Ensure that the Red Eye Reduction feature is not activated as the will cause the effect you describe. Could be something else, but that is the first thing to check.

This is being asked the time and building him a watch. From a PRACTICAL standpoint, we send the printer a file—180, 240, 300., 360 ppi—whatever. The printer driver takes care of deciding how to utilize its 1440DPI or whatever it is to make a print. In most cases it is impossible to tell 180ppi file from a 360ppi file.

You are misunderstanding resolution. The 180 to 300ppi for an image file has noting to do with a dpi resolution for a printer. There is NO connection.

Decent printers are in the 1440-2880 dpi range, so a printer at only 600dpi might not be that great.

Costco uses professional wide-format printers that produce excellent prints.

I have my policy from Travelers through USAA. It is for professional coverage. For me, it is both equipment and liability. It covers stupid mistake drops which I can prove since I knocked over my tripod with why D800 on it and they replaced the camera minus my deductible. No hassle. All they needed was the letter from Nikon to prove the body was destroyed beyond repair.

It is quite comprehensive also covering computer gear, damage to rented facilities, and more. It is expensive at around $700/year, but maybe there is a less expensive option for JUST the camera gear.

This observation is true of many (not all) of the newer cameras. Try that with a camera built in 2006 an you would destroy the image with noise. As a Nikon user I can make my observations from that standpoint ands I can tell you the D810 and D850 are "ISO Invariant." You can do just as you indicated, underexpose buy 2-3, maybe 4 stops and still get a VERY usable image. There is some degradation, but it is really minor and in most cases not apparent. Try that on my D2X and all you get is ugly noise.

This does not work as well on the other end. OVER expose by four stops and then what is gone is pretty much...well...gone. One can still recover highlights quite well for a one-stop over exposure or even a bit more, but there is not the latitude one has with an underexposure.

This is not a reason to not get a good exposure correct with the initial exposure.

It's more labor. You charge more for your prints than the paper they are printed on.

What camera?

Try these folks here in Colorado: http://www.duraplaq.com

As a matter of fact her work and story was just featured in last month's issue of the PPA magazine "Professional Photographer" That is the first I have heard of her. Obviously, her project is much more extensive than mine and has an entirely different look. Two different approaches. I love her images.

Thanks bkyser and cjc2. I think PLENTY of people can make great images. They just have not found this forum yet!

Mr Shapiro - Thanks for the kind words!

OK - In the spirit of this particular forum—since it is to be part instructional—€”here is a pull-back of the setup my assistant took.
The reflector is a 4x6 Larson silver (I previously said 3x5, but I just measured it). That background I use has some texture to it, so sometimes i just desaturate it to get rid of that pink, and add another texture or two over it.

For the tethering, I shoot to Capture One and that cool little table is from Tether Tools (does not include the tripod!).

I think this image may help with the light setup rather than just a description of it.

I Agee that the 7200 is a great choice and certainly the D500. The highISO capability the 500 is very good.
As to the need for more megapixels, unless you regularly PRINT 16x20 and larger, you don't need 'em. Upgrade for other reasons, but probably not for the megapixels.

I also agree that going to the full frame cameras makes no sense since you stated staying under 2K and that move will require a few more grand in lenses.

I thought it might be instructive to see the original SOOC file of one of the images along with the finished product.

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.

It is true that Nikon ONLY writes to the computer when tethered, but your fear that losing the connection will lose images is incorrect. If you loose the connection, then the images write to the card. I use Nikon and shoot tethered all the time without an issue. I shoot to Capture One a far superior program for tethered shooting than LR. MUCH faster and has never just dropped the connection as LR seemed to do with regularity. Anyone who wants to do tethered shooting on a regular basis should check out Capture One. LR is fine if you only do it occasionally.