Three witches

[LocalHero1953]

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Publicity shot for Macbeth, a student production in Kings College Chapel next month.
The director wasn't happy with the 'folds' (i.e. unironed crumples) in the white tops in the first shot (I preferred these expressions). In the second shot she was crouched out of sight below, pulling the cloth down, displaying nice smooth curves.
SL2-S + Summilux-SL 50

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[Derbyshire Man]

Shall I make the safeguarding call or will you? Lucky it was a she.

Best way to get creases out in situation like that (if possible) is to use a hot hand dryer and smooth them out with heat, obviously the actor rather than the director.

Edited February 11 by Derbyshire Man

[LocalHero1953]

7 minutes ago, Derbyshire Man said:

Shall I make the safeguarding call or will you? Lucky it was a she.

Best way to get creases out in situation like that (if possible) is to use a hot hand dryer and smooth them out with heat, obviously the actor rather than the director.

Since I'm half a century older than most of such photographic subjects, I normally look the other way and stop my ears when such discussions of costume happen. I neither want nor can afford to gain an 'unfortunate' reputation. In this case I was asked to judge the effect. And I've known the director a couple of years (a lifetime in student circles).

[Derbyshire Man]

I was pulling your leg but it's a modern worry! I was walking past a netted mini football pitch next to the River Seine and two small children were chasing a football with abandon, amazing contre-jour lighting (how Parisian), scene and subjects, so I took a quick couple of shots, which I really like. Both of my children (19 & 22) were mortified 'dad you can't just take photo's of random kids'. Having been a random kid 1967-1985 it's always felt very much that you can. I work in a safeguarding aware industry but there's a rule of thumb that your social mores are set by the society around you at the age of 21. Changing that takes a great deal of effort, thought and suspension of disbelief!

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Edited February 11 by Derbyshire Man

[LocalHero1953]

7 minutes ago, Derbyshire Man said:

I was pulling your leg but it's a modern worry!

I have no problem with your comment, but in such matters I try to be hypersensitive rather than risk misunderstandings!

[stuny]

I like both very nearly equally.  Please note that the POV is slightly different.

[Derbyshire Man]

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I think I prefer the second.

[LocalHero1953]

8 minutes ago, stuny said:

I like both very nearly equally.  Please note that the POV is slightly different.

I took a dozen or more shots - they're all in the same place, just slightly different angles to give different shadows, framing and avoid candlesticks growing out of heads. And there was also quite a lot of hair engineering, especially with the witch on the right. These were all taken in the Chapel, but there were tourists, so we were limited in where we could work.

Edited February 11 by LocalHero1953

[Stevejack]

13 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Since I'm half a century older than most of such photographic subjects, I normally look the other way and stop my ears when such discussions of costume happen. I neither want nor can afford to gain an 'unfortunate' reputation. In this case I was asked to judge the effect. And I've known the director a couple of years (a lifetime in student circles).

I find this such a tricky part of portrait shoots, especially when working 1 on 1. A while back I did a series of portraits with young models (TFP shoots) and I was shocked how many showed up alone for a first session. I always asked them to try to bring a mother / friend so that they would be able to suggest these sorts of clothing alterations, but otherwise I would show the image, explain what I'm seeing with the clothing / lighting and why it might be a distraction, and ask if they want to modify anything. I was always worried about something I said being taken the wrong way and as you say, getting an unfortunate reputation. Or worse being falsely accused of something. I ended up hiring a female assistant to attend some of these TFP shoots with first time subjects due to how often girls were just showing up alone at night to a warehouse where I had my gear set up. It ended up being a needless worry but I was certainly terrified of it at the time!

12 hours ago, Derbyshire Man said:

I was pulling your leg but it's a modern worry! I was walking past a netted mini football pitch next to the River Seine and two small children were chasing a football with abandon, amazing contre-jour lighting (how Parisian), scene and subjects, so I took a quick couple of shots, which I really like. Both of my children (19 & 22) were mortified 'dad you can't just take photo's of random kids'. Having been a random kid 1967-1985 it's always felt very much that you can. I work in a safeguarding aware industry but there's a rule of thumb that your social mores are set by the society around you at the age of 21. Changing that takes a great deal of effort, thought and suspension of disbelief!

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This is such a great picture.
Kids are a tricky one. There's a public water play area near me and near sunset the entire spot turns into a beautiful place with shade sails lit up by the sun, rainbows made by the water sprays, and kids running everywhere. If my kids were playing there I don't hesitate to pull out my camera and photograph everything, but if I'm walking by without my kids I usually don't even try. A middle aged guy alone with a camera and photographing random kids is always tricky to justify no matter how brilliant the lighting is 😅

[Derbyshire Man]

10 hours ago, Stevejack said:

I find this such a tricky part of portrait shoots, especially when working 1 on 1. A while back I did a series of portraits with young models (TFP shoots) and I was shocked how many showed up alone for a first session. I always asked them to try to bring a mother / friend so that they would be able to suggest these sorts of clothing alterations, but otherwise I would show the image, explain what I'm seeing with the clothing / lighting and why it might be a distraction, and ask if they want to modify anything. I was always worried about something I said being taken the wrong way and as you say, getting an unfortunate reputation. Or worse being falsely accused of something. I ended up hiring a female assistant to attend some of these TFP shoots with first time subjects due to how often girls were just showing up alone at night to a warehouse where I had my gear set up. It ended up being a needless worry but I was certainly terrified of it at the time!

This is such a great picture.
Kids are a tricky one. There's a public water play area near me and near sunset the entire spot turns into a beautiful place with shade sails lit up by the sun, rainbows made by the water sprays, and kids running everywhere. If my kids were playing there I don't hesitate to pull out my camera and photograph everything, but if I'm walking by without my kids I usually don't even try. A middle aged guy alone with a camera and photographing random kids is always tricky to justify no matter how brilliant the lighting is 😅

I once got pretty seriously threatened by a bloke and his wife when I took some photos of my son playing football aged circa 14/15. She worked in a nursing home and had done a 'safeguarding course' and was therefore an expert, he didn't need to be but was just relying on testosterone for his insight! It was obviously in a public park and I was obviously a parent but it's unnecessary aggro that I can do without, so like you I usually avoid it.

[Almizilero]

This thread is getting a bit of topic, but it is an important thing to talk about. When I got into TFP / Portrait shoots back in the day, every hobbyist I talked to explained how important it is to be polite, not to touch without asking, think twice about how what you say might be percieved. And yes, if possible ask the model to bring a second person (which no one ever did). All really good advice and common sense, one should hope.

Then I went to Photokina (THE photography trade fair back then), where a famous portrait photographer gave a public workshop (I don't remember who it was). That was absolutely terrible (or cringeworthy, as you would say today). The audience was basically drooling old men with big tele lenses, trying to sneak a shot of the model. And the photographer was more or less encouraging it. He dropped one sleazy joke after another, kept touching the model and did basically all the things I learned to avoid. I guessed at a certain level of fame people just got weird and hoped that the other guys were to busy taking pictures to “learn” anything from this workshop.

Back to the images: I think the background and light are better in the second one, but as you said, the expressions are better in the first. I didn't read the text first and didn't even notice any wrinkles in the first shot, but did notice something in the second (male gaze and all that). Strange choice by the director. I don't think witches spend their time ironing shirts

@Derbyshire Man That is an absolutely stunning image that I would never have dared to take!

Edited February 12 by Almizilero

[Olaf_ZG]

Regarding directing, nowadays I am more blunt. So, with the second shot, I simply would have said that I see things which don’t fit the idea of the image. For post processing, I simply would crop slightly to solve the problem.

as photographers it is our task to direct (not to touch though), so I don’t have a problem with that.

I prefer the first image though.

[topoxforddoc]

Definitely prefer the first shot. The facial expressions are just a bit more enigmatic and menacing