Basically your picture is very good. The following are the little steps i would do to touch it up. Remember, i do not have the original file so the file i am using is just a copy off the web which is not the best but it is what I have ;-) If I had the original we could also talk about the shadows in the face only. I would lighten it up so the face would be more of an attraction for the viewer.
Try to not center your picture so much. I think if the kids right hand was at the top left corner and his left foot was toward the right bottom corner the composition would be better. I cropped it as best as I could but the set up would of been a little better if the angle of the background trees and open space were less distracting
The DOF is perfect, i really like it.
the background needs to be subdued (darken). you want the attention to be on the kid and not the background. The viewer will always migrate to the brightest part of the picture.
here is the original, i have protect off...i think anyone can go get this now, does that help?Mr. Thorp: thanks, i had allot of saturation when i was working on it, but then backed out to original, when "i" do it... it seems too much...i guess its all in my mind:crazy
also, i didnt think to adjust Wb...i will keep that in mind!
as for cropping...i felt since the feet were hidden within the grass it may need to be cropped what do you think about that?
Mr. Thorp: thanks, i had allot of saturation when i was working on it, but then backed out to original, when "i" do it... it seems too much...i guess its all in my mind:crazy
also, i didnt think to adjust Wb...i will keep that in mind!
as for cropping...i felt since the feet were hidden within the grass it may need to be cropped what do you think about that?
your gallery is password protected
I should of mentioned that depending on your monitor and the calibration will make a big difference on how it looks to you or anyone viewing. On my mac in default, all colors are over saturated until I put in the calibrated profile.
Personally even with the buried feet, i like the full length crop. If you were making some sort of callage then the half length shots would work out great.
i dont know why i didnt think of this before...but since you mention the face shadows....it makes me now think...why didnt i mask before i try to add fill !!! thats why the background it getting lightend too much... i can darken the background better and then fill on the shadows specifically with another mask.....
when am i going to start to think in layers?????:D
i dont know why i didnt think of this before...but since you mention the face shadows....it makes me now think...why didnt i mask before i try to add fill !!! thats why the background it getting lightend too much... i can darken the background better and then fill on the shadows specifically with another mask.....
when am i going to start to think in layers?????:D
Aaron,
I have seen some very impressive post work done on portraits, but I think proper lighting is more important. A reflector or off-camera flash might have reduced those shadows more effectively and naturally than is possible in Photoshop.
amen to that...im quite sure i will not ever be a better photog when it comes to people....im pretty limited im just hoping to make the best of what i can for now....i do have a refector and shame on me for not putting it to use!!!
i spend most of my spare time in the study of landscape photography. and i must say the people that do portrait in any shape or form have my admiration !
So if you were using an off camera flash to lessen those shadows what would be the best shooting mode be? Manual? Or shoot Apeture Priority? And would you set the flash to manual or use ETTL or something like it?
So if you were using an off camera flash to lessen those shadows what would be the best shooting mode be? Manual? Or shoot Apeture Priority? And would you set the flash to manual or use ETTL or something like it?
sounds like a great question to start a thread with
The trick is in lighting and shooting, not in Photoshop.
The easiest, simplest way to diminish the facial shadows is with direct on camera fill flash, which one should just automatically think about when shooting people in harsh sunlight. Pop a 430ex or a 580ex on the hot shoe, turn on ETTL on the flash, set the camera to Av or Manual mode, ( check the shutter speed to check whether High Speed Synch is needed ) and fire away. All it takes is a moment to mount the flash and turn it on. Even the built in flash can help with this task ( but it may not work in bright sunlight well because it MAY not offer High Speed Synch - the cameras seem to vary in this offering with their built in flashes )
The next step to improve the image is off camera placement of the flash - either with a voice controlled humanoid light stand, or a mechanical light stand.
If you are going to set up a light stand, why just use a bare flash - why not add a small soft-box or umbrella and a gel to soften and color correct the flash as well. This will give even better images, but does interfere some with capturing spontaneous candids of kids.
Using flash to fill in bright sunlight takes a lot of flash power, and drains batteries a lot faster than shooting indoors. An auxiliary battery pack can help with this.
I keep an old 550ex on a light stand with an auxiliary battery pack, a 1/2 CTO gel, and a Lastolite 16x 20 softbox just for this purpose. I keep an ST-E2 in my backpack to trigger this setup. You can use PWs, but then you must shoot in Manual flash mode and manual camera mode as well.
Shooting your camera in Manual mode, with a flash in totally manual mode, if you know your flash to subject distance, the aperture is always the same; and the shutter speed controls how much ambient light you capture in your image.
By shooting a 580ex in ETTL, with your camera set to Manual Mode, you can control the lighting of the subject via flash, and how bright the background appears via the ambient light captured. You control the flash with the aperture you choose (and the ISO choice also), and the ambient exposure with the choice of shutter speed. With High Speed Synch and a fast shutter speed - say 1/1000th - you can drive the background all the way to black if you choose. This method lets you highlight the foreground subject and under expose the background by 1/2 - 3 stops, so you have control of how the viewer's eye moves around in the image. This is cool stuff, and pretty easy to do once you understand the basic concepts.
If you are shooting with fill flash in bright sunlight, and you shots are way over exposed - check you shutter speed - YOu may have set it for 1/1000th but without turning High Speed Synch on, the flash limits the shutter speed to a maximum of 1/200th or 1/250th. The D70 synchs at 1/500th I think.
Using High Speed Synch diminishes the power of your flash slightly so if you do not need the higher shutter speeds, remember to turn it back off.
I have written about the EOS flash system and fill flash here
. All it takes is a moment to mount the flash and turn it on.
Jim, good buddy whom just got back from scotland....and im jealous....
:cry i sold my 580 to help with the purchase of my new 24mm T/S
i dont plan on doing people shots very often....so i had to make choices....
and as you know enough about me you know landscape photography takes priority!!
my main concern here for this topic is skin tones and varibles of that sort...
im trying to work with what ive produced...(without flash)
i wondered over to somemore tutes and i just get so mind boggled...give me time i will try and figure it all out...
i did some test prints tonight based off the examples i posted and they look good, my printer darkens everthing so i didnt need to make any adjustments other than lowering magenta in the face...
the question is how could i have made them better post? and i believe what im getting from you guys is first just be a better photog of people and use the right equipment
I didn't think there was a great deal to do with post processing beyond what you posted - I thought you did a pretty good job. You know how to set black points, run curves and all that jazz already.
You could try a pass through LAB to run the Shadow/Highlight command on the Lightness channel, but it will not ever look as good as a little fill flash will help.
I am sorry you sold your 580ex, that is a great flash I love mine. And I will get more use out of it than I will out of my 24 T&S. If you shot kids, you would have too.
that is very good, thank you so much for that... it just amazes me how you guys get the clarity and clearness to come through....now i will work to try and get these results....im not sure on your skin tones, i will sit back and take it all in tomorrow....but the clearness of the face & hair is exactly what i wanted to see happen....now i know, and thank you!
Comments
My Photo Blog -->http://dthorpphoto.blogspot.com/
also, i didnt think to adjust Wb...i will keep that in mind!
as for cropping...i felt since the feet were hidden within the grass it may need to be cropped what do you think about that?
your gallery is password protected
I should of mentioned that depending on your monitor and the calibration will make a big difference on how it looks to you or anyone viewing. On my mac in default, all colors are over saturated until I put in the calibrated profile.
Personally even with the buried feet, i like the full length crop. If you were making some sort of callage then the half length shots would work out great.
My Photo Blog -->http://dthorpphoto.blogspot.com/
k, sorry for that little problem!! now fixed.....
Aaron,
I have seen some very impressive post work done on portraits, but I think proper lighting is more important. A reflector or off-camera flash might have reduced those shadows more effectively and naturally than is possible in Photoshop.
Regards,
i spend most of my spare time in the study of landscape photography. and i must say the people that do portrait in any shape or form have my admiration !
sounds like a great question to start a thread with
The trick is in lighting and shooting, not in Photoshop.
The easiest, simplest way to diminish the facial shadows is with direct on camera fill flash, which one should just automatically think about when shooting people in harsh sunlight. Pop a 430ex or a 580ex on the hot shoe, turn on ETTL on the flash, set the camera to Av or Manual mode, ( check the shutter speed to check whether High Speed Synch is needed ) and fire away. All it takes is a moment to mount the flash and turn it on. Even the built in flash can help with this task ( but it may not work in bright sunlight well because it MAY not offer High Speed Synch - the cameras seem to vary in this offering with their built in flashes )
The next step to improve the image is off camera placement of the flash - either with a voice controlled humanoid light stand, or a mechanical light stand.
If you are going to set up a light stand, why just use a bare flash - why not add a small soft-box or umbrella and a gel to soften and color correct the flash as well. This will give even better images, but does interfere some with capturing spontaneous candids of kids.
Using flash to fill in bright sunlight takes a lot of flash power, and drains batteries a lot faster than shooting indoors. An auxiliary battery pack can help with this.
I keep an old 550ex on a light stand with an auxiliary battery pack, a 1/2 CTO gel, and a Lastolite 16x 20 softbox just for this purpose. I keep an ST-E2 in my backpack to trigger this setup. You can use PWs, but then you must shoot in Manual flash mode and manual camera mode as well.
Shooting your camera in Manual mode, with a flash in totally manual mode, if you know your flash to subject distance, the aperture is always the same; and the shutter speed controls how much ambient light you capture in your image.
By shooting a 580ex in ETTL, with your camera set to Manual Mode, you can control the lighting of the subject via flash, and how bright the background appears via the ambient light captured. You control the flash with the aperture you choose (and the ISO choice also), and the ambient exposure with the choice of shutter speed. With High Speed Synch and a fast shutter speed - say 1/1000th - you can drive the background all the way to black if you choose. This method lets you highlight the foreground subject and under expose the background by 1/2 - 3 stops, so you have control of how the viewer's eye moves around in the image. This is cool stuff, and pretty easy to do once you understand the basic concepts.
If you are shooting with fill flash in bright sunlight, and you shots are way over exposed - check you shutter speed - YOu may have set it for 1/1000th but without turning High Speed Synch on, the flash limits the shutter speed to a maximum of 1/200th or 1/250th. The D70 synchs at 1/500th I think.
Using High Speed Synch diminishes the power of your flash slightly so if you do not need the higher shutter speeds, remember to turn it back off.
I have written about the EOS flash system and fill flash here
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Jim, good buddy whom just got back from scotland....and im jealous....
:cry i sold my 580 to help with the purchase of my new 24mm T/S
i dont plan on doing people shots very often....so i had to make choices....
and as you know enough about me you know landscape photography takes priority!!
my main concern here for this topic is skin tones and varibles of that sort...
im trying to work with what ive produced...(without flash)
i wondered over to somemore tutes and i just get so mind boggled...give me time i will try and figure it all out...
i did some test prints tonight based off the examples i posted and they look good, my printer darkens everthing so i didnt need to make any adjustments other than lowering magenta in the face...
the question is how could i have made them better post? and i believe what im getting from you guys is first just be a better photog of people and use the right equipment
I didn't think there was a great deal to do with post processing beyond what you posted
You could try a pass through LAB to run the Shadow/Highlight command on the Lightness channel, but it will not ever look as good as a little fill flash will help.
I am sorry you sold your 580ex, that is a great flash I love mine. And I will get more use out of it than I will out of my 24 T&S. If you shot kids, you would have too.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
i dont think i can live without the T/S now that i have one....
as for my kids and photography i just use a p&s now..:hide
now i better not highjack my own thread ...heehee
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
This is how my PP would look per my taste. Of course everyone has their own likes and dislikes
My Photo Blog -->http://dthorpphoto.blogspot.com/