72. Mask - October 26-November 1, 2014
Jerry-
Wow, I'm glad to see you guys had some fun with the mask theme! A few weeks back I found one of those infamous hockey masks at the local mart for 99 cents. So I started taking it with me to work and while taking people to doctor's appointments and such. Luckily for me, I set the shots up quickly and no one caught me.
Nikon D5200 with 16-85mm at 16 or 24mm, usually f11 at a slowish speed (camera was sitting on a stool, table, or shelf), with iso's from 800 to 1600.
Wow, I'm glad to see you guys had some fun with the mask theme! A few weeks back I found one of those infamous hockey masks at the local mart for 99 cents. So I started taking it with me to work and while taking people to doctor's appointments and such. Luckily for me, I set the shots up quickly and no one caught me.
Nikon D5200 with 16-85mm at 16 or 24mm, usually f11 at a slowish speed (camera was sitting on a stool, table, or shelf), with iso's from 800 to 1600.
Kevin-
What is a mask really? Can it be as simple as a facial expression and an eye patch? I think so.
One of my “Maxillary lateral incisor” teeth shattered this week (damn caramel apple!) and as I looked forward to a trip to the dentist to get e temporary crown I began to think about the photographic possibilities. A shattered tooth isn’t as photogenic as a gold tooth of course, but it was good enough. I had an eye patch laying around from some costume of decades past. Then I also stopped by a Halloween store to pick up a hook (for my cut-off arm of course) and an earring. Finally, I dug though old photography stuff to find the Lensbaby lens that I purchased back when that line was first introduced a decade ago. You can see what they currently make at lensbaby.com.
For whatever it’s worth the original Lensbaby is a single, cheap plastic element lens in a flexible manual tilt/shift/focus housing. But I found that if I simply mounted it on the camera the “focus point” (if you want to call it that) was basically perfect for a full face portrait.
Two studio strobes. One in front with a narrow snoot, positioned below the subject to make him look even uglier, and one behind, also with a snoot and a red gel.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, also positioned too low and remote triggered. ISO 100. The LensBaby was wide open (meaning I didn’t use any of the tiny plastic aperture discs that come along with it, stored in a container that has an old plastic film can lid as it’s top) which is around f/2.8. Flash sync at 1/250th of a second.
What is a mask really? Can it be as simple as a facial expression and an eye patch? I think so.
One of my “Maxillary lateral incisor” teeth shattered this week (damn caramel apple!) and as I looked forward to a trip to the dentist to get e temporary crown I began to think about the photographic possibilities. A shattered tooth isn’t as photogenic as a gold tooth of course, but it was good enough. I had an eye patch laying around from some costume of decades past. Then I also stopped by a Halloween store to pick up a hook (for my cut-off arm of course) and an earring. Finally, I dug though old photography stuff to find the Lensbaby lens that I purchased back when that line was first introduced a decade ago. You can see what they currently make at lensbaby.com.
For whatever it’s worth the original Lensbaby is a single, cheap plastic element lens in a flexible manual tilt/shift/focus housing. But I found that if I simply mounted it on the camera the “focus point” (if you want to call it that) was basically perfect for a full face portrait.
Two studio strobes. One in front with a narrow snoot, positioned below the subject to make him look even uglier, and one behind, also with a snoot and a red gel.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, also positioned too low and remote triggered. ISO 100. The LensBaby was wide open (meaning I didn’t use any of the tiny plastic aperture discs that come along with it, stored in a container that has an old plastic film can lid as it’s top) which is around f/2.8. Flash sync at 1/250th of a second.
Byron-
This mask looks to me like a mask worn at Mardi Gras. In order to show the festive nature of the mask I projected a scene in the background.
I used what has become my trusty 50mm lens at f2.8. (1.4 resulted in too shallow depth of field). 1/125 sec. Light was provided by a Nikon SB-700 shot through a softbox. The eyes were downloaded and placed in the eye holes to give the mask some life.
This mask looks to me like a mask worn at Mardi Gras. In order to show the festive nature of the mask I projected a scene in the background.
I used what has become my trusty 50mm lens at f2.8. (1.4 resulted in too shallow depth of field). 1/125 sec. Light was provided by a Nikon SB-700 shot through a softbox. The eyes were downloaded and placed in the eye holes to give the mask some life.
Deron-
Not sure what this represents or means, other than an attempt at some artsy fartsy photo, but I went with masking tape on a Coke bottle. Inside I placed two glow sticks that were purchased at .99 Store. Place the bottle on a black T-shirt and turn out the lights. No flash and let'er rip. This is the Coke bottle's second appearance in WPOTM.
Not sure what this represents or means, other than an attempt at some artsy fartsy photo, but I went with masking tape on a Coke bottle. Inside I placed two glow sticks that were purchased at .99 Store. Place the bottle on a black T-shirt and turn out the lights. No flash and let'er rip. This is the Coke bottle's second appearance in WPOTM.
Paul-
Oh, what a guy has to do to stay devilishly handsome…
Credit where credit is due: This was my wife’s idea after hearing about this week’s WPOTM theme. I glommed onto it immediately. Partially because it sounded like a lot of fun. Partially because I thought none of you would be caught dead doing this. (Of course, time will tell.) In addition to the facial mask and slices of cucumber (to reduce puffy skin around the eyes, I’m told), I thought my wife’s bathrobe would add a nice touch. Lest my masculinity be called into doubt (not that it isn’t regularly anyway) this was the extent of my beauty treatment. That is to say, no Brazilian waxing took place. Winter’s coming: I need all the insulation I can get. Two incandescent light sources used: one above and one held slightly above the lens. I think I will play with a relfective source off-camera next time around (if the theme and shot warrants it).
Our story so far…
Mr. H. was no slave to vanity. Quite the opposite—he was its master and alchemist. He knew intimately what ointments, salves, embrocations, balms, emollients, unguents, lotions, demulcents, lenitives and homeopathic preparations to apply to ensure an exquisite complexion that radiated an aura of both masculine vitality and sublime eupepsia. It was for this reason that Mrs. H.—tired of her husband’s never ending ablutions and narcissistic primping—decided to mix a goodly amount of spackling and epoxy putty into his morning beauty mask. As Mr. H. relaxed—oblivious to the tampered facial cream slathered over his face—his wife set up an Olympus E-500 with a 14-45mm lens set to ISO 500, EV -7, a shutter speed of 1/15 sec, and an f-stop of 7.1—on a tripod and snapped off a picture (musing to herself that it was time for her husband to face the mucilage).
Oh, what a guy has to do to stay devilishly handsome…
Credit where credit is due: This was my wife’s idea after hearing about this week’s WPOTM theme. I glommed onto it immediately. Partially because it sounded like a lot of fun. Partially because I thought none of you would be caught dead doing this. (Of course, time will tell.) In addition to the facial mask and slices of cucumber (to reduce puffy skin around the eyes, I’m told), I thought my wife’s bathrobe would add a nice touch. Lest my masculinity be called into doubt (not that it isn’t regularly anyway) this was the extent of my beauty treatment. That is to say, no Brazilian waxing took place. Winter’s coming: I need all the insulation I can get. Two incandescent light sources used: one above and one held slightly above the lens. I think I will play with a relfective source off-camera next time around (if the theme and shot warrants it).
Our story so far…
Mr. H. was no slave to vanity. Quite the opposite—he was its master and alchemist. He knew intimately what ointments, salves, embrocations, balms, emollients, unguents, lotions, demulcents, lenitives and homeopathic preparations to apply to ensure an exquisite complexion that radiated an aura of both masculine vitality and sublime eupepsia. It was for this reason that Mrs. H.—tired of her husband’s never ending ablutions and narcissistic primping—decided to mix a goodly amount of spackling and epoxy putty into his morning beauty mask. As Mr. H. relaxed—oblivious to the tampered facial cream slathered over his face—his wife set up an Olympus E-500 with a 14-45mm lens set to ISO 500, EV -7, a shutter speed of 1/15 sec, and an f-stop of 7.1—on a tripod and snapped off a picture (musing to herself that it was time for her husband to face the mucilage).