How do I fix this?

[amwolf]

I'm noticing in a lot of my photos from my son's Christmas photos his face and head just so bright it doesn't seem to look right. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to tone it down a bit. Again I've only got Picasa and Photoshop Express (on the internet) to edit with right now. Here is an example of what I mean. What can I do to fix this?

[GAinGa]

I'm noticing in a lot of my photos from my son's Christmas photos his face and head just so bright it doesn't seem to look right. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to tone it down a bit. Again I've only got Picasa and Photoshop Express (on the internet) to edit with right now. Here is an example of what I mean. What can I do to fix this?


amwolf, I am by ALL MEANS a beginner in exposure lessons... I have posted on here for help myself. BUT, Since no-one has commented for you.... Your photo seems to be overexposed (I tend to have the OPPOSITE problem with my indoor shots). You can fix this easily enough but I dont have a clue what you are using, etc so please know that there are many examples within this forum if you use the search tool!!!! It can give you 20 versions of the same thing and YOU WILL eventually find someone's version that "speaks" in your language!!

One more thing recently learned; you may want to consider dropping down a bit lower to take this as you seem to be a hair high (?), (I re-edited this post to say that actually, if he were looking directly at the camera it would be fine!) its supposed to be more flattering a shot to get at EYE LEVEL!! (?????) and maybe you could pull him away from your backdrop a bit, it helps me in PP to not have to worry with the backdrops being discolored, wrinkled, etc!

Hope this helps!! If I was better at posting "links" I would hook you up... I will say a prayer for ya that some nice expert comes along and does it!!!

QUESTION for me: Did you maybe over-sharpen in an effort to (try to) compensate for over-exposure?? I am dealing with these same issues so just tryin to help out!!!!!!

Blessings, Georgia in Georgia!

[azpix]

if you post your exif it would help. also, what are you lighting with?

heres my stab, you're exposing for darks (ie the black pants, greeen bdgrd) and it's over exposing his face. are you a flash on ettl?

[egordon99]

If you shot RAW, you might be able to salvage the overexposure on his face.

This is why you need to check the historgram/chimp the shot so you should have noticed the overexposure right away, and then adjusted your exposure parameters to deal with it.

[swoCanuk]

Not sure of your set up but if you bounce the flash off the ceiling or from something white off to the side would help. It looks like direct flash to me although I don't see any shadows. I would try to re-shoot rather than try to do a fix in any programs. Keep the child farthur from the background and shoot from his level (lower down). I'm not the expert but I hope this helps.

[michillebaker]

It is definatly over exposed. You would have to give a more information to help you be able to judge any further.

[amwolf]

Thanks everyone! Sorry I don't have more info- I am so new at this I don't even know what info to post. There was actually no flash involved. I really appreciate all the input. I believe it probably is overexposure as many of you said. Again b/c I am just learning to do this and learning the setting on my camera. I am going to try to do another photo session when my son gets over the cold he currently has and is more cooperative.

[GAinGa]

Thanks everyone! Sorry I don't have more info- I am so new at this I don't even know what info to post. There was actually no flash involved. I really appreciate all the input. I believe it probably is overexposure as many of you said. Again b/c I am just learning to do this and learning the setting on my camera. I am going to try to do another photo session when my son gets over the cold he currently has and is more cooperative.

Good luck, and I hope he gets well soon. My 2 year old has asthma and instead of playing with mommies camera tonight, we were in the emergency room. Ah.... toddlers......... ha ha

I wanted to mention that I love the fact that you are creative with your shots. By this, I mean that I am so lousy at adding anything other than the main subject.......... I would have never stopped to add a few decorations or ornaments like you did.......... and I LOVE THAT!!!

Stay inside this forum and you will go far. I am serious.......... I am reading and studying more in here than in high school!!!!!!!!! Amazing!!

There are quite a few smart-ellics........ take them with a grain of salt.

Keep on trying and practicing!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!

[valann]

Just a couple of things I see. It looks like you are using a flash on your camera for lighting. Is it the onboard flash or a flash attached to your hot shoe? If you are using a flash attached to your hot shoe, try placing a diffuser on it such as a stofen omnibounce or make your own. You can also power down the flash so it isn't so harsh. Refer to your manual. Also, you are placing the child too close to the background. That doesn't have anything to do with his overexposed face, just another observation. Cute kid!

[Pinball_PW]

The highlights are definetly washed out. It looks like the use of a flash without diffusing it or bouncing it. You could set the camera to spot meter and meter off the face. The exposure should balance out more then (for this shot). Are there other lights pointed at his face like an overhead light or a lamp? If it is an overhead light such as a bright can light, you may want to reposition or dim the light.

[zr6002]

Not sure of your set up but if you bounce the flash off the ceiling or from something white off to the side would help. It looks like direct flash to me although I don't see any shadows. I would try to re-shoot rather than try to do a fix in any programs. Keep the child farthur from the background and shoot from his level (lower down). I'm not the expert but I hope this helps.

I agree I was having the same problems so I bounced the flash off of the ceiling really makes a difference.

[amy.lee]

I noticed the background and the child's outfit are on the darker side. Your camera is exposing for those tones and therefore overexposing the child's skin which is lighter. You could underexpose by adjusting the Exposure Compensation (EV) on your camera by 2/3 of a stop.

The concept kind of works backwards: if the image is low key, your camera will make it brighter than what your eye is seeing because it's trying to make it middle grey. If your image is high key, your camera thinks it's too much light and ends up underexposing your image. Rule of thumb is to increase your EV for high key images and decrease your EV for low key images.

Also, you could always fill the frame with the child's head, take a reading and switch to manual.

Hope this makes sense =)

[pointstores]

Try exposing for the face rather than the entire shot. You should have a setting for this

[Skonk]

Try exposing for the face rather than the entire shot. You should have a setting for this

To elaborate on this....

If your camera is set to the default metering type of "Evaluative Metering" then the camera will take several readings from different zones within the image and then work out and exposure based on all of those readings; it kinda averages out all the readings and then exposes for the average.

The problem is that if the subject matter in the image has a lot of dark tones or a lot of light tones then the metering can be thrown off.

So in this case the dark background takes up a very large percentage of the image which has caused the camera be bias towards those darks making it over expose your son.

So depending on your camera you could either try Centre Weighted Averaging metering, which works in a simalar way but weights the exposure more to the readings from the centre of the image (so a lot of the darks around the outside will be ignored).

Or you would try Spot Metering which will meter based on a reading from a small area in the centre of the image only (so you can take a reading of just the skin tones and have it expose for that).

I'm also a newbie to this btw, so I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong :)

James.