[C&C] Saxophone Quartet - various SMCs

[tobbsman]

I did a 2 hours photo-session with some musician colleagues last weekend.

They asked for B&W photographs for their CD booklet and web-comercials.
It was a lot of fun to do, I learned a lot. Really difficult to control light with 4 persons.

Equipment:
K20D & many MF and AF lenses
2 x 540 FGZ wireless


Cristics very welcome, because I did this for the first time ...


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15




Cheers
Tobias

[Katastrofo]

Tobias, I am sure the quartet is happy with these! What is the group
called?

[timo832000]

Very good Tobias!

Isn`t it the Grand Hotel Zell Am See you used for the background?

Timo

[Orio]

Lighting seems good to me in general.
I am doubtful about the "sepia" tinging, but I'll comment one by one as this is probably the kind of feedback that can be useful for you:

#1
is very good, one of the best. I only don't like that the wood strip at the bottom interrupts.
With an afterthought, it would have probably been better to photograph them individually, or two at a time, then compose the takes in photoshop so that the background looks uniform.

#2
Pose is excellent, one of the best, I love that all four of them look at the camera, the angle is perfect, but I don't like this sepia treatment. I would keep it B&W and increase the contrast.

#3
I don't like that the foreground guy looks away from the camera. He's the nearest to the camera (and the one in best focus) so he really should look into it - by looking away, it detracts energy of communication.
I am doubtful about the vignetting also.

#4
Location is lovely, but again the woman in the foreground should look into the camera. Also, while the three guys look very comfortable, she feels a bit rigid in the pose.

#5
again I see a problem with the gazes, they are a group, so they should all look into the same direction, to communicate unity. Instead each of them look in a different direction, this creates the feeling that the group lacks unity

#6
excellent pose, but again the same problem, while the three members from the left look in the camera, the rightmost guy looks away, this does not feel right to me

#7
here I think that the background is too busy, you should gaussian-blur it until the four people become the more obvious subject

#8
again great pose, love the stairway idea, but again the topmost guy's gaze goes in a direction that makes it feel separated from the others. Also, he should have been better in frontal pose, he looks a bit distorted

#9
another great pose and location, again the three characters at left are perfect, but again the guy at the top looks away and feels extraniated from the group - a feeling which is also enhanced by the separated position.

#10
excellent
I would not use dark vignette on top right corner - it makes a heavy feeling - try blurring a bit instead if you are disturbed by busy branches

#11
excellent
I would push contrast and give up sepia

#12
great pose again, but - guess what?- I don't like that the same guy still looks away from the camera

#13
beatles-style
again, I have a problem with rightmost guy looking away
In my opinion: they are a group - they should look in the same direction
this is a strong symbolism
if you like the "away gaze", then all of them should look away from the camera
if three of them look into the camera, then the fourth one should do also

#14
It would have been better if the woman's legs were behind the wall -OR- you should cut the photo higher, until the empty of her trousers disappears. Cut as it is now, the legs gain too much prominence in my opinion - which could have been good but only if she wore a skirt...

#15
the face expressions are not the best they can give here, in my opinion.

If I had to make a choice, here what I would choose (including the changes that I might suggest in the comment):

1 - 2 - 10 - 11

hope this helps
Orio

[goombles]

I agree with Orio's comments. The biggest gripe for me is that one/two people may not be looking into the lens when the others are. Sometimes it looks like they're looking your way, but slightly off the lenses axis. Aside from this I think you've done a great job.

[tobbsman]

Thank you all for commenting!

Especially Orio ! Your detailed information about each photograph helps amazingly further.
I was thinking about toning aspects as well a lot. Nearly all of them have a little toning, sometimes not quite noticeable at first glance. I gave each photograph a different toning, just as a nouance and I found it interesting how it affects the character of the photograph. The sepia toning is maybe too hard.
I think now I will make prints without and with toning and compare them next to each other, so I may get a better overview.

Very true about the persons who didn't look right in the camera, it gives a strage feel indeed. I haven't be aware about it at all.

I'll have to look up each photograph ... maybe I can exchange some heads

Many thanks again !



@Timo

amazing that you recognized the Grand Hotel of Zell! Have you spent holidays there ?



Cheers
Tobias

[FernandoB12]

I like all, #2 and #10 are the best..

[Orio]

[pich900]

I'm also agree with the comments from Orio...to make it simple and to not repeat what already said Orio, for all pictures, I would like to see a little bit more contrast.....
Anyway, it's for sure a great job, especialy for a first time session and within only 2 hours ......If I must only keep one or two in this serie, I will keep the first one, great compo and perfect B&W rendering...and for a CD booklet, I will definitly take the # 11, without the "sepia" effect but with the same rendering as #1......

[Himself]

Great composition in the first one.
What lighting did you use?

[tobbsman]

Thanks pitch and Himself !

@Himself
I think it was only spotlights from the concert room, can't remember exacly.

@Orio
Exchanging heads/eyes worked perfect, what a difference ! I'll show some results later ...

Cheers
Tobias

[eeyore_nl]

[tobbsman]

Yes, true.
The guy who played the barriton sax didn't use a belt, so he had to lean it on his leg. Quite heavy such an instrument

Cheers
Tobias

[eeyore_nl]

[poilu]

#14 for me