San Diego

Photographer's Note

Since many clubs don't allow flash photography, we've been working on ambient light photos with a 1.8 fixed aperture lens and 1600 ISO. The 1600 ISO gives a lot of noise of course so I selectively decreased noise in areas of the photo, then I uses an overlay layer of the untouched photo to smoothe out the edges. Then I erased areas where I wanted more light and less noise. I'll post the untouched original in the WS.

This club does allow flash photography but I've grown to prefer the ambient lighting. I'll also post a flash photo. Let me know which of the three you like best.

I'll dedicate the photo to Xuaxo since the club was La Portugalia and this was Francisco's introduction to Ocean Beach.

isabela_sor, Henryk_Bilor, imrek, cunejo200, josepmarin, isabib, pablominto, pboehringer, nels, Silke, xuaxo, nwoehnl, john_c, Jeronimo, pranab, elmec, stego, Didi, Vincelavisse, gunbud, scobert has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

isabela_sor (47265) 2006-10-18 12:02

Very original framing,Pat.Excellent composition. I love the way you have captured this young artist.Thanks for sharing with us
All the best
Isabela

darrasin (2860) 2006-10-18 12:52

Hi Pat! I definitely prefer the one with ambient light here as I like the interplay of the shady and lit areas. Thanks for such a detailed note on your post processing, the results are worth it. The composition is very good especially with the girl's back to the left vertical edge.

Nicely done!
Doug

Henryk_Bilor (20797) 2006-10-18 13:49

Hello Patricia
Excellent postprocessing. Great capture of this beautiful girl.
Regards

gelor (3229) 2006-10-18 14:01

Bonjour Patricia,
Petite femme, gros saxo mais grande photo ! Tout est bon et beau : cadrage, lumière, douceur du visage, etc.
Excellent travail ! Félicitations.
Gérard

cunejo200 (7281) 2006-10-18 14:24

Hi Pat,
Too bad this was taken inside, there's a new hunt on street musicians. Good lighting here Pat - your ISO and aperture settings appear fine. I haven't seen many woman sax players. This is a welcome scene. (It's good to be back home after weeks of work-related travels). Best wishes. Danilo

josepmarin (55051) 2006-10-18 15:12

Hi Pat,
How are you?
How are you? Good photo of the girl with his saxo, captured well, very spontaneous and likeable. I like the smooth light with beautiful shades and the brightness in the metal of the instrument. It is a pretty and very glad photo. In addition, saxo is one of the instruments that I like more, their music and its sound are very sensual.
Nice shot.
Greetings from Barcelona,
Josep

isabib (1953) 2006-10-18 15:17

Hi Patricia,

You did well on removing the noice and a very informative note. Thanks for sharing, the note and picture.

delkoo (68) 2006-10-18 15:41

hi patricia
concert photo it isn 't easy to do cause of the hight contrast between lights and shadows, i don't mean about noise in such condition sometime it add cub atmosphere.
your WS give us a nice result.

didier

euryan (8432) 2006-10-18 17:02

The PP you did here worked very well. This is my favorite version of the ones you mentioned. The warm color tones are very pleasing, and I like the nice side lighting. I like the f/1.8 depth of field as well. I wish I had a lens that fast :-)

feather (51128) 2006-10-18 17:48

Definitely this is the best one, although I note the original is not as bad with the noise as I would expect at ISO 1600. The flash one takes away all the atmosphere. I like the way you composed the shot too with the musician on the left.
Co-incidently I have my next post prepared also taken at ISO 1600. It's nowhere near this quality though as I have no proper noiseware just PS.
Kath

Cormac (26545) 2006-10-18 21:50

Great shot in the low light conditions! The side lighting gives this a very dramatic look, appropriate for the subject. I like the outline that the lighting gives the subject - really makes her stand out. Great work!

ribeiroantonio (22618) 2006-10-18 23:51

Absolutely stunning picture. The light is perfect and really makes her face very beautiful. I agree that the flash takes away the entire atmosphere. The only thing I would different is the frame. I think a white frame would make the picture to stand out better.
Antonio

pablominto (53744) 2006-10-19 1:52

Hello Pat,
Interesting light, and you make well use of what is present!
In fact it is very well done, and that goes for your PP work too...
Well framed scenery and presented in a fine composition!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Floydian (30970) 2006-10-19 3:26

Hi Patricia,
I saw this picture yesterday but before i could place a comment it was gone...you probably were not satisfied?
Please let it stand now because this one is very lovely.
The soft colour toning is perfect. Together with the highlights and shadows it makes this image very strong.
Composition and framing is also high class...absolute great work.
Regards, Henk

imrek (4) 2006-10-19 4:58

Hi Pat,
very lovley image, the sax player is nicely palced on the photograph and the light is here managed really profesionaly...good work!!!
regards,
imre

Gerrit (43743) 2006-10-19 5:46

Hi Patricia,
Charming pictuire full of joy and a very beautiful light.
regards, Gerrit

zig (2456) 2006-10-19 7:42

Pat, this is really nice. The treatment of the noise is also nice, I mean, I am surprised that the photo'd become this smooth look. I will try that method on my photo next time. I like the yellowish tones and the lightening on her. This is very successfull shot, I bet.

Davidwh (3662) 2006-10-19 16:18

Hi Pat,
I prefer what you have done as to flash photography.No matter what, the flash always give an unnatural light.The light here is well caught on the almost profile pose with clear distinction between dark and light.Nice work on the noise but the right top is looking a bit unnatural..I think maybe you could have left it as it was.I like how you always want to try something new...TFS.
Keep well, David

pboehringer (770) 2006-10-19 22:34

This is one of your best portraits if not even the best. Noise is something that doesn't bother me when it is an indoor shot like the one here posted. Being a purist I prefer the untouched one versus the your WS.
The movement and the joy in the face of this artist is amazing.
TFS, Peter

nels (2595) 2006-10-20 4:33

hi pat,, a nice photo a lot of work has gone into creating it love the as you say ambient colours and lighting

adrian

Silke (3027) 2006-10-20 12:29

I like the richness of tones in your final version here. Great composition and colour, super capture under the restricted lighting conditions. TFS
Silke

xuaxo (6830) 2006-10-20 14:00

Hi Pat,
Very good pp job in the primary post, but even the untouched original is very good. The flash photo doesn't conveys the feeling of being in a club.
If I understand well, this was in the Portugalia - Portuguese Restaurant and Pub in San Diego..
Regards,
F

nwoehnl (122) 2006-10-20 17:20

Hi Pat, I returned home to Germany from California tonight. This is a lovely photo of the young saxophone player - the strong light contrasts were less than trivial to manage, but you got a good result showing the way she is standing in the limelight. Comparing with the original I also thin that your post-work turned out pretty darn good. Have a nice weekend.

Scharan (14144) 2006-10-20 18:11

Olá Pat
Ótimo retrato dessa bela garota, composição, luz e cores lindas. Parabéns!
Grande abraço,
Vera.

Angshu (51174) 2006-10-21 3:33

Hello Pat
Probably one of your best portrait shots. Fantastic use of ambient light & I love your framing keeping here to the left. I know how difficult it is to shoot in this sort of low light, but you've used the shades of light & darkness to the full advantage..simply love the light on her face here. The flash photo takes away all the ambience even though it highlights the other details. Bravo on this one!
Regards
Angshu

anesugur (18757) 2006-10-21 10:05

Hi Patricia,
Gorgeous picture with this lovely girl.
Very good colors and light with the perfect quality.
Best wishes. Uğur

john_c (24662) 2006-10-21 10:23

Hi Patricia,
The lighting is superb here, and although the WS versions are good, this is my preference...I like the warm glow which pervades this entire scene. The girl just radiates energy and a love for her instrument and music. She has a very laid back, kind expression which is also appealing. The exposure level is just right. Well captured.
John

devimeuxbe (58557) 2006-10-21 16:08

Hi patricia
this picture is very beautifull for the light and the nice dynamism and smile of the woman.
Very nice picture.
Bertrand

Jeronimo (1382) 2006-10-23 18:46

Que linda foto Patricia, me encanta la sonrisa de la muchacha y la luz es muy calida.
Exelente toma.

Saludos desde Mexico.

Vincelavisse (454) 2006-10-24 0:34

Bonjour Patricia,

I like this picture a lot. The choice to use only the ambient lighting is great. I looked to the flash version and I prefer this one. The job you did to remove noise is really great, even if the noise was giving a special effect to the picture. The picture itself is well composed, the DOF is just perfect and the subject is really nice.

Thanks for sharing,

Vince

ktanska (21523) 2006-10-24 3:19

Hi Patricia,
It's a lovely shot with good feeling and matching colours. You've done well on removing noise. But visible traces of PP showing brightness differences bother me a little. So I did my own WS. Please have a look.
And no, the flash version doesn't have the same feeling.
Kari

[workshop] [compare]

ahmetgedikli (25064) 2006-10-27 4:21

Hi Pat,
An excellent composition, very nice light. Colors are great. I like the scene. Have a good weekend.
Ahmet

flatwin (2087) 2006-10-28 16:13

bonsoir

tres beau cliché avec un tres beau contrast ds les couleurs - felicitation

arnaud

Emiel_Skyfreak (3002) 2006-10-31 7:30

Hi Patricia,

Nice shot with lovely light and exposure on this girl with her sax. The sharpness on the girl's face and on the saw is very pretty, and on the rest the DOF works nicely. Good composition, placing her on the left border. It's good that the background is quite dark and doesn't show much details or highlights, this way the girl really pop out and claims attention.
Great work.

pranab (5354) 2006-11-04 2:40

pat,
your note makes this shot more lively. great use of light here and you have captured the expression of the girl very well. nice soft texture a big plus here.

elmec (12210) 2006-11-05 18:19

Hello Patricia!
Great portrait of this musiacian girl!
Best for me is the light, so delicate, but catching the details great!
Best regards!

Didi (48930) 2007-01-28 11:26

Hi Pat
I can't hear noise here, just a lttle bit over contrast.
However your composition is good with side spot lights on the subject.
Well done.
Cheers.

gunbud (34052) 2007-06-11 21:38

Hi Pat,
Your subject is seen in fine complimentary lighting that catches her happy expression as she prepares to do what she loves. Wonderful relaxing details to this lovely portrait.
Regards, Tom

scobert (5355) 2008-02-10 14:09

Hello Pat,
As a general rule, I prefer using fill flash in indoor settings. I like the fill flash version, but your photoshop skills really livened up this photo. This is a beautiful portrait of this young saxaphonist. This is beautiful work!
Stan