I actually think I linked to some of Oleg Volk’s images before as he does some really cool stuff with pretty women and guns which I like. A Human Right is also his site. But I thought I’d link to him again.
He has this ability to capture people in a soft white light that creates beautiful images. I emailed him asking how he consistently gets that quality.
Specifically I wondered how he got it at a Renaissance Faire so I can improve the quality of my images. One thing I need to do is ask people to pose for me when we go. I say people do that and no one seemed to mind. But I’m a big chicken.
Oh and he pointed me to Gallery, a PHP open source photo app.
Oleg’s stuff is indeed good.
I had only seen his studio work which is top notch and always assumed he was just lighting the room properly. But his outdoor shots at the Renaissance Faire were equally well lit.
Did he give you an answer? Its possible he only shot images during a the short window when the sun is at a perfect angle, but I don’t think so.
Perhaps he uses a flash and some lens or another. Either way, I’d be very interested to hear how he does it.
A lot of the outdoor photos were done in open shade or in backlight, so that the subjects are lit by diffuse light. Also, I often modify the colors. For example, I might use channel mixer to make a B&W image in which reds predominate and so reduce skin imperfections…then apply the B&W image on top of the color original in "soft light" or "luminosity" mode (Photoshop). More often, it is a matter of choosing the light and the angle well.
PS: Just added a dozen new images to my site.