.
Where applicable, hair can have volume reduced or enhanced to exaggerate wild hair or create a more quaffed appearance. Utilizing stamps to increase volume and density can also be used for artistic or editorial effects.
Fabrics & Clothing
Like skin, clothing & fabrics have a natural texture and way they appear in movement and light. It is ideal to retail original color and textures but remove imperfections and blemishes like creases, wrinkles, and other distractions. Additionally, fabric can be warped and expanded to fill the frame. When post-processing the image on the left, I expanded the fabric in the upper left frame to fill the corner where it was previously exposing the wall behind.
The natural flows and ripples in the fabric are retained but the mess of tiny wrinkles and creases have been removed. This retains texture and the flow of movement seen making its way through the fabric.
Photo taken by Jerry Ghionis
Designing Creative Cohesion with Color Harmonies
The following video provides an excellent primer on the depth of creativity that can be achieved using color theory and color grading.
Unlocking photos with color