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Defining Male Features: Skin Tones

Lesson 4 from: Men's Portrait Photography

Jeff Rojas

Defining Male Features: Skin Tones

Lesson 4 from: Men's Portrait Photography

Jeff Rojas

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Lesson Info

4. Defining Male Features: Skin Tones

Lesson Info

Defining Male Features: Skin Tones

I'm gonna start to soft by this sort of quote, way are all different, but we're all equal all different shapes and sizes, each and every one of us. We're all human beings, and therefore we're all unique in our own capacity. A lot of people have this notion that we have this ideal perception, like the person that we want to be, and we're not so, and I'm not trying to be, uh, what's a psychological here, there's a lot of physiological or philosophical by any means. I just want people to look their best. I want people to feel their best, I mean, that's, that's, why we're here, we appear to make people feel awesome, and we're gonna discuss different features that are very complimentary what we assume our society, our great features to, uh, to showcase. But with that being said, what makes a man's face physically attractive, symmetrical features eyes, jaw lines, cheekbones and lips here's the thing you don't have to have all of those, you have to have one of those you can still be physicall...

y attractive on. We can still show somebody in the best light, regardless, if they have one of those or not, but if you're trying to showcase somebody's best features, for whatever reason, these are things that you kind of want to keep in mind to the person have nice eyes you have a nice jaw line and do they have nice cheekbones like what are you trying to showcase in that specific subject I know that when I look at a male subject we're like okay what are we trying to showcase and the first thing everyone goes to draw lines but the reality is not everyone has a perfectly defined jawline like there's larger mander skinnier men there's men in here we have to think about styling that every man has hair so how do you show case here the best you know we talked about eyes certain people certain imperfections they have for us you talked about certain things that happened with your eyes before when you smiled you know things that happened like I said I have one small ivan the other we're not all symmetrical that being said we're goingto kind of discuss the way that I photograph people in what I see and what I'm looking for in regards to photograph one of things that we wanted a starting off with with skin tones how do you photograph people with different skin tones like what do you what do you physically trying to showcase how do you do that skin tones before I even start just a quick tip uh investment color checker specifically this is not a promotion this actually is gonna use us these are extremely paramount. I get a couple of e mails every month about how to get things color correct, carlos, I'm shooting things in black away or not, color checkers and monitor calibration systems. Both of them together costs about two hundred two hundred dollars to twenty a little under two hundred before death, their truly paramount if you're trying to showcase actual features and when I do any type of photography and you were there with me, stoney, with the last time that I wanted of shooting, I shot everybody with this photographed. What would you say? Eleven people, twelve people when we were doing our face shapes of all different ethnicities, colors and features and he's saying, like in the same way, the only difference was the power setting, everything that everything else was extremely consistent with what we're trying to photograph. A lot of people don't know howto anybody who's like african american, a lot of people have problems with getting the right skin tone. How much redder, how much yellows in the the pigment of skin color check is going to be paramount when you're trying to do that? I know stony has a little red. The writer of a skin if I would photograph him and not use a colored checker, I'm not getting the appropriate color about so what I'm trying to photograph, so making sure that your white balance is correct, making sure that you guys are using the color checked and a monitor calibration system. I have several photography friends that used the color checker they've never calibrate their monitor, and red is actually pink, and I know I know he's listening in today, someone I want to call him out. So I have a friend named miguel who shot a boy band in orlando, and we were laughing because he goes, how does this boy band look in the background photo? And this goes with skin tones as well, but the background he was like it's red and like no it's, definitely hot pink and it's, a boy band and it's a hot pink background. He goes no that's red, and I'm like, okay, so I would bring the photo around to different people and we had this little discussion but this hot pink or red and everyone said it's, hot pink it's pink top pink here's the thing those don't lie, but your eyes can right way automatically assume there's a lot of again with some of the e mails that I get with skins home, specifically I get why am I pointing that way? I'm pointing that way because no one's actually there it's funny I'm looking at everyone in entirety and saying okay, what is your correct skin tone that the software tough actually helps me judge that regardless, if I think it's right or wrong like it's true to form so with that being said, um, I'm actually going to quite a demo since we're on set here you put this on before anything, okay, different skin tones. So one of the reasons that I love you ensure it's clipped I feel like I have a leash I feel like a puppy creative life has me as a puppy, so one of the reasons I'm only moving this so you guys can kind of see where we're going with this. I love this's what I use my studio this is more often not what utilize all my shoots. Another reason is because it's it's a gorgeous former light I also don't feel like putting it away to put back together like the first time it's like I like let's go if it like it's a beautiful form wescott is say, westcott well, this is upside down I can't read upside down note to self westcott, zeppelin, it's the power of forty seven this is what I use for everything I use a lot of my fashion shoots my portrait shoots that's my go to lighting setup so when I'm winding him doing is if I'm photographing anyone pretending someone actually they're this's storytelling if anybody cares I am actually a weird person I'm an only child if anybody wanted to know hence my weirdness meyer and the voices stop moving it we'll keep it at six ok well if you want you can move north so as I'm photographing subjects you know what do we have opposing stole anywhere can I borrow posing still anybody thank you that works for me whatever's convenient again I'm not lazy I'm just convenient thank you john go back so as a photograph of a photograph investment different subjects with back this way you know what will make this easier just to this I'm trying to figure out what tonality skin that I want I want them to be underexposed overexposed like what am I looking for? I told you guys that I like textures and men when it comes to skin tone I tend generally tend to visually on camera underexposed things you guys will see the what's it called the screen calibrate and it's gonna be a little lighter than normal but on my camera it's goingto post is a little darker is what I want to see the contrast in this game I want to see how much much contrast is in the texture we discussed that before cinnamon bar if you don't mind would you mind taking a photo with me again in front of many many, many people welcome to my domain go that ahmad crotch shot I'm only gonna take a portrait we're gonna take a portrait so I don't have to worry about your crotch we'll go with that so anybody who sees I'm going with this light up anybody who sees stony on camera if you guys can see that's tony's a little redder than most people which is it's tough to kind of to showcase I love his skin tones I love everything that's there and that's what I want to showcase I wanted make it look fake and want to make him look too light to dark I wanted showcase for who he is so the first thing I need to do with skin cells got a checker don't touch the inside stick reese is gonna go ahead and you know me times I've done that good this don't touch the skin tone color checker stop moving he's like okay can you take my photo first thing anybody cares I'm using the twenty four one oh five sigma one two three here we are their perfect move it over a tiny bit sorry cameras I want to it's about a couple second delay there what was it that you saw in the first one that you moved the polite can you uh can you put them comparison side by side perfect. We took two shots. The first thing I'm noticing on that right hand side is it's a little darker than I wanted it's just a little under exposing that right hand side in camera I'm gonna look at it here his right cheek bones I'm not getting any light whatsoever I'm shooting my settings are shooting at one twenty fifth two hundred I'm getting the right hands at his side his face underexposed I don't I don't want to see that giant black area there we'll discuss that a tiny bit later but what am I trying to showcase? First and foremost I need to make sure that stoney's color correct hey guys, can you make sure that's tony's color correct? Just click on the develop module day ugo no homes of creative lives I love gnomes thank you how much of that change his skin tone can you show me back and forth? Oh yes I went there. How much is it really changing his skin tone? Okay gnomes, no judgments it's christmas time go one down from, uh from color correct? Uh one out point go down one thank you. So she was seeing pigment starting to change in his skin and press up press reset for may I should just sing here we go I'm starting to see stone to go a little more redder than normal like I need to make sure that his skin tone is correct. The first thing you want to do is just make sure everything looks true to form just move over next thing is that I know that that right hand sides a little dark I'm using to twenty four one five I'm using it at the one of five mark here. Perfect. So, nancy new profile photo for facebook he always had in your face anyway, and I just hope it's tethering shoot me hammer um, if he didn't under expose, if you forgot, could you do that post? Absolutely not going to have the same fighters and better to tow it what's its still in ross still have the information that's there. I'm also thinking about visually, psychologically, I need to make sure that they inferences informations there's the photographer like I need to make sure that everything I'm gonna unplug it and plug it back in. Guys, uh, I need to make sure that the image is true to form like I want to. I want to see all the details in there without having to rely on a camera, and when we shot together, I think I was using an isa monitor I think I was using or my laptop one of the two, but there's a lot of time that I'm not using either and I need to see it on camera at least to know that the information is present only the only thing that I'm considering so again color checker making sure that things were there making sure that stoney's nice intelligent correctly I'm gonna adjust my power settings he was the one good thing about being surely talk not having to need anything I mean I could use it paramount but with that two three perfect I'm gonna judge light as well let's see and as you guys are adjusting your light making sure that you guys are adjusting while using the color shocker they're perfect can you show me the color check in one more time perfect want to perfect and can you correct the white balance on that image thank you do you see the difference just by using a color checker and making sure his true to form that's what stony looks like versus what my camera interprets stony looking like I need to make sure that that looks his best bassiouni I'm going to switch you for two seconds we're going to talk about different skin tones can I borrow you? Would you mind? Thank you, lorenzo I'm gonna use the same settings I'm going to use the same position like that we had before. The only difference is our skin tone I'm not gonna have you hold this the camera just yeah I'm just gonna have you hold it really no. Have you do that one more time. Awesome. That's a perfect. Okay, so using next photo, we'll ignore that one seven seconds to better photo. Okay. Smiley smiling. Stony that's. We're gonna call you guys. You guys going to cover group awesome color checker to perfect. Is that his true skin tone? And I'm asking, is that lauren just true skin? So I'm gonna move this just to make it a little easier for you guys to see what you face there. I don't want to kill you. Perfect. Can you color correct that for me? This one's perfect on reset. Once again, if you guys can show back and forth do you see the nuances of just using the color checker and getting something that's? Sure. Skin tone. You got a tan man. You got a tan instant digital tan. No, it's, it's, it's. Great. Because you don't want again to light to dark too. You know, too warm to cool. Everything is nice and color tone. So that's, how you use a color check and be able to use that on screen. Thank you, sir, but this thing away

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Photographer's Style Guide for Men
Men's Posing Guid
Photoshop Black and White Presets
Adorama Gear Guid

Ratings and Reviews

caroline ross
 

I watched this class for free and am saving up to buy it. First of all confirmed! Sigma lens are nothing to be ashamed of and since I love my one main lens, Sigma I immediately felt a rapport. Then listening to the fascinating insights about men and their feelings when confronted by a lens and...what to do with folks who have shaved heads or a little large. Some of the tips were great! Adding a decoration on suit front like a flower or handkerchief, and how to get the suits looking FIT! and well, I plunged into man world and it was a super education. By day two I was amazed by Jeff's generosity. Basically all his experience, all his favorite lighting techniques and painstaking attention to detail. I would have to watch Day two zillions of times to actually be able to absorb all the scenarios and effects. Im going to buy some suit clips Jeff and clip a bunch of suits in back and front to gorgeous my male subjects out. Thank you again for a wonderful, wonderful class.

Lee Crow
 

I've taken a lot of photography training in the last couple of years. Jeff is outstanding. I didn't realize that this content would have such an impact on me. The lighting sections were the best I've seen and the psychological impact of us men having good photos is a wonderful subject to bring to light. The class is great. Jeff is great. CL is great.

MizUniverse
 

this course was worth every penny. Full of practical information and excellent demonstrations. Jeff needs to quit with the crotch comments though ..it was like ...really AGAIN? why are you so obsessed with saying crotch crotch crotch good God. Apart from THAT (which I think was just silly nerves) I really do recommend this class. Jeff is actually very very good. I admire his work. Thanks Jeff I learned a lot!!

Student Work

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