1st Place Sunshine Girl by Ralph Otto by Canon DSLR Challenge

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Sunshine Girl
by Ralph Otto


16-FEB-2004	Ralph Otto

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Canon DSLR Challenge		25-Feb-2004 22:48
I guess I'll join the party here lol.... GREAT shot! The composition is excellent, the arrangement of the balloons to not show the tied ends was very smart, keeping the image clean looking (so to speak). At first I thought the light umbrellas were a distraction but, as it turns out I happen to like their addition to the surface of the balloons, visually. Congrats! Markjay

Canon DSLR Challenge		25-Feb-2004 03:11
I thought they were plastic balls. How much work did it take arranging the balloons so that none of the ends showed? I think that's what kept me from noticing they were balloons. Maybe some face powder on the balloons? This may sound weird, but blowing the balloons up inside-out might have helped, although that's a lot of work and probably not much benefit. I say inside out because balloons have powder inside to keep them from sticking to themselves (which they do anyway after they get wet). -- Victor

Guest		24-Feb-2004 20:22
Thanks Olaf! I intentionally used equal lighting to limit the shadows, as I was concerned there would be too much dark space between them. Next time I will try multiple ratios and see the difference. I have also since bought a couple of soft boxes so I can try them next time. I used two sofa cushions propped up against the wall, with a purple table cloth draped over. The balloons were pinned to the cushions. My wife and I kept having to jump in when Abby tried to pull out a balloon with the pin attached! What you don't see in the image are my wife jumping up and down trying to get Abby to smile, and my 3 year old son climbing all over me as I am lying on the ground taking the shot! It was a fun shoot! Thanks again.

Olaf.dk		24-Feb-2004 20:09
Ralph, I am no expert on lighting - far from it - but what you suggest yourself seems to make sense in one way, but not in another. Remember that the further away you move the lights the harder (more directional) the light gets. To get a soft light, use a relatively large light source (like an umbrella, softbox or reflector) as close as possible to your subject. Two other things I thought about the lighting in this shot, are that the double catchlights in her eyes (and balloons) look kind of unnatural and that the light intensity seems to be the same in each of the two lights. Something between a 2:1 or 4:1 ratio between the main (key-) light and the fill-light would yield more molding to the three dimensional shapes in your picture: face and balloons. Now, this could have been achieved with just one light source (main light) and a reflector for the fill (large piece of white cardboard for example). Doing it that way, would have the added benefit of just one catch-light in the eyes ( - and balloons, for that matter). Another thing I would have liked different in this shot, unrelated to the lighting, is her almost central position in the frame. I would have preferred a more off-center composition for this photo. Great idea for the challenge, nonetheless! I think it would be hard to find a place to buy so many purple, and purple only, balloons. Also, must have been kind of hard to set up! How did you keep all those balloons put? --Olaf

Guest		24-Feb-2004 19:12
Yeah, sanding wouldn't work as they are balloons, and I used the least reflective I could find. I think the best solution (hindsight is always 20-10) would be to have moved the lights further away from the subject, then opening up the aperature so that only the balloons and Abby are in focus, blurring the reflections. Every shot is a learning experience! - Ralph Otto

Guest		23-Feb-2004 13:57
I don't know if the balls would have looked like balls without any reflections. If the surfaces were matte instead of shiny, that may have given you the effect you were looking for. That would be a lot of sanding . Do you have any of those umbreallas where the ribs are covered in reflective material? Even that would have been preferred, since then you'd just have bright spots rather than patterned bright spots. A softbox would probably give you the same result but the shape of the softbox would be apparent in the balls. I don't know that that would be an improvement at all. How about setting the picture up in a white room (the ultimate softbox)? Then maybe your own reflection would appear in the balls. -- Victor

Guest		23-Feb-2004 03:05
Very cute. Too the point!

Canon DSLR Challenge		23-Feb-2004 02:21
Big Smile, What work you put into this shot, with stunning results. love it rob mc

Guest		19-Feb-2004 18:36
Yes Victor, I agree. I found the umbrella reflections somewhat distracting as well. I am not sure if a soft box would have solved it, but I dont have any. I could have used photoshop to eliminate/blur them, but elected not to. I would have preferred the shot without any light spots on the balloons at all, but I'm not sure how. (again without using photoshop). Perhaps using the strobes directly, without the umbrellas would make the reflection smaller - though brighter. Hey, this competition is about learning and I am up for suggestions. :) Thanks for bringing it up, I wondered if someone would :)

Guest		19-Feb-2004 14:37
I hate to say this, but I really don't like the reflections of the umbrellas. I find myself looking more at them than anything else in the picture. They certainly shouldn't be the focus of the picture. -- Victor

Canon DSLR Challenge		19-Feb-2004 11:23
Ralph: Great set-up, great expression, great shot. Simple as that. --Joe

Earl Waud		19-Feb-2004 02:03
Ralph, I love it. This one meets my personal criteria, which you know is "would I hang it on my wall". Yes! E-

Canon DSLR Challenge		18-Feb-2004 03:14
Ralph, You get an A+ for setup, effort and a priceless look on the baby's face! Great job and a very creative and unique concept for the theme. You also aced Johannes Itten's suggested 6:1 ratio of violet to yellow. It's so much fun for me to visit the galleries each day to view all of this wonderful work! Congrats on your fine work Ralph! Roberta

Tabs		18-Feb-2004 01:38
Oh my! the look on that face is just perfect.. wonderful shot!

Guest		18-Feb-2004 01:12
Thanks! I just purchased a pair of inexpensive strobes so I can start experimenting with them. This was my first attempt - quite a lesson with white and color balance :) It sure was a lot of fun and it helped that I had such a calm and relaxed model! Thanks again! - Ralph Otto

Guest		17-Feb-2004 22:52
So so cute!! love it -- angela :)

Canon DSLR Challenge		17-Feb-2004 21:50
Adorable image with great complimentary colours, very cute.... Vikas

Teapot		17-Feb-2004 17:41
Had a good laugh at this one Ralph. It's a great setup. Your lips must be sore blowing up all those balloons though.