5 Things You Need to Do Before You Share Your Shots

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If you can look beyond the painfully obvious click bait nature of the title for a moment, I promise you that the following 5 things need to become a mandatory part of your pre-upload checklist.

Remember you only get one chance to impress with your shots and I know we all get very excited to share an image as soon as we've taken it, but just take a few moments to check these 5 things are done before you do so and I promise you'll thank yourself later.

Take a look at the following 5 things and make sure they're part of your workflow, if they already are then great, if not then consider implementing them as soon as possible. This list is in no specific order as they all carry the same level of importance in my mind and although it doesn't necessarily matter at what stage of the post-pro process some of these are done, some can only be done just before you share them.

1. Straighten Your Image

I've started off with the one that annoys me the most when I see a wonky shot. It is such a simple fix but one that gets overlooked all the time. Don't get me wrong, not every shot needs to be taken with a spirit level in hand, nor does every shot benefit from a perfectly balanced horizon line but it's the shots that are slightly off by a few degrees that can kill the visual impact instantly.

Images that can benefit the most from a quick straighten are the ones with strong horizontal lines behind the subject. Like the image above, a quick and subtle image rotation can help a huge amount if you're not a fan of the on-board-ship look.

As a guide, if the horizon is in the background of a shot it really needs to be dead straight. If the shot has very strong vertical lines either in the foreground or background then it needs to be straight too. And if you're not going to straighten it, then the angle needs to be dramatic enough so as to look purposeful and not because you have one leg slightly shorter than the other.

It's not just horizontal lines you need to watch out for either, check for vertical alignment too. Like here in this image, a few degrees of rotation has helped to straighten out the wooden panels behind the subject.

Obviously doing this in camera at the time of taking the shot is ideal but don't waste precious shooting time with a spirit level on every frame when getting it close enough is good enough. After all, it only takes a few seconds to straighten it in post pro later on.

2. Sharpening Your Image

This one is a little more subjective but I'll give you my thoughts regarding what I personally do in my workflow. Sharpening should be one of the last things you do in the post-production process but failing to do it altogether can mean the difference between an image popping off the page or simply being overlooked and with this in mind, I believe that every image can benefit from some form of sharpening.

I mentioned that sharpening was subjective and that's because there is no definitive rules on what looks good, plus there are so many different ways to sharpen an image and in Photoshop alone you have 'Smart Sharpen', 'Sharpen Edges', 'Unsharp Mask' and so on. Consequently, it's hard to know which is the right one for the task and to further complicate the matter portrait shooters will add a very different type of sharpening to an image compared to a landscape shooter so there really is no perfect one-size-fits-all approach.

Lastly, you should always sharpen a different amount depending on whether the shot will be viewed in print or on screen. If it's for the web then I would tend to sharpen the image a little more than if it was viewed in print for example.

But here's the sharpening process for my portrait and fashion shots. First off, remember sharpening is always done at the end of the process so all the skin retouching, dodging and burning etc is done before you sharpen. It's at this stage that I might choose to save a couple of copies, one for print and one for screen, each of which will have varying sharpening amounts applied.

1. Select your top layer and duplicate stack with CMD+ALT+SHIFT+E.

2. Desaturate that layer via CMD+SHIFT+U

3. Apply the sharpening by going to: Filter -> Other -> High Pass...

4. With an image of 4500px x 3000px choose a sharpen amount of around 4px. Hit OK.

5. In the layers 'Blending mode' drop down choose 'Vivid Light'.

6. Adjust the opacity of the layer to meet your desired outcome needs. For example if it's for the web I would choose a percentage of around 40%-50% opacity. If it was for print I'd go with a lower amount of around 20%-30%.

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For a far more detailed look at my sharping techniques for a variety of situations you can follow my dedicated sharpening tutorial here: The Three Levels of Sharpening you Should be Applying in Photoshop - Detail, Global & Local

3. Colour Toning

Again colour toning is part of the post-pro process I do right at the very end. In Lightroom I will likely play around with the global colouring of the raw to give me a baseline before I bring the file into Photoshop, but I will always without fail add a final colour tone right at the end. Colour toning is one of two things I do after the sharpening and that's to allow me to adjust and tweak the colour tone later on without me having to resharpen the whole image again.

The reason I seemingly colour tone twice like this is because your images tonality will likely have changed during the retouch process. Your shadows and highlights may well have been enhanced or reduced during the dodge the burn, the colours might have been tweaked via the sharpening and the final colour tone will help to tighten everything back up right at the end.

My colour toning is very simple but one that is entirely non-destructive and very easy to adjust and tweak at a later date if need be. This ability to fine tune and tweak the colour tone later is something that I believe to be crucial to any colour toning process.

1. With your top layer selected you'll need to create three separate curves adjustment layers: Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Curves...

2. Name each of your new three adjustment layers, Red, Green & Blue.

3. Now we can go into each of these curve adjustment layers and tweak the colours to our liking. Be sure to only adjust the Red curve in the Red adjustment layer and Green curve in Green adjustment layer and so on. The individual colours can be accessed via the RGB drop down bar.

4. Once in the the individual curves, begin to play with the black point (far bottom left node) and white point (far top right node). Then move on to adding and tweaking mid-tone points.

5. Move on to each of the separate curves making subtle adjustments and remember that with this 3 tier colour tone, we can turn on and off any of the curves independently at any time to see what's working and what's not working.

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4. Adding Grain

At first 'adding grain' might sound like an odd step to have in a digital process but hear me out on why you need to be doing it and why every single image of mine has this effect applied.

Nearly every website you upload your images to will compress your file in some way. For example, you may upload a 2.5mb file to Facebook but Facebook will shrink that file down to less than 10% of that. Facebook and other sites have to do this because literally millions of cat and baby photos are uploaded every day and these sites just don't have the server space for all of them. Their solution to this ever growing data problem is to compress the images and that can lead to some painfully depressing results if we're not careful.

So what gets lost in that file size compression process? Essentially file compression works by grouping similar looking pixels together and this is partially apparent in studio lighting shots like mine that tend to have a single coloured backdrop. This compression results in what we call image break-up or colour banding and it's not how you want your shots to look after you've spent hours refining them. So to combat this effect you can add more detail into your flatter areas of tone via some digital grain. If applied properly, the grain effect shouldn't even be noticeable to your viewers but it tricks the compression engine into thinking there's details that can't be grouped together resulting in less compression and more importantly less colour banding.

This technique is by no means perfect but it will certainly help and again it's a process I do right at the end. In the colour toning section I mentioned there was two things I do after sharpening, colour toning was one and adding grain is the other. Here's the process that I use:

1. With your top layer selected go to Layer -> New -> Layer.

2. In the following box change the layer mode to 'Soft Light' and click the box below that's marked 'Fill with Soft-Light-Neautral Color (50% Gray)' and hit OK.

3. With our new grey layer selected, go to Filter -> Noise -> Add Noise. In the Noise options set the amount to around 15%. Make sure the Gaussian and Monochromatic boxes are checked and then hit OK.

4. With our grainy layer selected we want to soften that noise a little. Go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur. In here we just want to soften the noise a little so a Radius of about 1 should be fine. Hit OK.

5. Next we want to add some depth to the effect to give a more realistic feel and we'll do this by creating an additional grain layer of a finer amount. Repeat the process of creating a new layer, changing it to soft light and filled with 50% gray. Than add your grain again on this new layer with a lower amount of around 5%. Once you've done that, don't forget to soften it a little via the Gaussian blur and this time we'll choose a lower amount of around 0.5% blur.

6. Finally you should now have two grey layers both containing grain with one far coarser than the other. It's with these two layers that we can reduce the opacity of each them to get the desired result. Try reducing the original coarse layer to 50% and see how it looks to begin with.

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For a more detailed explanation of this process then feel free to check out the dedicated article here Adding Analogue Grain to a Digital Image to Reduce Colour Banding

Back in the film days it used to be cool to wet print your shots with the negative edge showing. That proved you got it in-camera but today, final composition is far more important than 'trendy' looking borders.

5. Re-Cropping

I've put this one last because it's the one that I am the most guilty of not following myself. I think the re-crop is something that is more prevalent in the younger photographers that grew up in the digital age of 45+ megapixel cameras. You can re-crop those huge files all day and post them online without any fear of image degradation but that wasn't always the case.

I come from an era where you really needed to 'get the shot' in-camera with very limited cropping options available to you after the initial shot unless you wanted to severely compromise the 35mm image quality.

Plus it was super cool at the time to wet-print your shots with the negative sprockets showing in the final image. Although this printing technique told everybody you nailed it in-camera it obviously meant zero re-cropping was available.

Cropping out dead space in a frame can add impact, especially if it means the subject appears to visually dominate the frame. We should never be afraid to re-crop our shots and whether we do it at the start or the end of the post-pro process, it's f… — Cropping out dead space in a frame can add impact, especially if it means the subject appears to visually dominate the frame. We should never be afraid to re-crop our shots and whether we do it at the start or the end of the post-pro process, it's fundamental to the final composition of the shot. Like we can see with this image above, even minor amounts of re-cropping can have an impact.

But times have changed, we should never be too proud to re-crop an image in post. Even a minor re-crop can have a dramatic effect and you need to make cropping a fundamental part of your post pro process.

Sometimes re-cropping is key to the compositional balance of the shot. I struggled with this image as I liked the amount that the subject was filling the frame, but they were facing the wrong way for the composition to work. Visually, you rarely hav… — Sometimes re-cropping is key to the compositional balance of the shot. I struggled with this image as I liked the amount that the subject was filling the frame, but they were facing the wrong way for the composition to work. Visually, you rarely have the empty space behind the subject so to maintain the compositional balance I had to re-crop the shot to put the space back in front of the subject.

I hardly need to teach you how to re-crop an image but I'd recommend keeping it in the original aspect ratio from a compositional standpoint, but again that is subjective. It's also up to you when you decide to re-crop a shot. You can either do it at the raw export stage in Lightroom or you can choose to retouch the entire file and choose a crop later on prior to saving in Photoshop. Obviously doing it earlier means you're not retouching parts that will be cropped out later but sometimes you just need to see the completed file before you can confirm a final composition.

Closing Comments

Thanks as always for checking out my articles, I know the majority of articles out there are only a couple of hundred words long as that's all most people want to engage with so I appreciate your time all the more :)

I hope you consider implementing these 5 things as standard into your workflow because I believe they are all crucial and if you have any questions then let me know and I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

Also, If you're new here then feel free to join our very active community of like minded lighting-nerds (c'mon, admit it, you're one of us :D ) on my Facebook page. I'm always discussing lighting ideas and offering feedback on community images over there.

If you'd like to stay up to date on more photography related tips and techniques then sign up to my mailing list where I'll send you a monthly roundup of all my articles (plus signing up gets you a free 10 page studio lighting pdf too :) ). Thanks again and I'll see you all in the next one.

NEW POST-PRODUCTION WORKSHOP NOW AVAILABLE

For more details click on the link provided below

Post-pro workshop - Learn more

:WARNING: You won't believe what happens in number 2 below ;)

If you're interested in any of my work and would like to know more about how I created some of my shots then why not check out my workshops. Here you can find out everything there is to know about Gelled Lighting, Long Exposure Flash Photography and my entire Post-Pro Workflow. Jake Hicks Photography - Workshops

I've also just released a brand new 22 hour complete Gelled Lighting Tutorial video. I go over everything from studio lighting setups with gels to being on location with gels plus I also go through my complete retouching and post pro workflow. For more details and complete breakdown of everything that's include check out my Coloured Gel Portraits Tutorial

I also offer comprehensive coloured gel packs. These collections of gels are what I use day to day to create some of the most highly saturated colours around. If you're looking at getting into gelled lighting or need to get stronger and richer colours in your coloured gel work why not check out my Jake Hicks Photography Gel Packs

Affordable & Unique Designer Items for Your Next Photoshoot - Styling by Subscription

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Have you ever struggled to get some unique designer clothing for your fashion shoot and editorials? Sometimes a white t-shirt and jeans just isn't going to be enough to make the shoot standout but getting unique designer pieces for the models to wear can be pretty tricky. If you've ever tried to arrange and organise a fashion shoot on your own then you'll no doubt already know that there are fewer things more important to a fashion shoot than great looking clothing. Thankfully there's finally a simple solution.

Model: Lucy Cates / MUA: Rachael Kent / Jacket by Martina Spetlova Supplied by Wear the Walk

For the perfect fashion shoot you'll firstly need some great models, thankfully there's a lot of fantastic places to find and arrange shoots with models online and Model Mayhem and Purple Port are just couple of places to start. Secondly, you'll need to get an amazing makeup artist and hair stylist, again there are plenty of places online to find them including my own list of contacts which you can check out here. Lastly, you'll need some amazing clothing and styling pieces to make this fashion shoot work, no matter how great everything else looks, the fashion editorial is going to struggle if all you have to dress the model in is the contents of your sisters wardrobe from Primark. Thankfully the London based fashion-via-subscription service Wear the Walk is here to save the day.

What is Wear the Walk?

Wear the Walk is an online service that provides designer clothing to its customers for a very affordable price and you can either rent the clothing for a one off fee or sign up to their subscription based service. They describe themselves like this:

Wear the Walk is the ultimate revolving wardrobe, providing an endless library of luxury clothing.

Wear the Walk was built to be different. Our clothes are different. Our customers are different. Our concept is different. But it’s simple.

Pay a monthly subscription, hire items from the best independent luxury designers, and rotate for new ones when you want. Date night? We’ve got you covered. Dinner with the in-laws? Sorted. Big client meeting? We’re all over it. We want to change the way women shop, the way clothes are worn, and most importantly the way women feel.

It's a simple concept and business model and one that is sorely needed for those of us who are trying to plan photoshoots by ourselves whether that be for portfolios or commercial gigs. In fact it's so simple and obvious that you may be wondering why there aren't more services like this. Well it's because styling is hard and great stylists are very hard to come by. There's thousands of photographers, makeup artists and models out there but very few stylists and that's because it's not only a niche job but also very hard to be good at. A great stylist is not necessarily somebody who has a wardrobe the size of an aircraft hangar but somebody who has great designer contacts. The reason being a stylist is so tough is because fewer things move faster than trends in fashion so a stylist can't simply keep reusing the same clothing every week, they need to be able to source the latest 'on-trend' piece from the right designer and this is where Wear the Walk really shines.

Wear the Walk can only grow in success in this regard as they have a direct line of communication to all the top designers and that list will only grow with their reputation over time meaning that their unique designer offerings will only improve. Ultimately this gives us as photographers and creatives more choice which could ultimately make them a one-stop-shop for styling in fashion shoots.

How does it work?

It really is as simple as it sounds. Check out the website, peruse the item category you're after and choose the piece of clothing you want. Then you can either hire the item for a one-off price (this varies from around £20-£100) or if you're on the subscription model you just add the piece to your virtual bag and you're off.

Wear the Walk is a simple service, once you're signed up, choose your item and they'll post it out to you. Once you're done with it, send it back and choose another. Simple as that.

If you're interested in the subscription model then the prices vary based on what you're after. At present the site is heavily focused on catering to the socialites and party animals who need a new designer piece every time they leave the house so their subscriptions reflect that. Outlined below are the current categories available. Note that later on in this article I discuss an additional tier that they've developed for us photographers called the 'Industry Package'. More on that later.

Wear the walk offer several packages; the first is a rental piece by piece and the rest are subscription based. — Wear the walk offer several packages; the first is a rental piece by piece and the rest are subscription based.

Once you've chosen your pieces, let them know and they'll post them out quickly. Once you've used the items in your shoot, package them back up and post them back using their free postage service and you're free to choose some more items and start the process again.

Your chosen items arrive neatly packaged with instructions on how to return or exchange them. Your designer pieces are then ready to go for your next fashion shoot.

Model: Lucy Cates / MUA: Rachael Kent / Jacket and Top by Korlekie Supplied by Wear the Walk

The Industry Package

You'll also be very pleased to hear that Wear the Walk is prepared to offer us an 'Industry Package' and that consists of the following:

£75 per month - 6 items at a time, which can be swapped out for alternatives within the same month.

-or-

£100 per month - Unlimited items, unlimited swaps.

Plus: With these packages we will also get access and introductions to their industry network of stylists and models and use of their studio for shoots!

Wear the Walk really is offering us the complete package here making the business model all the more amazing in my opinion.

My questions to Wear the Walk

I only found out about Wear the Walk very recently from a model and she put me in touch with them to source some clothing for an upcoming shoot I had. In my correspondence to Wear the Walk I mentioned that I thought they had a fantastic business model and asked if they wouldn't mind answering some questions in preparation for this article for you guys. They kindly obliged and Zoe Partridge the founder of Wear the Walk enlightened me on some of the things I needed to know as a fairly ignorant photographer who can barely dress himself let alone style a fashion shoot.

Jake Hicks Photography- For people like guys/togs trying to choose girls/models sizes - should we just hire a couple of the same items in different sizes and return one or are there guidelines you'd recommend from a photoshoot standpoint?

Wear the Walk- We only hold one size per style, so with us it’s fairly limiting, which is why I’d always recommend choosing lots of similar styles to attain the perfect look.

JHP- If the pieces are to be worn for just a couple of hours during a shoot, is there advice on do's and don'ts? For example don't do makeup with your pieces on, put them on afterwards or use a tissue under the chin etc?

WTW- You're fine to do make-up with our pieces on, but if something is very high necked always be sure to use tissue to avoid smudges on the collar. Also, a really good trick whilst dressing models is to get a piece of material (around A2 size) and put it over the model’s head once their makeup has been done so it covers her face (as if you’re dressing up as a ghost). Then put the top over the model’s head and pull out the material. It completely safeguards the garment.

JHP- If photographers are not familiar with dealing with unique designer pieces, is there anything we need to know or be careful of?

WTW- Once a photographer has loaned an item they are responsible for it at all times, so they must be careful not to damage it (otherwise there will be a charge). Also, all photos/content must be shared with WTW so we can pass them onto the designers. All dry cleaning costs are covered if the photographer has a subscription. If a photographer does pay as you go there is a price per item which is on the site (again covered dry cleaning and send outs).

JHP- You mentioned that photographers have to share their shots with WTW and although I'm sure most photographers wont mind sharing their shots with designers is that required for every shoot with your items?

WTW- Yes, content wise it is mandatory that we get some sort of imagery, even if it's just backstage shots. Due to the terms of contract with these designers, they need something back from the clothes- but they don’t have to be the final content specifically.

JHP- Do you have any styling tips for photographers?

WTW- Crocodile clips are great and really study for clipping back an outfit that might not fit perfectly, also pinning things can create a less intense shape alteration.

JHP- Photographers love tips and rules so any simple styling pointers you can share like mixing textures or certain colours etc are always appreciated.

WTW- Leather and silk is amazing together. I love red and pink combined and black and blue- “trend” reports would say otherwise, but I think red looks great on everyone. Find what you love, because you’ll love photographing it. If you’re drawn to spots/ stripes/ patchwork go for it, but always team with something simple.

JHP- Do you have any other styling pointers or tips specifically targeted at photographers like me who struggle to dress ourselves let alone other people?

WTW- Work the clothes, or rather, make them do the work for you. Pick interesting shapes patterns, and designs and get the model to engage and play with the clothes. Fashion can be so innovative and so use it as artwork- it can provide as much value as a great model. Get models to use the shape of the garments, and it won’t matter about the styling! Plus- USE PINTEREST! I take all my inspiration from there, from colour scheme, style tips and outfits. It’s amazing at being your pocket stylist.

JHP- Do you have anything else you'd like me to include in my article on Wear the Walk?

WTW - My mission is to democratise fashion and make high fashion less daunting for all- WTW is for everyone not just those in the know, so it would be great to inform your readers that we have a stylist on hand that would be more than happy to offer advice and guidance alongside me who they can email anytime! Furthermore, if they come into the studio I will be there to help them create the perfect look.

My experience with Wear the Walk

I have to say that overall Wear the Walk couldn't have been more helpful. Right from my first email, the team was always keen to help and answered all of my questions.

Upon choosing my items on the site I found that a couple of my selected pieces were actually no longer available. Although this was initially disappointing Wear the Walk was quick to suggest alternatives and also offered to include an additional item to my order as some form of compensation. Ultimately I think I was happier with their recommended replacement piece than my original item.

Although my wardrobe is limited and I only have a few shirts to my name, even my unfashionable self knew it was London fashion week the same week I was trying to organise my fashion shoot. I'm not daft, I know that London fashion week would surely be one of busiest and most stressful weeks of the year for Wear the Walk but at no point did they ever use this or mention it as an excuse for items not being in stock or the site not being updated minute to minute on stock levels. I had to respect that and like I said they simply didn't just tell me a piece was no longer available, they suggested suitable replacements and offered up additional items to compensate. They really couldn't have done more even though I was a single client and they were probably flat out non-stop all week with the ceaseless drama of LFW.

Once I had received my items, I did my shoot and then returned them the following week even though I was allowed the pieces for a month. The free postage was a nice touch and a simple visit to the post office and I was done. A very smooth and simple transaction from start to finish.

Model: Lucy Cates / MUA: Rachael Kent / Jacket by Sadie Clayton Supplied by Wear the Walk

Closing Comments

Overall I think Wear the Walk is an excellent service and one that is so sorely needed for those of us that like to organise our own fashion shoots and perhaps can't find a decent stylist in our area. Remember that although there are plenty of great stylists in London, stylists are very rare outside of the major cities and Wear the Walk's postage system is the perfect solution to this here in the U.K.

I would also urge people to think of this as a service not a store and I say that because Wear the Walk aren't always going to have exactly what you want in stock. Wear the Walk only deals with designer items (often one of a kind pieces) so you wont find any off the rack items here and that is ultimately what any self respecting fashion photographer wants to photograph. But as a consequence of the unique nature of their stock it can be disappointing to not always get the exact item you want or in the exact size you want. Remember though that this is a rental business model so that item will likely be back and items change every week so you can always try and get it again in the future.

Also remember that designers only make certain sizes. It's not Wear the Walk's fault if they don't have the item you want in the size you want and ordinarily you can have any size you want....as long as it's a size 8.

I'm pretty sure you've realised by now that I think this is an excellent idea and one that I feel can only grow over time as Wear the Walk picks up more and more designers who realise it's a great idea.

The only slight rub that I saw some photographers having was the insistence of images being shared with the designers. This is ultimately your call but for me personally, I don't have a problem with it. Yes your images will likely be used on the Wear the Walk website but that only helps them to better display clothes, a feature that you'll ultimately benefit from in the future when you come to choose different items in the future yourself. Essentially we can only get access to these outfits because designers are willing to lend one-of-a-kind pieces out in exchange for a few pictures, but like WTW mentioned in one of my follow up questions, if you really don't want to share your final shots then it could be behind the scenes shots or back stage shots if need be. You'd ordinarily share your shots with a stylist and designer on a shoot so why not Wear the Walk.

Lastly...

I wanted to put this article together to make more people aware of the service, and hopefully over time this can be a one-stop-shop for photoshoots as Wear the Walk's designer list grows. Plus what with them offering us an 'Industry Package' of £75 a month for multiple designer pieces over that time plus access to their studio and contact list, it's a no-brainer in my opinion.

This is not a sponsored post nor do I get anything for you signing up to their service, but if you do get in touch with Wear the Walk to sign up, just let them know Jake sent you :)

Here's another link to the Wear the Walk Website

As always if you have any questions then let me know and I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

I appreciate I have a lot of my international readers and although this service is limited to the U.K., I'd love to hear if you have a similar service in your country that you'd like to share in the comments below.

:WARNING: Sweet Loot Below!

Using Diffusion Filters - LEE 'Soft' Filters 1 to 5 Comparison Test

I've used diffusion filters for years but rarely for their intended purpose. If you don't know or haven't heard of them, then diffusion filters are transparent glass or plastic sheets that go in front of the lens and they diffuse the light as it enters the camera. The resulting images taken with a diffusion filter have an appearance of reduced contrast that ultimately looks hazy offering a slightly dream-like effect.

This soft-focus, hazy looking image was a more popular style many years ago and it was a way of making skin look soft and more flattering in a time before Photoshop and skin retouching. Now diffusion filters rarely get used as we prefer to take a clean looking image and retouch the skin ourselves later on in post-pro but I use them for creative lighting effects rather than to soften features and the effect is growing in popularity as we look for ways to introduce some interest into our shots via in-camera effects.

Why would you use a diffusion filter?

Well of course you can still use diffusion filters for their originally intended look and those photographers who love the old black and white Hollywood portraits of the 1950's love using diffusion filters to mimic that style. But I personally use them for a different reason and that is to create lens flare, and a lot of it. Take a look at the quick side by side shots below to see how much a diffusion filter actually does compared to not using one when they're used in conjunction with studio strobes.

The images above were taken moments apart and the only difference between them is the addition of a diffusion filter on the front of the lens.

The trick to using diffusion filters in portraits for me is to have lights positioned behind the subject. Here there is a white light pointed towards the wall behind the model in both shots but with the diffusion filter attached you clearly get a ha… — The trick to using diffusion filters in portraits for me is to have lights positioned behind the subject. Here there is a white light pointed towards the wall behind the model in both shots but with the diffusion filter attached you clearly get a hazy, dreamy effect to appear.

There's still a few diffusion filters on the market but like I said, theyre not as popular as they once were so they can be a little tricky to come by. As a result I must receive at least 3 or 4 messages a week asking which one I use, where I got it, why do I use it etc, etc. So I thought I'd put this quick article together to answer some of those questions.

Which Diffusion Filter Do I Use?

I have tried several over the years but the one that I'm currently using is by LEE Filters and their diffusion filters are actually called 'Softs'. Here's the link to their site LEE Soft Set

LEE don't distribute directly so you'll have to find them via your preferred seller but that's the set I use so just search that name on Amazon, WEX or B&H etc.

As you may have also noticed, these filters come in varying powers and the LEE Softs come in a pack of 5; Soft 1 providing the weakest diffusion effect all the way up to Soft 5 providing the strongest diffusion effect.

I personally find the LEE Softs provide the best flare effect for what I do but another key reason for me using them is that they come in those 100mm square panels. That means I can use any of them with all of my lenses compared to buying a set of screw on lens filters for each of my lenses.

What's the Difference Between Soft 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5?

The pack offers you 5 different options of varying powers so let's take a look at the difference between them all.

In the shots below I took six images; the first without any diffusion filter and then one shot with each of the various 'Soft' filters in front of the lens. Take a look at the images below to see the varying effect that the filters have.

JakeHicksPhotography (1 of 6) no filter.jpg

JakeHicksPhotography (2 of 6) filter 1.jpg

JakeHicksPhotography (3 of 6) filter 2.jpg

JakeHicksPhotography (4 of 6) filter 3.jpg

JakeHicksPhotography (5 of 6) filter 4.jpg

JakeHicksPhotography (6 of 6) filter 5.jpg

It should be pretty clear to see what the filter actually does but it's also worth mentioning that I only use this diffusion filter in certain situations, specifically and only when there is a light behind the model. It's this light behind the model that is creating the hazy effect you see here. The light is wrapping around the subject and then diffusing as it enters the filter on the front of the lens. Without the light behind the subject you can barely notice any difference to the shot. So much so that when I used to have screw-fit diffusion filters, I forgot I still had it on my lens and shot an entirely new setup without noticing the effect.

Do Diffusion Filters Blur the Image?

This is a question I always get asked and I understand why because in the current digital age we're wired up to think that this effect can only be achieved through blurring. My response to that question is 'no, it doesn't blur the image' but ultimately you need to decide what you consider 'blur'. I'm not trying to be purposefully obtuse here as I feel the common definition of bur has shifted in recent years. The diffusion filter works by allowing light to enter the shadow areas of a shot, it has nothing to do with de-focusing or anything else like that. The reduction in contrast you see is often mistaken for soft focus because that is how software 'sharpens' an image after it's been taken, it adds contrast to adjacent shadows and highlights. Conversely, a reduction in contrast appears to soften an image and is often misinterpreted as blurred. But don't take my word for it, have a look at the zoom crops for the exact same shots below and you decide as to whether the image is being blurred or not by your own definition.

You should be able to see from the shots above that there is actually a very sharp image underneath all of that haze so it does open up a lot of creative options in post-production to really push and pull saturation and contrast without clipping detail in either the highlights or the shadows.

Closing Comments

LEE Soft filter number 2 was used here to give this beauty shot a misty glow effect.

I personally really only use the numbers 1, 2 and 3 but primarily the Soft No.2. This seems to be a good midpoint for the portrait work that I do. The others will have their uses but number 1 is rarely strong enough to warrant a diffusion filter and number 5 is just crazy hazy. You'll probably also notice that 2, 3, 4 are very similar and then it jumps in effect on number 5. It could be argued that a pack of 3 filters is actually all that's going here but you'll have to test them out for yourself.

Like I mentioned before, I prefer the LEE Soft 100mm square filters as you can just hold them in front of the lens quickly, take a few shots, check how it looks and move on. This is far faster than screwing on the screw-fit filters only to find out that you don't like the effect with your particular setup.

Plus, the large square filters can be used with all of my lenses so I can switch from my 50mm to my 105mm instantly and still use the diffusion filter with both of them.

Lastly, don't be afraid to try your diffusion filter in a variety of setups, yes I recommend having a light behind the subject for best results but I've also setup lights to specifically shine into the filter and not onto the subject at all. Combine this with coloured gels and you have a very creative and visually engaging shot on your hands.

Thanks as always for checking out my articles, I know we live in a time of soundbites and Instagram so all the more respect to yourself for engaging in a piece of digital media for this long :)

I hope you give the diffusion filters a go and that this little bit of knowledge will help you at some point but if you have any questions then let me know and I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

:WARNING: Totally unbiased opinions on phenomenal 'must-have' photography products below!

Jake Hicks Photography - Photoshoot Contact Lists

Technique Tuesday photoshoot contact list.jpg

This is a reference post that contains several lists of contacts for all types of creatives that you might need for your next photoshoot.

There are contacts for each of the following; makeup artists, hair stylists, designers & stylists plus there is also a growing list of studios and locations too.

The lists are linked to a Google Doc so that I can update it as and when I receive new info on either updates or additional contacts that would like to be included. I haven't shared any info here that can't be readily found elsewhere on the web so although I have been provided with emails and phone numbers I have omitted them here. If you would like to contact any of these creatives then please do so via the links that they have provided.

Note: I am a London U.K based photographer so although there are a few international studios and contacts included here, the majority of them are U.K. based.

Special thanks to both Jaye Yip and Kim Watson who kindly shared a ton of their own contacts for these lists too.

Lastly, although I wanted to include cinematographers as well, I didn't have enough contacts to make a specific list. If you're a photographer looking for a behind the scenes video or something more epic, I can personally recommend Bradley Dixon of Chewy Media and Richard Wakefield of FXMedia. I have worked with them both personally and they come highly recommended.

Makeup Artists

Makeup Artist List

Hair Stylists

JakeHicksPhotography (1 of 1)a-2 hair.jpg

Hair Stylist List

Designers & Stylists

Designers & Stylists List

Studios & Locations

JakeHicksPhotography (12 of 20) locations.jpg

Studio & Location List

If you would like to be included in any of these lists then by all means leave a comment down below including your Name, Profession and Website/Facebook/Instagram and I will add you.

If you already appear on this and would like to update, amend or include some details, then let me know in the comments below and I will make the necessary changes.

Lastly, if you're on this list and you would like to be removed then don't hesitate to let me know and I will do so immediately.

I hope you find some useful contacts on here and like I mentioned at the start, I intend to update these lists as and when I work with new creatives and new contacts are shared with me. If you're U.K. based then I would also recommend using a site called PurplePort. On there you can select your preferred creative medium and also search for ones locally to you using their location search which is very useful if you're shooting in a part of the U.K. you're not familiar with. In the U.S. I'm not aware of an equal service but I know Model Mayhem is still trying to include location info but it is very hit-and-miss.

If you have any questions regarding any of this then of course let me know and good luck organising your next shoot :)

What is Colour Contamination and Radiosity?

Technique Tuesday colour contamination radiosity.jpg

Whether you're aware of the correct terminology or not, you have likely experienced this colour contamination happening in your photographs already.

Put simply, colour contamination is when one colour is affected by the presence of another colour in close proximity. So for example if you're photographing two friends side by side, one of them is wearing a white t-shirt and the other one is wearing a red t-shirt, the white t-shirt will likely take on a pinkish tone due to the fact that it's receiving bounced light from the red t-shirt close by.

Take a look at how the white table tennis ball has been coloured pink due it's proximity to the red surface.

This colour contamination effect has nothing specific whatsoever to do with photography as it happens around us all day everyday and we are so accustomed to it that most of us never even notice it. So why bring it up? I bring it up here as it's a frustrating effect when it happens in our shots especially if we aren't aware of what's causing it. We may even just write it off as a white balance issue or other colour balance problem as it's usually so subtle we might not even try to correct it. But when colour contamination is at it's most intense, we have to take note and address it.

Think about doing a portrait shoot in the woods, you're surrounded by green, the leaves in the trees, some bushes and maybe there's even green grass on the floor around you. The daylight comes through the trees and bounces around on all the foliage before it hits your subject resulting in some very sick looking green subjects. Not a great look. Think about how many woodland portraits you've seen that have been converted to black and white?! Starts to make more sense now right?

Can't I just white balance my shots?

White balance exists on the Kelvin scale that specifically deals with balancing a certain range of colours, so no matter how hard you try, a lot of these colour contamination shots simply cant be fixed with white balance alone, hence the black and white solution. But more than that, colour contamination is often a localised effect. Let's go back to that white t-shirt that looks a little pink now because it was next to a red one. We can't colour balance the scene to correct the shirt without affecting the whole image. It's these factors that makes colour contamination such a troublesome problem and one that is incredibly overlooked.

What is this 'Radiosity' thing?

You can see on the left how 'fake' this computer generated room looks without radiosity compared to when it has it. On the right you can see the red floor is reacting with the with walls around it and the room feels a lot more real because of it. Im… — You can see on the left how 'fake' this computer generated room looks without radiosity compared to when it has it. On the right you can see the red floor is reacting with the with walls around it and the room feels a lot more real because of it. Image by Hugo Elias

Strangely radiosity is what I was taught 20 years ago in the film days but you hardly hear the word used in association with photography anymore. Now the word is more related to how light and colour act upon one another in computer generated worlds, in fact one of the greatest leaps forward 3D modelling has made was to accurately model how light affected one surface when in proximity to another. Without getting too nerdy, 3D modellers ironically love radiosity as it gives their worlds and textures an added depth and realism. We as photographers, specifically portrait photographers hate it and we try and colour balance it away where we can. If you're interested then you can take a look at radiosity in virtual worlds via this link but be warned, there's a whole lot of maths involved. Radiosity in Computer Graphics

Regardless of what you want to call it, this colour contamination effect is a very real problem for us photographers if we want to depict objects like people, cars, clothing and so on in the best possible way.

No company wants you to photograph their white car only for it to look a 'little pink' on one side and the same goes for fashion as well. We need to be aware of what colours we're putting next to one another.

Colour Contamination in Action

In the images below I set up a mini set to illustrate the colour contamination effect in action. I purchased three spheres, the cue ball with its very shiny surface, the table tennis ball with it's very matte surface and the golf ball for its very textured surface. I placed them all on a white surface and shone a single light at them with a variety of coloured papers next to them and took shots to document the whole thing.

Look closely at the shots below to see just how the different surfaces and textures are affected by the close proximity of colour.

Taking a Closer Look

Upon first impressions you may not think it's a big deal because our eyes are so accustomed to normalising colour variance when it's in proximity to similar tones, but as the images change you should be able to see just how dramatic the effect is. To further cement my point, I've isolated the separate spheres in the images below and placed them next to the image of the spheres shot against the white. In isolation like this the effect is a lot more visible and significant to say the least.

Scroll through the shots below to see my point.

How can I use this knowledge?

You may look at the images above and think that it's just a byproduct of taking photos, there's no use worrying about something that can't be helped. Although there are times when this can't be avoided, colour contamination is very real and it is something we can limit a lot if we're careful. For example; think twice about photographing the bride right next to huge bunch of flowers, that green will bounce back onto the face. Consider bringing her slightly forward to avoid that or look at alternatives. Think about the effect of photographing a model next to a brightly coloured car or building. You don't need to avoid the shot but there are things you can do to limit the effect like always having the face pointed away from the brightly coloured object. As I documented in the images above, if you can't avoid the colour contamination, always try to have the offending colour in the actual shot. The effect is dramatically reduced visually if the eye can see where that colour is coming from compared to if you crop it out.

Can I use this knowledge to my advantage somehow?

I use black sheets and polyboards all the time in my shoots to not only control the light but add depth and shadow to subject. Although these aren't  coloured the colour contamination principle is still at work. — I use black sheets and polyboards all the time in my shoots to not only control the light but add depth and shadow to subject. Although these aren't coloured the colour contamination principle is still at work.

The good news is that you can use this colour contamination effect to your advantage if you're clever. Remember that this radiosity isn't exclusive to colour, you can use blacks and greys to add dimension to your subjects and objects. You'll often see studio photographers using black polyboards (large polystyrene boards) either side of the model to control the light, this not only controls the light but also adds a lot of shape through shadow in the process. I will always carry black velvet sheets with me on location to limit the bounce of light around a subject but I also have sheets of grey card in the studio that are less severe than black to add a little definition to the features where necessary. In the sphere comparison photos above, look at the light grey and dark grey images compared to the black and white images. See how they shape the spheres differently though shadow? Use this to your advantage either in the studio or on location. Also consider taking a white sheet with you on location too. Along with my black velvet I always have a white sheet with me that I can throw up to either bounce in some light or limit the colour contamination of a nearby coloured surfaces.

Fire your assistant if they look trendy!

Many years ago I was photographing fashion in natural light at the beach. A pretty easy job but the issue was that when I got the images back and started working on them I saw a very ugly and insipid looking greenish tinge to some of the clothing and skin. It was only apparent in some of the shots and it was always localised to certain areas. It took me a very long time to work out what this was until I remembered that my assistant on the day had a bright yellow/green t-shirt on. In some of the shots he was in very close to the model holding a reflector just out of shot but not only was he bouncing in light from the reflector he was also bouncing in light from his hideously ugly t-shirt.

People joke about my grey sweatshirt but trust me, if you've every tried to colour balance out greenish tinges to skin you'll switch to looking boring as hell like me in a heartbeat. When I was assisting all those years ago back in London in the film days, black shirts were mandatory on set, no ifs or buts. Now the sets are a kaleidoscope of colour balancing nightmares. Take a look at the BTS of the film industry, how many lighting technicians are you seeing wearing day-glo?! Not many.

Of course I know I sound like a grumpy old man hahah ;) and although it's a very real problem it actually only affects certain situations like still life shooters with shiny surfaces or macro beauty work etc. Still life shooters who photograph metal or other shiny surfaces nearly always wear all black to avoid this. Either way, it's very wise to be aware of it and advise assistants on set to dress appropriately where necessary.

Closing Comments

I appreciate this weeks blog wasn't very salacious or exciting but I think this colour contamination effect is an incredibly overlooked aspect of modern photography due to the 'I'll fix it later in post' mindset. Not only is it very time consuming to fix it in post but it's also practically impossible in certain situations due to the colours being outside of the white balance spectrum. If you're aware of the colours around you when you're shooting then you can limit the effect or use it to your advantage where necessary.

Points to remember

Think about the colour of surfaces around your subject.
Should I use another area like a white wall nearby instead.
Look at how multiple subject colours interact with one another when in close proximity.
Bring a black and white sheet of fabric with you on location to throw over brightly coloured objects if you need to.
Consider getting some dark and light grey card for the studio and use it as a bounce board instead of white. This will give more shape to you subject than just a white bounce board.
Think about what the people on set are wearing. If assistants are going to be close to the final shot, get them to change any brightly coloured outfits.
Think about what YOU are wearing. If you're a macro beauty shooter who will be inches away from your subject, you definitely don't want to be wearing bright colours as it will most certainly have an effect on the shot.

Thanks as always for reading, I know we live in a time of soundbites and Instagram so all the more respect to yourself for engaging for this long :) I hope this little bit of knowledge will help you at some point. If you have any questions then let me know and I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

Also, If you're new here then feel free to join our very active community of like minded lighting-nerds on my Facebook page, I'm always discussing lighting ideas and offering feedback on community images. If you'd like to stay up to date on more photography related tips and techniques then sign up to my mailing list where I'll send you a monthly roundup of all my articles (plus signing up gets you a free 10 page studio lighting pdf too :) ). Thanks again and I'll see you all in the next one.

P.S. I apologie for more than likely misusing 'affect' and 'effect' in multiple places. I tried to mix them up to give myself the best chance of getting some of them right ;) But I do apologise if this triggered you and let me know where I messed up and I'll make the changes :) Thank you in advance.

:WARNING: Sales Pitch Ahead :D