Creating Dynamic Composites: From RAW to Final Image

Fort Kilsby band shoot final image after processing

The following is a breakdown of a photoshoot I did for my band, Fort Kilsby. Inspired by the 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' monkeys, we wanted to create a shot that stood out from the typical band photo style. The entire shoot took place in our practice room, located under the house.

The process is as follows.

The Original Images

Below are the original images straight out of the camera in RAW format. The setup was quite simple: one flash (580 EX II) with a Gary Fong diffuser on camera, and a remotely triggered flash (430 EX II) positioned directly behind the subject, about mid-back height, 2 meters away. The rear flash was cranked up to its maximum power to enhance the highlights and create a halo effect. Each image was shot individually, giving me complete control over the original composition.

tones original photo out of camera. no processing

matt straight out of camera no processing

damien straight out of camera no processing

The pink walls are a result of the flash reflecting off the shirt, which was actually an accident. However, I later took advantage of this effect to create a background plate.

Cutting Out the Layers

I start by roughly cutting out the layers and organizing the layout in an order that feels visually appealing. This is a creative process, so there’s a lot of experimentation to see what works and what ‘looks good’. You’ll notice I’ve attached the layer bar so you can follow along with what’s happening.

rough layer organisation

One of the first things I took care of was removing the scabs on Tone's arm and cleaning up some general details. I also copied Matts shirt and pasted it over Tone’s Fat Freddy’s Drop logo, which we missed during the initial shoot (oops). We used the same shit for each photo and turned it inside out for the second 2 shots.

adding the hydrofunk logo and shinishing the tiny record

Some more detailed elements, like the record on my face (as shown above), required extra work. We wanted to use a tiny record, so we found one of those old vinyl-style CDs and taped it to the sunglasses along with the Korg synth. Knowing some post-production work would be necessary, we planned for it during the shoot.

the tiny record remastered

For the tiny record, I used multiple copies of the layer, resized and blended them using a soft eraser tool, then added the Hydrofunk logo (the band’s record label). On top of that, I added shine and reflection to match the original record. Using as many real props as possible during the shoot reduces the need for heavy compositing later and helps the image feel more authentic.

The Background Plate

Since I had to cut around all the people in the image, I also needed to create a background. This gives the artist endless opportunities to experiment. However, for this shoot, we really liked the quirky pink background. Because the pink walls didn’t match across all the original images, I used another shot from that day, cut out parts of it, and pasted them into the final composition (see below). 

the shot used as the inital background plate, notice the drums  cut and pasted 

I also overlaid a photo I took looking directly into the flash units to add texture.

Tone’s layer would cover the center, so the extra image of me would be hidden. Additional adjustments included removing background posters visible between the band members and mirroring the right side of the room for the left, and adding shaddow over the old mattress we used as sound dampening.

The extra lighting effects plate

Restoring the Glow

Since the ‘glow’ around everyone was lost during the cutting process, I had to paint it back in on separate layers. The following image shows all the layers turned on, except for the band members’ faces (the middle person is obscured by Tone’s layer on top).

Take note of the hand-painted blending required to integrate the layers. This image also includes the "Curves 1" layer, which gives it its final color and contrast.

final grade and all layers excluding the band members. 

Adding Shadows

To help blend the images further, I added shadows. I referenced shadows from other parts of the image, like the one on Matt’s nose cast by the MPC, the shadow from the record on my face, and the wrinkles on the shirts. I then painted in shadows behind Tone’s layer, as well as an overall shadow layer.

Once all the layers were in place, I flattened the entire image. I also added some grain texture to give it a more film-like quality, achieved with my special up-resing technique i developed.

The final completed shot