Suggestions for Photo-ing Dark Skin

[wparsonsgisnet]

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I will shortly be shooting some family portraits for a friend who is dark-skinned.

 

I've searched the Forum and done Google searches and would still like some suggestions, in the form of zone recommendations if anyone wants to throw some pearls my way.

 

I have seen discussion about gleam on the skin causing problems, about getting close (not expecting that to be a problem), and about using incident meters.

 

I plan on using the M8, a spot meter, and doing lots of chimping. I will also be carrying flash, umbrellas, and a bounce circle (40 inches).

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Regards to all,

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[mgcd]

I will shortly be shooting some family portraits for a friend who is dark-skinned.

 

I've searched the Forum and done Google searches and would still like some suggestions, in the form of zone recommendations if anyone wants to throw some pearls my way.

 

I have seen discussion about gleam on the skin causing problems, about getting close (not expecting that to be a problem), and about using incident meters.

 

I plan on using the M8, a spot meter, and doing lots of chimping. I will also be carrying flash, umbrellas, and a bounce circle (40 inches).

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Regards to all,

 

Place his skin tone (in the highlight) in zone IV, i.e. underexposed by one stop if he has very dark skin. For moderately dark skin, place literally in zone V, i.e. meter reading. I'll be happy to respond if you have additional questions. Of course these are reflective readings.

 

Cheers,

[wparsonsgisnet]

Thanks, Conrad, just what I wanted to know.

 

Regards,

[Guest flatfour]

This has been a problem for years - since I photographed some fellow students in the 1960s. Using B&W film I learnt that I had to underexpose the negative and spend a lot of time in the darkroom to get clear features and facial expressions. Good luck.

[charlesphoto99]

I often have to lasso the face(s) and increase levels. Not too much of a hassle on a shot by shot basis but a pain if you need to deliver a lot. Make sure the light isn't too flat - if you have silver umbrellas use those.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Conrad, your web site is full of remarkable shots. No wonder you're traveling to all these places.

 

I have specific questions about 2 of your images.

 

1. Pupils of SD Kartika School in Banda Aceh: You have made this a highlight pic. Can you describe your process? In particular, did you use specific sw for the sepia toning?

 

2. Last pic in Gallery I is a b/w of a guy standing on a road, upper half of the body. What processing did you use for the b/w image?

 

And a general question that puzzles me: how do you decide when to make a shot b/w?

 

Many thanks for your timely answer and the chance to see your site.

 

Regards,

[wparsonsgisnet]

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Anthony and Charles, thanks and I'll take the silver umbrella and watch my step.

[mgcd]

This has been a problem for years - since I photographed some fellow students in the 1960s. Using B&W film I learnt that I had to underexpose the negative and spend a lot of time in the darkroom to get clear features and facial expressions. Good luck.

 

Oh really?

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[mgcd]

Conrad, your web site is full of remarkable shots. No wonder you're traveling to all these places.

 

I have specific questions about 2 of your images.

 

1. Pupils of SD Kartika School in Banda Aceh: You have made this a highlight pic. Can you describe your process? In particular, did you use specific sw for the sepia toning?

 

2. Last pic in Gallery I is a b/w of a guy standing on a road, upper half of the body. What processing did you use for the b/w image?

 

And a general question that puzzles me: how do you decide when to make a shot b/w?

 

Many thanks for your timely answer and the chance to see your site.

 

Regards,

 

Hi Bill,

 

The Banda Aceh shot was made with the R8/DMR, I used C1 Pro to process, funny I was describing my workflow in another thread yesterday. I applied the P-30 profile and used layers in PS to desaturate and then tone the image. I find the P-30 profile turns the image into a high key one.

 

With respect to the B&W image it's a straight image shot with the R8 on Delta 400 film. The skin tone in the highlight was placed in zone IV. It was scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 2000 if I'm not mistaken (I now use a 5000) and balanced in PS. I may have use layers and colour balance for slight toning.

 

Cheers,

[gmaurizio]

I will shortly be shooting some family portraits for a friend who is dark-skinned.

 

I've searched the Forum and done Google searches and would still like some suggestions, in the form of zone recommendations if anyone wants to throw some pearls my way.

 

I have seen discussion about gleam on the skin causing problems, about getting close (not expecting that to be a problem), and about using incident meters.

 

I plan on using the M8, a spot meter, and doing lots of chimping. I will also be carrying flash, umbrellas, and a bounce circle (40 inches).

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Regards to all,

Unfortunately, our perception of skin is defined by the print and prepress industry, and are therefore expressed in CMYK values.

The skin of a light baby has equal amounts of yellow and magenta without any cyan or black. As people mature, the amount of yellow increases in relationship to the magenta. The tanner or darker they are, the higher the amount of cyan ink is. The far end of the spectrum represents people of African descent with the additional black ink needed to accurately represent darker skin.

You should expose your portrait to the right, without clipping any RGB values. Then open the file in Photoshop (forget about LR or C1, only photoshop will produce the right tones) and, without converting to CMYK, select your info palette to show CMYK values, and set the CMYK color profile to North America Prepress Coated V2). Play with color balance and other photoshop controls.

Here are some specifics for color correcting by the numbers on skin tones in CMYK files:

 

In light-skinned babies and young people, yellow and magenta are equal.

In adults, yellow is up one-fifth to one-third greater than magenta.

 

Cyan is around one-fifth to one-third lower than magenta value and makes people look tanner and darker.

 

Only people with very dark skin should have noticeable amounts of black ink in their skin tones.

 

Find the cyan value; magenta should be double that of cyan, and yellow should be around one-fifth to one-third higher than magenta (20c 40m 50y).

 

Let me know if you need more help. Do not oversaturate...

[wparsonsgisnet]

*Nice* pic. I plan to steal your eye for the shoot.

[mgcd]

Bill - I forgot the last part of your question. I tend to previsualise a subject in order to see what it's going to look like at least in general. However, in the case of the Pupils shot, it called out for a different process while I was processing it in C1, I also forgot to mention that the first requisite is to overexpose by 1.5 stops and then apply the P-30 profile.

 

Cheers,

[wparsonsgisnet]

This is an incredible thread.

 

Gus, thanks for all those specifics.

 

I'm taking notes on all of it. Thanks again.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Bill - I forgot the last part of your question. I tend to previsualise a subject in order to see what it's going to look like at least in general. However, in the case of the Pupils shot, it called out for a different process while I was processing it in C1, I also forgot to mention that the first requisite is to overexpose by 1.5 stops and then apply the P-30 profile.

 

Cheers,

 

Conrad, so, when you're shooting do you bracket your exposures? In my case, I expect to be fixing rather than able to say that I previsualized the shot.

[gmaurizio]

I will shortly be shooting some family portraits for a friend who is dark-skinned.

 

I've searched the Forum and done Google searches and would still like some suggestions, in the form of zone recommendations if anyone wants to throw some pearls my way.

 

I have seen discussion about gleam on the skin causing problems, about getting close (not expecting that to be a problem), and about using incident meters.

 

I plan on using the M8, a spot meter, and doing lots of chimping. I will also be carrying flash, umbrellas, and a bounce circle (40 inches).

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Regards to all,

Anytime Bill....

Just remember, expose to keep as much information as possible in the DNG, compatible with your artistic intent. Then, be prepared to spend some time with masks, levels, saturation and all the stuff in PS.

What usually works for me, in PS CS3, is to open many versions of the same image in the object mode, each with different Camera Raw settings, to enhance parts of the picture (sky, subject, background, etc...). Then quick masks for each, and some filters trying to preserve the original. You might end up with large files, but is definitely worth, specially if you plan to print many times, or do an exhibition.

It is indeed amazing how our perception of faces and styles is impacted by the print industry, and now it will be more and more by the HDTV newcomers....

Take care and nice light for your shots!

Tell us what you've learned so we can all become better photographers...

 

This is an incredible thread.

 

Gus, thanks for all those specifics.

 

I'm taking notes on all of it. Thanks again.

[mgcd]

Conrad, so, when you're shooting do you bracket your exposures? In my case, I expect to be fixing rather than able to say that I previsualized the shot.

 

I never bracket, I just decide to place values according to the look I'm seeking, thus pre-visualising.

 

Cheers,

 

Edit - Correction I seldom bracket, more often then not I don't.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Place his skin tone (in the highlight) in zone IV, i.e. underexposed by one stop if he has very dark skin. For moderately dark skin, place literally in zone V, i.e. meter reading. I'll be happy to respond if you have additional questions. Of course these are reflective readings.

 

Cheers,

 

Conrad, I'm looking at the pic of the guy in the road in light (sorry, didn't mean the pun) of the comment above.

 

Your subject is standing in bright sunlight, so the range of tones in his skin seems to run from I thru VIII. I'll may be doing both indoor and outdoor shots and take it that your comment above refers to diffuse lighting.

 

By the time this study session is done, I'm going to have a thesis. Damn, the shots better be good.

[wparsonsgisnet]

... What usually works for me, in PS CS3, is to open many versions of the same image in the object mode, each with different Camera Raw settings, to enhance parts of the picture (sky, subject, background, etc...). Then quick masks for each, and some filters trying to preserve the original...

 

Fantastic. I'm going to play with this this weekend to prepare.

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[mgcd]

Conrad, I'm looking at the pic of the guy in the road in light (sorry, didn't mean the pun) of the comment above.

 

Your subject is standing in bright sunlight, so the range of tones in his skin seems to run from I thru VIII. I'll may be doing both indoor and outdoor shots and take it that your comment above refers to diffuse lighting.

.

 

Do you mean the one where there are people holding a candle for a vigil or the one of the man looking at the bloodstain on the pavement? Can't be the first one it's in the dark...

[wparsonsgisnet]

Conrad, this one from the Lightstalkers, Gallery 1:

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