PP on these kids...works?

Bend The Light

Hi all,

I am currently doing some of my first photo shoots, with studio lights. I posted one of the pictures on a thread earlier.
I am trying to see what I can do with the shots I got (which were ok for a first shoot, but obviously needed something else). So, here I am asking your opinion on the processing of these shots, whether it suits the kids in the shot.
I know the background is not so good, but it's all I had. I am replacing it with a white sheet next time, however, I actually quite like it in this PP, but what do you think?


ellie LOMO by Bend The Light, on Flickr


ethan lomo by Bend The Light, on Flickr

Thanks, in anticipation of your feedback.

ivar

Very cool, especially for your first shoot like this

Bend The Light wrote: »

I know the background is not so good, but it's all I had.

I think the color isn't bad and certainly can be used as a background; I just think you should have ironed your background

I like the style of the processing, but I'm more of a fan of the processing in the second one. The first one is too greenish in her face, I think, for me.

Bend The Light

ivar wrote: »

Very cool, especially for your first shoot like this
I think the color isn't bad and certainly can be used as a background; I just think you should have ironed your background

I like the style of the processing, but I'm more of a fan of the processing in the second one. The first one is too greenish in her face, I think, for me.

Wow...super fast feedback. Thanks.

Yes, the iron...You can tell I'm a novice, eh? I'll definitely remember that for next time.

I am colour blind, which is a pain. I don't see the green at all in her face. The second is the exact same processing, but obviously slightly different colours to start with gave different results. I shall re-do the first and see if I can get it right...might need the wife to look at it with me!

Cheers

met

Bend The Light wrote: »

I am colour blind, which is a pain. I don't see the green at all in her face.

You're color blind?! What a challenge when processing and even taking photos in the first place. What method do you use to process?


I pretty much agree with what Ivar said about the photos themselves.

Bend The Light

met wrote: »

You're color blind?! What a challenge when processing and even taking photos in the first place. What method do you use to process?


I pretty much agree with what Ivar said about the photos themselves.

Erm...I do it and hope for the best! Then see if people tell me it's all wrong, or not.

I am looking for ways to match colours to known colours...suing colour charts and so on. The problems are only with certain colours, of course. When I was a kid, a lot of skies in my pictures were purple, not blue.

Thanks for the critique, though.

Cheers

adbsgicom

Ditto on the above -- first one is too green for my taste. Second one is cool.

The standard for known color is to use a grey card to set the white balance. Generally I like things a little warmer than the card says.
X-Rite has a more sophisticated system that uses a color card, but I haven't tried it.

On the first one, try using the white of her eye to get a starting point for white.

Bend The Light

adbsgicom wrote: »

Ditto on the above -- first one is too green for my taste. Second one is cool.

The standard for known color is to use a grey card to set the white balance. Generally I like things a little warmer than the card says.
X-Rite has a more sophisticated system that uses a color card, but I haven't tried it.

On the first one, try using the white of her eye to get a starting point for white. It will likely still be off to the blue side of things, but it is a good start.

I shall have a look into that.

I forgot to take a white balance properly (I am a novice!) but I did another shoot today, and I did one this time, so hopefully I will have no casts...We'll see.

Thanks

Sam

OK.................Since you are color blind I would really recommend you research how to process color by the numbers. How to set a custom White balance. You can't rely on your clients to tell you about color casts.

I have read about several photographers who are color blind and do very well with color. Goggle this.

Get a system down and then have your wife or someone else with a critical eye do a final color quality check prior to releasing or posting images.

Sam