i heart faces: constructive feedback friday
SOOC:
1/2500 f2.8 ISO 400
28mm prime
Edited using the raw editor & CS3:
The biggest problem I'm having lately is light! I like this photo--I even light the slight wide angle distortion on his face. However, for some reason he's squinting. I didn't even think the sun was out that day! And I've got part of his face in shadow although it's not really that sunny.
I tried to do a bit of dodging to relieve the shadows but it didn't do much.
I need tips on finding the right light! Help me! I think it's my next step and it's going to make a big difference.
And what else could be done to improve this photo?
Thanks in advance guys!
11 comments:
Cute guy! I would have been tempted to crop it portrait style to remove some of the background. The background is very overexposed and takes the eye to that rather than his cute face. If you burn the edges some it helps darken down the background and draws the eye forward. Hope that helps.
Well, I have NO idea how to answer that... so I'll tell you what an ameture would do. I use the 'fill light' option in Lightroom. That usually compensates for my bad photo taking skills. I bet the experts are cringing right about now! lol
God bless-
Amanda
HI! I am no pro' so this is just passing on information I've read somewhere. The other day I was reading that it is a good idea to carry a compass on a cloudy day! As we know that the sun rises east and sets west if we know the time of day we can make a good guess where the sun is shining from. All the clouds actually do is 'diffuse' the light to our eyes, but our camera's see it differently (less diffused). If we can tell where the light is coming from we are more able to work with it. Hope that helps - even if just a little. FYI - this is one of my next 'tricks' to learn too :D
Cx
Disclaimer: I'm an avid amateur, not a pro!
I totally understand your frustrations. What time of day did you take this shot? My guess is between 10a.m. and 2p.m. See how the light is coming from above him. His brows are creating the shadows in his eyes. I have found that finding a patch of solid open shade helps me. A carport, a garage, the shadow of a building, just inside the front door. You want to control how the light is falling on your subject and not let it control you. Remember though dappled light is your enemy. If there is a sprinkle of light and shadow on your subject it will be impossible to edit.
The blown background here doesn't bother me. And neither does the distortion. He looks so sweet and happy to let you take his picture :).
I hope that helps even a little!
AJ
thanks guys!
It was actually right around 3:30 or 4 when I took this. It was a weird cold day.
The idea of carrying a compass is a good one! And I do need to try to remember to find open shade.
Keep the tips coming!!
I agree that the photo is over-exposed. Some of this might be taken care of in camera. Probably even better would be to find open shade like A.J. suggested. Did you do any editing in RAW. I find that I can make some good adjustments on exposure best in the RAW editor. Overall, though, I think this picture is a keeper and with a couple changes, most of the exposure problems wouldn't be very noticeable.
I went ahead and added the SOOC shot to the post. So Drewmark19, when you say it's overexposed are you talking about the background? Because in the SOOC I felt as though for his face the photo was underexposed which is why I brought up the brightness a bunch. I'm not too concerned about the sky being overexposed as long as I can see his eyes better.
My main tip is just what was already mentioned (I read this tip on a friend's blog and it all of the sudden just *clicked* for me.)
Always direct the subject's eyes towards the direction of the source of light...but not the direct sunlight kind of light. More of the indirect, open shade kind of light that can come from the side of a house, or the concrete, etc. Even if you are in shade, there is still a source of light that you should point their face towards.
If not you will get that awful squinty eye look that just completely ruins the effect you were trying to get in your photo.
My other tip would be: have you tried Pioneer Woman's free Photoshop actions? My typical workflow has me doing adjustments in Camera RAW first. I then move on to PW's actions...using her Boost, Fresh & Colorful (I work with the levels in this action a lot but it really brings out the beautiful, bright skin tones), the Brighten Eyes action (a miracle worker for the eyes) and then her Slight Sharpen. I love the effect this workflow gives to my photos.
You truly have a cute little boy to use as your subject in your photography work! :)
~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces
I love the squinting! He's adorable. I try to turn the subject away from the direct light. I read that on thepioneerwoman.com. I think the background is fine blown out that way. I would also sharpen his eyes. He's very cute! I want to pinch his cheeks.
Seeing the SOOC helps me see the problem. I'm not an expert, but I'd say this is definitely a case of the light source being in a less than ideal place. When the light is coming from behind, the face will be underexposed and the light source overexposed. When you adjusted the face, the cheeks became more blown out.
In a case like this, I'd experiment by switching positions until the lighting is more ideal (on the face but not causing squinting or shadows)
There's a great tutorial about this here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/08/open-shade-is-your-best-friend/
Yup, even on cloudy days the sun can do its thing (in this case, cast shadows under cheeks, eyes, cause squinting, etc.). A simple trick: have your son do a brief 360* pivot so you can see where the light hits him most flatteringly.
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