Photo Retouching - - how to get this amazing look (heimo)?

Faust · #1 08-13-2006, 12:13 PM

I found a photographer that deeply impressed me. His website is at http://www.heimophotography.com/index2.html . Does anyone have certain hints how to achieve his typical hi-fashion look? For example, section Portraiture, Series 1, especially all the NYC Balet pictures there... it reminds me of Lorette Lux´s style somehow, but this one is slightly better executed in my opinion. I am trying to lighten up the skin tones by curves, to get rid of shadows by shadow/highlight and to slightly desaturate the colours, but it´s just not it!

any ideas? I hope you like the pictures as much as I do!

pellepiano · #2 08-13-2006, 01:07 PM

Much of course depends on the original shot. So what kind of images have you tried retouching, can you post one and see if anyone here may have better luck? Or get an opinion if it is even a good candidate.

To me the images does not seem to have that much done to them exept some vignetting, some selective desaturation or change of background.

Faust · #3 08-13-2006, 02:46 PM

okay, here are some random pictures to play with straight from the camera:

http://www.faustyle.com/temp/IMG_1411orig.jpg
http://www.faustyle.com/temp/IMG_1396orig.jpg

sorry for the small resolution

I tried to tweak the skintone, blurred the bg and added a vignette:
http://www.faustyle.com/temp/IMG_1411h.jpg

but I am unsatisfied with the result somehow

chrishoggy · #4 08-13-2006, 03:38 PM

Is this something like what you want?

pellepiano · #5 08-13-2006, 03:42 PM

I also did some tests but I think the environments and poses makes a difference too. Here are my tests but I got about the same thing as you.

makeovermagic · #6 08-13-2006, 06:24 PM

here's my take on one of your pics -- beautiful model/photos.

marsha

duwayne · #7 08-13-2006, 08:23 PM

Just experimenting - Hows this?

leuallen · #8 08-13-2006, 08:43 PM

Faust,

There is not one particular processing style. In Portraits 1, in the second Paris image, it appears that the models skin, the wood door on each side, and the stone have been desaturated. The grill work and the background in the doorway seem to be somewhat more saturated. The next image of the NYC ballet dancer on the stairs has the background very saturated and warm. The model is desaturated and much lighter relative to her surroundings. The models coloring however carries the same warm tone as the back ground. The final NYC ballet dancer standing by the arches is totally desaturated and pushed to the cool blue tones.

So you have three very different techniques applied. Which one do you want? I think the one that gives the image the most impact and drama. Which one is that? Well, that is where artistry comes in. You have to play with the image and see what fits.

Pellipiano is right, the environment and pose play a very large part in the images success. The images you posted have promise. The background is wonderful and the light on it is good. The problem seems to be with the girl. She is not very dynamically posed (discussing first image). The arms hanging down look limp. Maybe, the left arm behind and the right hand on the hip. Try and create some trinagles/curves in the image. Try a different head angle, her head tipped slightly to the high shoulder.

The biggest problem is the light on the girl. It is straight on flash and and gives the image no modeling. The flash is too strong. You could get away with the flash on the camera if it is very weak: just enough to fill in shadows. Probably better without the flash. If the flash were off camera and pulled around to the right so it crossed her body, it might be better. She has a beautiful dress on with much ornate detail you can hardly see it in your photo. The skimming light would bring out this detail and add interest.

Note the lighting In Helmo's images. The second Paris image looks like it was a flash production The flash was a very large source and very well balanced to the other lighting. It also is not straight on, it is to the left. Note how it lights the models face. The dancer on the stairs appears to be lit by a light about 90 degrees around right from the camera. It skims the subject who is looking almost at it. This is all conjecture, aided by some clues. For all I know, the stair image could be a composite, very well done. Pellipiano has some very nice examples of this on his website. The dancer by the arches seems to be all natural light. The light is from the left side comming through the arches.

I just went back to Helmos site and notice the second NYC ballet dancer, the sitting one. It looks like it is totaly desaturated except for the red dress. I bet he/she? uses masks to saturate/desaturate various areas of the image in varying amounts. Also probably dodges the highliights and burns the shadows slightly to emphasize the contrast. See the thread with Amy Dresser's explanation in it from about a week ago.

Larry

Faust · #9 08-14-2006, 01:42 AM

I am a (kind of

photographer myself and I think that lighting/makeup is not the big deal here. On most of the pictures, he obviously uses just 1 or 2 rather weak light sources through softbox or something, either directly as a frontal light or from 45dg. I would even believe that the outdoor shots (and the "Island" folder) were shot in natural light, maybe with a diffuser. To me it seems that:
- he got rid of the harsh shadows by shadow/highlight or something, as there are no bold shadows in his pictures, even behind the subjects obviously lit by a strobe.
- he often blurs the background, as the depth of field is sometimes a bit strange and too small
- the background is often even lighter than the subject, which is contrary to the normal way of lighting up the subject and having a darker underexposed bg
- the skintone is raised and desaturated
the thing I am looking for is especially the film-like mix of noir colors and "flat" look, which is the opposite of painting with light techniques that are so popular nowadays

chrishoggy · #10 08-14-2006, 03:11 AM

Think I may have cracked his method. I've seen photos like this before, but couldn't remember how it was done. Anyway I had a look through the site and spotted something that reminded me of a method.
I think he is using 3 photos blended together, taken from a fixed point. First is an over exposed sky shot for the land areas. Second is an underexposed shot for the sky/light areas. And the third is a shot with the model in place.

If I find the site I read this method on, I will post a link

Cassidy · #11 08-14-2006, 06:39 AM

Thought I'd have a go at this. Used a 50% navy blue layer in hue blending. Selected the skin and adjusted the tones, then wound up the contrast for a little more dramatic look, excluding the sky portion of the pic.

palomino · #12 08-14-2006, 03:53 PM

I had to try too...I use contrast and blur/blending modes to change the mood. Nice link...lots of interesting images on his/her site.

-K

cainam · #13 08-14-2006, 05:37 PM

Nice site,... so I had to give it a try!

Lanenga · #14 08-15-2006, 09:12 AM

this is my 10minutes work
is this more like you wanted?

http://www.northpolestudio.nl/retouc...orig2_copy.jpg

EDIT:
This can be done with one single shot. And it's not that hard either.

If this is more like what you wanted I could work it out for you. Put some more time in it and tell you how it was done

chrishoggy · #15 08-15-2006, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanenga

this is my 10minutes work
is this more like you wanted?

http://www.northpolestudio.nl/retou...6orig2_copy.jpg

EDIT:
What a lot of BS on this topic

This can be done with one single shot. And it's not that hard either.
And if this is what you wanted I could work it out for you. Put some more time in it and tell you how it was done

Really? What a constructive comment to make. Care to enlighten us all on exactly how it's done then