E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Cliff!
Great images of theses men!
I especially like the "flag" treatment in the background. Could you tell us more about the background technique. Nice texture in the faces and the jackets.
Sure. The background (not the flag) is a Photoshop file made up of 8 layers of various textures I have collected over the years. To meet the low-key look, they are all darker tones of brown/gray/green. I shoot against a plain backdrop and then extract the subject using Topaz Remask (although the new Select Subject tool in the latest Photoshop is pretty fantastic). Then I drag my background file onto the subject image an place that behind him or her. Then I go through the layers adjusting blend modes, opacity, and the HSL tool to give each image the look I want—some a bit more to the gray, green or brown, or darker or lighter. Sometimes I use all 8 layers, sometimes just one or two. Some with a bit more texture, some a bit smoother. That background file is big - just under 1GB, so once I get the look I want, I flatten it!
I think my background file gives me the same look as some of the really expensive canvas BGs from Gravity Backdrops.
The flag treatment is a graphic I made from scratch in Photoshop. I have some "real" flag image but that was the problem—they look too real and I wanted a more abstract—but recognizable—appearance.
The detail/texture on the faces is a combination of Adding some clarity in ACR (I do not use LR), a cleanup of transient blemishes and a gentle lightening of some of the deeper wrinkles. I sharpen the eyes with the Creative Sharpener from Pixel Genius. I add some "grit" using Clarity plug-in from Topaz, the standard dodge and burn (I have an action I wrote to set that up using two curves adjustment layers). On some images, a layer of localized High Pass sharpening is used.
To pull the texture and detail out of the leather, I use Topaz Adjust with a pre-set I made specifically for that purpose.
OH yeah - for the color grading of the images, I use several Color Lookup Adjustment Layers. Those require individual adjustment of the opacity of each individual layer as well as making a group of those and then adjusting opacity of the group . There is no formula or specific colors—each image is a one-off. I have an action that sets up my favorites, but your need to play around and get the look YOU want.
This is not a formulaic process. Each image takes a good 35-45 minutes. Sometimes longer.
And as you know, it all starts with getting the lighting right. If that is wrong, none of the rest works.
I hope this answers your questions.