# Big Oak Josh



## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

This guy is 6'5. He said he was in his off season, and that he is "out of shape".

Shot in natural light on an overcast/rainy day.







I used a silver reflector for some fill in this one.


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## Destin (Nov 15, 2017)

Damn, great as usual. The light in the second one is beautiful. 

I could only hope to be that “out of shape” someday.


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## smoke665 (Nov 15, 2017)

Great shots, the second as Destin said has great lighting. The pose in the last reminds me slightly of the posters for the pugilist of old.


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## Dean_Gretsch (Nov 15, 2017)

Oak _*should*_ be his middle name. Well done!


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## Amocholes (Nov 15, 2017)

Your details are always so crisp. 

Are you sure his name isn't Zeus? Maybe you should do a shoot  with him in a toga.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

Destin said:


> Damn, great as usual. The light in the second one is beautiful.
> 
> I could only hope to be that “out of shape” someday.


Thank you. Me as well, lol.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

smoke665 said:


> Great shots, the second as Destin said has great lighting. The pose in the last reminds me slightly of the posters for the pugilist of old.


Thank you. He's a bodybuilding competitor, and I believe it's one of the competition flexing poses.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

Dean_Gretsch said:


> Oak _*should*_ be his middle name. Well done!


It might be. 

Thank you.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

Amocholes said:


> Your details are always so crisp.
> 
> Are you sure his name isn't Zeus? Maybe you should do a shoot  with him in a toga.


Thank you. I do a bit of extra sharpening once I'm done with all of my other retouching. 

That's not a bad idea...


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## JustJazzie (Nov 15, 2017)

Fantastic as usual! I love your use of light in general, and these do no disappoint. I always enjoy viewing your work. Thank you for sharing.


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## JonA_CT (Nov 15, 2017)

What a beautifully enormous man.


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## terri (Nov 15, 2017)

The texture in the B&W shots is _wonderful._   Especially the second one - it's all about texture: the skin, the beard - even the way his hair is combed.  

I just groove on elements like this within portraits.    I will never understand the attraction most photographers share of smoothing out skin until it looks like plastic.   We are textural creatures on many levels; let it show, bay-bay!!!   

Terrific model, terrific images.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

JustJazzie said:


> Fantastic as usual! I love your use of light in general, and these do no disappoint. I always enjoy viewing your work. Thank you for sharing.


Thank you!!


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

JonA_CT said:


> What a beautifully enormous man.


I know. I couldn't help but picture him carrying me off into the sunset the entire time we were shooting. My assistant was drooling over him as well.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

terri said:


> The texture in the B&W shots is _wonderful._   Especially the second one - it's all about texture: the skin, the beard - even the way his hair is combed.
> 
> I just groove on elements like this within portraits.    I will never understand the attraction most photographers share of smoothing out skin until it looks like plastic.   We are textural creatures on many levels; let it show, bay-bay!!!
> 
> Terrific model, terrific images.


Thank you, and I agree. Retouching can be done without wiping away details in the skin, like pores. Pores make someone look real, like a human. Wiping away that texture creates an unrelatable disconnect between the viewer and the subject, it erases any sort of emotion, and the fact that they look fake becomes a focal point of it's own.


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## pixmedic (Nov 15, 2017)

that is one sexy beast!


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## DanOstergren (Nov 15, 2017)

pixmedic said:


> that is one sexy beast!


I'll agree with this twice.


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## rexbobcat (Nov 16, 2017)

On an aesthetic level I like the first one the best. On a human level I like the second. Good stuff. Did you use a reflector for fill in the headshot?


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## DanOstergren (Nov 16, 2017)

rexbobcat said:


> On an aesthetic level I like the first one the best. On a human level I like the second. Good stuff. Did you use a reflector for fill in the headshot?


Thank you. Yes I did.


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## Ballistics (Nov 16, 2017)

I like them, only issue I'm having is I have to scroll to see the whole image. Is that something in the settings I can change?


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## DanOstergren (Nov 16, 2017)

Ballistics said:


> I like them, only issue I'm having is I have to scroll to see the whole image. Is that something in the settings I can change?


You could do a right click on it and select "open image in new tab", depending on your browser.


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## FITBMX (Nov 17, 2017)

He is disgustingly out of shape! I mean, what's with the strange lumps all over his arms, and his stomach is flat! that's just not right!!! 

Very nice set, I like the second one the best, I think. 
You should see if he wants to do another shoot once he is "in shape".


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## DanOstergren (Nov 17, 2017)

FITBMX said:


> He is disgustingly out of shape! I mean, what's with the strange lumps all over his arms, and his stomach is flat! that's just not right!!!
> 
> Very nice set, I like the second one the best, I think.
> You should see if he wants to do another shoot once he is "in shape".


I know, I told him he needed to think long and hard about his lifestyle, and that he can't get by on just being a slob like that! Some people... 

Thank you. He's already agreed to another shoot. He won't be returning to competitive body building until next year though.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 20, 2017)

bump


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## benhasajeep (Nov 20, 2017)

Very well done.  All 3 of them.


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## DanOstergren (Nov 21, 2017)

benhasajeep said:


> Very well done.  All 3 of them.


Thank you.


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