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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> A first attempt at the 'Brenizer Method'.
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10/08/2012 03:12:49 PM · #1
Hi all,

I had an engagement shoot yesterday and i thought i'd try out the so called Brenizer method- multiple images shot with shallow dof and stitched together. Here's one of the results...



I quite like it as it's getting towards something i've been trying to do for a while. I don't want it to look too 'miniature' really though and i think perhaps it may be a bit faddish. I'll try not to go overboard with it but the occasional image may be fun. I think the style might look a bit more my style with a dreamy black and white conversion though which i'll get onto. What do people think? Anyone do this technique with portraits and have any tips?

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 15:13:50.
10/08/2012 03:44:24 PM · #2
I tried this myself over the weekend.

I'm not unhappy with the results, but I'm not too happy either.



The quarter resolution pic is pretty good.

Personally, I think you could have gone for a bit more effect, but it's not bad at all!

How many shots did you use to get this result? I had to shoot 10 for my pic, and should have done more, since the overlap was somewhat insufficient.
10/08/2012 03:45:42 PM · #3
In the end, I have found this to be a huge pain in the ass, and have decided to try something really wacky instead.
10/08/2012 03:57:59 PM · #4
Originally posted by Cory:


How many shots did you use to get this result? I had to shoot 10 for my pic, and should have done more, since the overlap was somewhat insufficient.


I did around 30-50 shots for each of the times i tried it- getting rid of a few in the arrangement stage. Also, i did crop the finished stitch in quite a bit to get a better composition. There was a lot more to the top and right of the image originally.

Here's another from the day... ... (bear in mind that this one is unedited so far-so straight out of camera)... I quite like this one as well but perhaps the effect works better with some framing elements to add some more depth to the overall image.

I didn't find them too much of a pain in the arse really- i was actually quite surprised at how quick they were to arrange and stitch together in PS.

I like your large format idea!

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 16:18:36.
10/08/2012 04:25:22 PM · #5
Originally posted by rooum:

Hi all,

I had an engagement shoot yesterday and i thought i'd try out the so called Brenizer method- multiple images shot with shallow dof and stitched together.

I think you will get more responses if you post a summary of (or link to) a description of the technique for those unfamiliar (probably most of us), and let us know exactly what you are trying to accomplish and what you want the image to look like (if it doesn't already).

I would lighten up the couple a little to make them stand out more ...
10/08/2012 04:48:33 PM · #6
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by rooum:

Hi all,

I had an engagement shoot yesterday and i thought i'd try out the so called Brenizer method- multiple images shot with shallow dof and stitched together.

I think you will get more responses if you post a summary of (or link to) a description of the technique for those unfamiliar (probably most of us), and let us know exactly what you are trying to accomplish and what you want the image to look like (if it doesn't already).

I would lighten up the couple a little to make them stand out more ...


Yes, good points there Paul.

The 'Brenizer Method' is described well here...

There are some wonderful examples from a competition Ryan Brenizer had on his webiste here...

That's somewhere towards what i was trying to accomplish. I've been frustrated in the past with some of my images and, really, it's because i was after an approach and look which isn't really doable with an SLR. A kind of medium format photography look essentially. The Brenizer method goes some way to getting that. I'm happy with the first couple of attempts though. I can see me developing it more-not just with the wedding photography work but also with landscapes and such.

I did lighten the couple quite a bit during editing but i can see they are perhaps slightly lost still there. I didn't want to wash them out too much though. I'll go through a few more different edits with these and see what i can do.
10/08/2012 05:03:22 PM · #7
Here's a shot from another engagement shoot a few months back that kind of explains some of what i've been frustrated with.



I'm very pleased with it and it's pretty much what i was going for but i am frustrated by the lack of sharpness in the couple. I was way way back with my 85mm 1.4 and, whilst it is a wonderful lens, it is really designed for close to medium length portraiture and doesn't really perform well at infinity or close to infinity. Now, i'm not even sure the pano-stitch method will even help in this sort of shot but it does allow optimum sharpness whilst extending the whole image.

Like all things in photography, lots of experimentation and practice is needed.
10/08/2012 05:17:53 PM · #8
Here's the first two shots for that first image. I started on the couple then worked my way down and shot in a spiral around them for another 30 shots or so.



I then loaded all the RAW images into Lightroom and exported them all as jpegs into a folder. In PS3 i then used the Photomerge and imported them all in. I followed this method which seemed to give good results. Like i say, it's my first attempt so i'll experiment a lot more.

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 17:30:47.
10/08/2012 06:17:52 PM · #9
i guess my eyes arent well trained enough, if I hadn't known some type of method was involved I would have assumed the example shots from the website were just well composed shots done with some nice L glass
10/08/2012 06:27:37 PM · #10
Yes, i agree. I do think some examples don't really show the effect too much, and as such is not really needed. Like you say, nice L glass or Zeiss with its typical high micro-contrast gives a similar feel. But on the ones where it is noticeable it really is quite stunning and nothing you could really do one shot with an slr. I'm thinking the 9th image down on the site. The one with the gentleman with braces and glasses sitting next to the stream with the stool opposite him. I think that is amazing.

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 18:56:03.
10/08/2012 06:32:29 PM · #11
Also, i linked to the first part of the 'Honorable Mentions' there.

The second part shows a few better examples. I love the second, sixth, ninth and tenth images here.

And the winners here of which i think the middle one is superb and exactly the kind of look and feel i aspire to.

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 18:56:35.
10/08/2012 07:49:16 PM · #12
I like the method but it is a pain. Had a few issues my first time but not bad and it allowed me the benefit of a wide angle lens with my 50mm.





Message edited by author 2012-10-08 19:51:02.
10/08/2012 07:57:32 PM · #13
I like both of those Joshua. A bit heavy on the processing for my tastes but i do think it works well on the indoor museum image.

I do think it is a very useful technique and can be very effective. I imagine, with a bit of practice, it can be quite quick to shoot even with a living subject. Get the first shot in focus and the exposure right and then kind of spray gun the others out really quick.

Message edited by author 2012-10-08 20:21:31.
10/08/2012 08:19:16 PM · #14
I forgot about this technique. I've been meaning to try it out. Thank you for the reminder.
10/09/2012 12:58:51 AM · #15
What is the idea behind this? To have every corner of a desired scene shot in the middle of your lens as to have the sharpest result
when stitched together? Or is there more to it?
10/09/2012 01:34:18 AM · #16
Originally posted by HCvE:

What is the idea behind this? To have every corner of a desired scene shot in the middle of your lens as to have the sharpest result
when stitched together? Or is there more to it?


Super narrow DOF.

The idea is to imitate a large format, fast aperture camera.
10/09/2012 09:52:37 AM · #17
Serious question: If I took a series of pictures using this method and a second picture of the same scene normally and processed them both to look essentially the same, would anyone be able to tell with absolute certainty which one was done by which method?

I looked at all the photos in the links and at some others found via image search, and even a few side by side comparisons (of what I asked above) and quite honestly, I cannot tell the difference and in fact found quite a few that did not look as good as the single shot examples used for comparisons. What am I missing?

Message edited by author 2012-10-09 09:55:43.
10/09/2012 10:48:59 AM · #18
i find it much easier to do in post. i haven't used it but the selective blur control in cs6 im sure makes this a simple task.
10/09/2012 10:55:11 AM · #19
Originally posted by mike_311:

i find it much easier to do in post. i haven't used it but the selective blur control in cs6 im sure makes this a simple task.

I was going to ask this, because I do the same thing in the GIMP. By varying the blur dependent on the distance from the in focus subject(s), you can achieve something similar with a lot less work.
10/09/2012 12:06:03 PM · #20
Originally posted by CEJ:

Serious question: If I took a series of pictures using this method and a second picture of the same scene normally and processed them both to look essentially the same, would anyone be able to tell with absolute certainty which one was done by which method?

I looked at all the photos in the links and at some others found via image search, and even a few side by side comparisons (of what I asked above) and quite honestly, I cannot tell the difference and in fact found quite a few that did not look as good as the single shot examples used for comparisons. What am I missing?


Lots apparently.

Yes, I would be able to tell, pretty much immediately, as long as the method was used correctly.
10/09/2012 01:59:31 PM · #21
Originally posted by rooum:

Also, i linked to the first part of the 'Honorable Mentions' there.

The second part shows a few better examples. I love the second, sixth, ninth and tenth images here.

And the winners here of which i think the middle one is superb and exactly the kind of look and feel i aspire to.


The shot of the boy laying down in the carpet shop is amazing...thanks for this..I'm Gonna give it a try with my 85mm 1.4
10/09/2012 02:18:28 PM · #22
I think getting 100% of this effect by PP would be very difficult. Getting 80% would be pretty easy. It probably depends on the photo if that 20% is important or not.

I would really like to try this out. Gonna have to scheme on the prefect scene. I absolutely love the Little Redcap shot in the first link in rooum's post.
10/09/2012 02:36:12 PM · #23
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I would really like to try this out. Gonna have to scheme on the prefect scene.

I'm thinking of trying a semi-reprise of my recent golf shot, this time with the person putting at the plane of focus. I don't think my computer will handle more than 20 or so pictures though, unless I downsize them first (defeating the purpose of having a ultra-high resolution file, right?) ...
10/09/2012 04:14:19 PM · #24
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I would really like to try this out. Gonna have to scheme on the prefect scene.

I'm thinking of trying a semi-reprise of my recent golf shot, this time with the person putting at the plane of focus. I don't think my computer will handle more than 20 or so pictures though, unless I downsize them first (defeating the purpose of having a ultra-high resolution file, right?) ...


Not necessarily. While one benefit is you could print at a gazillion inches x a kabillion at 300DPI, the real advantage is you can achieve a thin DOF while capturing a larger scene without distortion from a WA lens.
10/10/2012 03:12:57 PM · #25
Originally posted by Cory:

Lots apparently.


Okay, but what?

As soon as I get a few hours free I will return to this post with two examples and I would love for you to tell me definitively which is which and why you are making that decision.

Message edited by author 2012-10-10 15:15:05.
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