Khanh Ng , Nov 13, 2008; 06:17 p.m.
I really love the images from this wedding photographer and I am trying to figure out if its good camera,
lighting, or great photoshop skills. :)
http://www.allisonreisz.com/index2.php?v=v1
Her lighting looks great. Every picture seems to just glow... almost like a magazine page. How can you do that
without extra lighting and just a camera? Is this achieved via photoshop manipulation?
I don't want to shoot wedding photography but I want to achieve this effect in my architecture shots. Ideas?
thanks,
k
Mark Philpott , Nov 13, 2008; 06:23 p.m.
1. Wide aperture -> shallow DoF.
2. Increased contrast.
3. Increased saturation.
4. Fairly heavy USM.
David Schilling - Chicago, Illinois 
, Nov 13, 2008; 07:46 p.m.
I'm assuming that you're talking about the opening flash page images....looks like a good deal of PS work and possibly a Nik filter or two. You might want to shoot her an email and ask her specifically.
Christopher Hartt 
, Nov 13, 2008; 08:04 p.m.
Take consumer grade nikon body and lens, shoot auto, buy Really Rad Actions by the Boutwells and spend some time with the images in Photoshop. Like the images from many wedding photog's today, the images look "canned"....because they're the product of canned, mass market actions produced by a handful of action providers.
Like going to McDonalds or Burger King for lunch, you can count on consistently mediocre photos by using the actions.
Khanh Ng , Nov 13, 2008; 08:16 p.m.
I am not interested in using anything out of the box (i.e a bought action or a nik filter etc). Can this be broken down with things inside of just Adobe Photoshop? For example editing the curves in the Lab layer or using the Highpass filter to develop the glow, etc?
Here's another photographer that I really like:
http://www.karenwise.com/
Her images are similar to the other link. I like the colors and how vivid they are without looking blown out and harsh.
I like to take pictures of architecture with vivid colors but my colors aren't always as saturated and sharp!
Roger Smith , Nov 13, 2008; 08:35 p.m.
Hmm... the style on the first one was all over the place.
If you really want to imitate, start with a good exposure- try a high-key image with light skin, walls, etc. Then airbrush any skin until any and all texture is gone. If you are lazy you can use gaussian blur on a selection. For slightly more realism use the clone/heal tool.
Don't forget selective desaturation, adding vignetting to the picture's edges (can use circular gradient map for this I believe- Lightroom has a nice tool for this, too).
Nadine Ohara - SF Bay Area/CA 
, Nov 13, 2008; 09:21 p.m.
Lots of Clarity (Lightroom) and sharpening. Almost to the point of making the images look like drawings or paintings. Look up Topaz Adjust or Lucis for plug ins that mimic the painting look.
David Wegwart - Denver/CO. 
, Nov 14, 2008; 01:19 a.m.
Lighting, timing, compostions and some PP work. In short, personal style.
Nic Coury , Nov 14, 2008; 03:22 a.m.
She does have really great composition though.
New, interesting angles too.
Robert Jewett , Nov 14, 2008; 09:23 a.m.
If I were to try to duplicate the look I think you are asking about, I would throw two flashes on stands w/ umbrellas & pocket
wizards. Depending on the ambient light, I may set them at full 1/2 or whatever. I would put one close (about 3 or 4 feet)
the other a little bit further away. I'd use a 2.8 24-70 lens. Set camera on M, start at ISO 400 and under expose by about 1
stop. leave at 2.8 for DOF look. Check to see how it looks. Too hot? Dial down the flashes, etc.
Then, I'd run them through PS Lightroom. Desaturate a little, maybe hit a little vingnette, etc. It's tough to say exactly what
someone is doing whithout being there.
Anyway, that's where I'd start. I ahve ony been doing this for 6 months or so...so others may do something else.
