[AlessandroB]

Hi,
I have been playing around with the concept of bokehrama (or Brenizer method) and had quite some fun pushing my K5 to imitate a medium format type of output. Being quite new at trying to do some more decent semi portraiture, I am curious to know if I made some obvious mistake in this picture, for composition or processing (LR 4).
This is a downsized version:



And here is a link to the original.
http://www.aleatorily.com/img/s3/v42/p303648012.jpg

Comments and criticism are welcome, just keep in mind that I am quite a beginner...
Thanks
Alessandro

[mikeSF]

Alessandro, this is an excellent attempt and works well with the bokehrama approach. I like your processing very much as you have achieved something of a cross processed look without making the skin tones look sickly. As you are inviting composition critique, I find the straight up torso to look a little too centered in the frame. Also, her pose looks a bit unrelaxed, perhaps she was trying hard not to move while you shot multiple frames. This shows in the angle of the right foot.

The only stitching error i spot is a few inches below the left thigh on the rock. Also, there is a bit too much purple/green fringe in the entire photo for my taste, but it is possible that is a look you wanted to keep to simulate a film-era effect. A rough bokeh spot that jumps out at me is the hard edge of that large polygonal rock on the right, exacerbated by the line of green fringe. With the smoothness of the remaining bokeh, i recommend correcting that to enhance the effect. I like the highlights in her hair and her eyes are nicely captured.
Great work!

[AlessandroB]

Thanks Mike, really appreciated your comment.

Of course I asked her to stay just a little still... I can understand how that may have translated in "don't even try to move for a second".
I fought quite a bit on the purple fringing in this picture, the original was quite under exposed and bringing in lightroom made it even more evident. Unfortunately the 77mm (which otherwise I love) is a bit prone to it, isn't it?
Here is another example taken a few minutes after:


The full size jpeg is here
http://www.aleatorily.com/img/s3/v41/p752091131.jpg

This was exposed better, and I noticed less fringing, but the "monolith" protruding right behind her (and some stitching error) makes me prefer the first one. What do you think?

[mikeSF]

all that CA from the 77? do you use a correction tool in lightroom? I use the CA correction tool in ACR which works beautifully.

yeah, the second photo posted has some hard edged bokeh and a stitching problem on her right shoulder. the first is much better and an excellent pic.

[bezuidar]

Cool pic!