Few portraits...

[Timber]

Since I got my UV-IR camera I always enjoyed revealing the different look of the people, mostly in IR as I lacked the UV equipment. Recent upgrades helped me to get into the UV spectrum and oh-gosh I LOVE IT So different... so strange... so UV

For some people UV is ruthless, ageing them to their own grandparent, for some it is changing the ethnicity (as my wife describes) and for some not much of a change... It's definitely a new world waiting to be explored... and you can make sure I will lead many expeditions in the land of UV portraits

 

Ps.: Images are linked from my FB account... if there's a problem with displaying them please let me know

 

First here's a shot of me, one of the first ones I did (sorry for the pre-focus):

Light Source: Flash

 

And a bit of crazy-me (notice the dental problems I have ):

Light Source: UV bulbs

 

And me with the typical UV spots :

Light Source: Sun

 

And my wife (she's a filipino):

Light Source: Flash

 

My ex-wife (she hates this photo as it makes her look really old... she's only 29 but looks 92 ):

Light Source: Sun

 

And 2 shots of my younger daughter:

Light Source: Sun

 

And here's my elder daughter:

Light Source: Sun

Just to compare here's an IR shot of her (sorry for the Off Topic! ) :

 

And my elder daughter with my wife... again first is UV the second is IR:

Light Source: Sun

vs

 

So far...

 

The gear I used for almost all the shots (if not all):

Sony NEX 6 Full Spectrum + Sigma 30mm f2.8

UV filter stack: Hoya U-360 + Schott BG40

IR Filter: Zomei IR 950

 

Constructive Criticism is always welcomed as that's the best way to learn and develop! For example I know some of the shots seem to be a little Out Of Focus (or motion blurred because of the long-ish shutter speed).

[Andrea B.]

Timber -

 

This is such an interesting series. It is great to see portrait work in UV and IR. Quite all right to mix in some IR - it is welcomed. We do this in the flower section too.

 

Portraiture in UV is like any portraiture. You try to capture a "look", to show something of the person's character. You are certainly doing that. There are some good ideas here in your series. I very much like #8 of your Elder Daughter. Well captured.

 

As UV tends to have an overall darkness to it, I think that we have to take extra care with how we handle the lighting. It might be useful to use a simple reflector panel while shooting to lighten some of the shadows in people's faces. That might also shorten the exposures.

 

Being on tripod is the only sure cure for motion blur due to long exposures. A remote might be very useful because it would permit you to stand away from the tripod and manage the reflector panel. Then all you have to do is to persuade your subjects to hold very still. :D

 

The IR portraits are so strange!!!!! I was amazed at the UV versus IR portrait comparisons. It doesn't even look like the same person. Very fascinating.

 

Carry on!

[nfoto]

The fundamental difference between UV and IR in regard to how subjects are rendered is very well documented here. The "accelerated ageing" effect of UV captures can really be disturbing. I shot my hands in UV and felt like being 100 years old :D.

 

IR tends to make the skin very smooth and I dare say flattering for youngsters or females. In the extreme they will look like porcelain dolls so watch out. Eyes in IR can be a visual issue as the pupil tends to be very dark (water content) and may appear artificial like marble balls.

 

Lighting the scene is paramount to get the most out of UV or IR for portraits. UV will probably be better served by a lessening of contrast so the overly swarthy look of males is reduced. For females, UV is maybe not my first choice, but your mileage may vary. Do note, however, that nude photography in IR will show a disturbing amount of anatomic detail such as subcutean blood vessels and most subjects would not be nicer with these showing. Careful reduction of contrast and tongue-in-cheek image processing may mitigate such issues.

 

Although we are primarily UV-orientated on the UVP site, there is no restriction on IR as such and most of the members probably have dabbled with IR anyway.