The demystification of dave hill! let's all help!

[Soul_of_Kilik]

no dude, more like 10 to 30 seconds. You'll obviously do that without a moving model in it, but as they say, it's clear he shoots the models seperate with their own lighting. Tripod necessary here.

[HelloPiccadilly]

It makes sence to try ))

[HelloPiccadilly]

Btw, can u describe the difference between when u take a picture with 1/160 exposure e.g. if you have enough power to light it up..than with 10' sec but u use the same strob light anyway...

[igot2pman]

Originally Posted by HelloPiccadilly

Btw, can u describe the difference between when u take a picture with 1/160 exposure e.g. if you have enough power to light it up..than with 10' sec but u use the same strob light anyway...

Assuming you have other ambient light... the longer exposure could fill shadows... just a thought. (make sure the ambient and the flash temp are about the same or you will have bad color casts)

Also, a longer exposure allows for multiple flashes from the same strobe; effectively making one strobe into two or more.

Ideas,
-Keven

[Soul_of_Kilik]

Originally Posted by igot2pman

Assuming you have other ambient light... the longer exposure could fill shadows...

Exactly, and with a bit of Shadow/Highlight, you can enrich those mid-tones.

[Tareq]

MORE SAMPLES PLEASE, we have cameras and lights, let's go and shoot with f8 up to f32 even, with 3 or 10 lights, then let's see what we can do, he use a camera that many has maybe better, lights i am sure he is not using Bronocolor, and many have Profoto as well, so if we do everything fine and correct properly with a decent camera and great lights and everything is good, NOW, how can we end up with that look? Some saying he was using Hasselblad, ok we got hasselblad, some said he is using High Pass, all photoshop users can apply it, some said Lucis Art, i have testes 2 or 3 different Lucis Art as a filter or plug-in or an action, but with all that still we can't get same or even better, just some can get closer, so what is missing to not get or even pass his technique or that style? I asked or i was going to ask that we all should unite and try to find that formula, maybe each one of us alone can't get it far away, so maybe to help each other we may end up with better styles and techniques than him, and when i look at his photos all, i saw that i did get something less than some of his photos and sometimes better than some of his other shots, it is not all of his DH are the same anyway.

[Soul_of_Kilik]

Has somebody tried to mail him? Tell him he's been discussed over 51 pages already!

LOL - If I was him, I'd keep it a tight secret. Maybe just tell him to look at the circus he's caused.

[snook305]

Originally Posted by Tareq

MORE SAMPLES PLEASE, we have cameras and lights, let's go and shoot with f8 up to f32 even, with 3 or 10 lights, then let's see what we can do, he use a camera that many has maybe better, lights i am sure he is not using Bronocolor, and many have Profoto as well, so if we do everything fine and correct properly with a decent camera and great lights and everything is good, NOW, how can we end up with that look? Some saying he was using Hasselblad, ok we got hasselblad, some said he is using High Pass, all photoshop users can apply it, some said Lucis Art, i have testes 2 or 3 different Lucis Art as a filter or plug-in or an action, but with all that still we can't get same or even better, just some can get closer, so what is missing to not get or even pass his technique or that style? I asked or i was going to ask that we all should unite and try to find that formula, maybe each one of us alone can't get it far away, so maybe to help each other we may end up with better styles and techniques than him, and when i look at his photos all, i saw that i did get something less than some of his photos and sometimes better than some of his other shots, it is not all of his DH are the same anyway.

Because of Morons like Mtmm that eventually get pretty close.
They ask and ask questions and never offer any real help to others..:+]
But that's usual of many forums, and you cannot always weed out the Bone heads until it is too late...:+]
Oh and Dave Hill has seen this thread for sure...:+}

Ask Obsala and Mtmm to post their workflows.
Mtmm , if you read through the threads , was using a High Bleach pass filter and some heavy dodging and burning along with a few other steps.
The look is rather old and again many had this style before Dave Hill was doing it.
Dave Hill is using HDR or some sort of lifting of the shadows ,Dynamic range, no doubt about it! atleast on his backgrounds and he is a fool in his interviews stating otherwise. Any bonehead with any photoshop experience can see that.
Someone on the Model Mayhem thread got really close and dissected DH to a tee if you ask me.
When you have the light and the subject matter right the retouching is more convincing.
The problem is most people post horribly lit images and then lucis the hell out of them.

If you read through the thread it is pretty close if you use alot of the techniques explained.

I think if you write obsala an e-mail you might get an answer before Dave hill tells you anything.

Snook

[garibaldi]

this thread should be called "Played Hill"

[Soul_of_Kilik]

more like over the Hill...

[garibaldi]

TRUE DAT!!!!

haha, maybe even Dave Kill

So how many of you have gone bald from spending so much time scratching your heads trying to figure out his big giant secret? LOL

...and please spare me the "We're sharing our thoughts to try and better our skills" crap

[HelloPiccadilly]

maybe if u want..
here are two shots to play with (background and with me )) ).:
http://rapidshare.com/files/202302118/_DSC0068.NEF.html (f/22 1/160 sec)
http://rapidshare.com/files/202302751/_DSC0078.NEF.html (f/22 1/60 sec)


p.s. Of course, they are not perfect, just say me, what u want to change about lighting...and i'll try to do that..

[Soul_of_Kilik]

Originally Posted by garibaldi

TRUE DAT!!!!

haha, maybe even Dave Kill

So how many of you have gone bald from spending so much time scratching your heads trying to figure out his big giant secret? LOL

...and please spare me the "We're sharing our thoughts to try and better our skills" crap

aaaahhh hahahaha! LOL!!

I hear you dude/(tte?). This thread is filling up serious storage space on some server somewhere.

[HelloPiccadilly]

no suitable background in my flat...
just judge by lighting of me..
next time, i'll approah this question with more dramatical concept )

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8106/herego.jpg

[snook305]

DH1.jpg

Done in about 10 mintues single background
Snook

[HelloPiccadilly]

it's a little bit small)

[snook305]

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1484/dhbigger.jpg

Sorry here is a little bigger one
Retouches size limit is a joke...
Not one brush stroke.. I coul do it a lot better with more time but basically you get the idea.
Snook

PS> The lighting is nothing like DaveHills.
You need more fill (Ringlight) and some kickers from behind.

[Soul_of_Kilik]

You know, I don't think it's so much high pass. hipass makes those halos around edges. I tried Shadow hilight, and soon as you get that effect to come through, the halos appear at the same time. I think Scott Kelby is right. It's done in the RAW. Check the link. It might have been posted already inside this gimungus thread.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1094

[Tareq]

I saw someone posted some shots that are not so much Dave Hilish, but when i played with it i got more closer to Dave Hill, but the problem i need to know more about layer masks and D&B, with that i can get much more closer then.

I have the feeling that there are some got his style exactly but others keep telling NO, it is not same or closer yet for a reason.

[igot2pman]

Tried to work with the images... it came out ok... not perfect by any means.

I did it twice, once with the original guy image only and then re-did with cutting and pasting into the background.

Mostly just did a lot of sharpening and contrast adjustments. Also, played with the saturations. I did not use any D&B, although it does need some.

Thanks for sharing,
-Keven

[HelloPiccadilly]

Originally Posted by snook305

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1484/dhbigger.jpg

Sorry here is a little bigger one
Retouches size limit is a joke...
Not one brush stroke.. I coul do it a lot better with more time but basically you get the idea.
Snook

PS> The lighting is nothing like DaveHills.
You need more fill (Ringlight) and some kickers from behind.

it's quite difficult to put some kickers from behind in my bathroom)
but, here is smtng about this:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/564...225dsc0049.jpg
after all:
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8106/herego.jpg

no? what should I change?

[HelloPiccadilly]

Forget about this picture in bathroom...this is very bad original shot, no I can see that)

but, thx for evreybody's try )

[Quantum3Studio]

Hi there,

I'm wondering what's that image in grey scales with some kind of drawn figure inside. Is that the D&B layer? And how do you get that kind of lines thjere? I have seen many tutorials here and they show that kind of weird layer in the snapshots, but they don't talk about that layer. I'm really interested to know what's that... It looks so weird!

Thanks!

Mart

[pellepiano]

Its the "Dodge& Burn" layer, or PWL ( Paint with Light layer ).

Usually a empty layer ( or 50% grey ) set to Overlay and the you paint with white or black to add contrast.

[Quantum3Studio]

Originally Posted by pellepiano

Its the "Dodge& Burn" layer, or PWL ( Paint with Light layer ).

Usually a empty layer ( or 50% grey ) set to Overlay and the you paint with white or black to add contrast.

Mmmhhh... I was figuring that... Just needed to be sure

Thanks!

MArt

[Quantum3Studio]

Originally Posted by Soul_of_Kilik

You know, I don't think it's so much high pass. hipass makes those halos around edges. I tried Shadow hilight, and soon as you get that effect to come through, the halos appear at the same time. I think Scott Kelby is right. It's done in the RAW. Check the link. It might have been posted already inside this gimungus thread.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1094

yeah, I discovered that trick long time ago in LR1.0, but I never couldn't avoid the ugly halos. Any clue?
Fill Light and recovery must have a radius thing.

[Tareq]

Originally Posted by Quantum3Studio

yeah, I discovered that trick long time ago in LR1.0, but I never couldn't avoid the ugly halos. Any clue?
Fill Light and recovery must have a radius thing.

Exactly, same problem

[Mtmm]

Originally Posted by longside1

Mtmm has got kind of close, but IMHO it's not quite the Dave Hill look and certainly not better (I'm sure Mtmm will agree with this also).

I agree 100%. Dave Hill does some serious stuff. Everyone can see that Daves photos are highly(quality) retouched, but nobody can tell how. What comes to these other attempts, lots of unwanted stuff on photos like halos, over softening, no good contrast etc.

Dave Hill is still a mystery to me. I personally have focused on lighting more, trying to create realistic light, it´s hard.

http://www.bodynet.fi/kuvat/laukku196.jpg

Lighting is still the key.

[Tareq]

Originally Posted by Mtmm

I agree 100%. Dave Hill does some serious stuff. Everyone can see that Daves photos are highly(quality) retouched, but nobody can tell how. What comes to these other attempts, lots of unwanted stuff on photos like halos, over softening, no good contrast etc.

Dave Hill is still a mystery to me. I personally have focused on lighting more, trying to create realistic light, it´s hard.

http://www.bodynet.fi/kuvat/laukku196.jpg

Lighting is still the key.

You are right, lighting is always the key

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2686/laukku1962.jpg

[Mtmm]

Not again. Please dont use my photos. You know, now there is my signature and it looks like shit. Stop please.

If I want my photos to be retouched, I´ll post a raw file. You cannot go and rape photos.