First outdoor portrait please CC. Setup shot included.

[43 North]

First attempt at outdoor portrait and OCF so here goes. Done with my 7D and 430EX through umbrella using ETTL. I know that in #3 I accidently cut her off at the knees, oops..... Any other CC welcome and appreciated.

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-4-10.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-4-10 2.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-4-10 3.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-4-10 setup.jpg

[Kristy]

lookin' good mister... :)
#2 is lacking any sort of light reflections in her eye... be sure to keep an eye out for that. It's the very thing that makes an image come to life.. You can even throw a large piece of white cardboard on the ground and it will reflect back up to her eyes so long as it's bright enough and in the line of where the reflections are coming from. :)

Don't be afraid to bring your lightsource in nice and close.. just power it down some if you do. You'll get larger catchlights in the eye and ultimately a softer less contrasty light from it too. :)

Keep playing!! :)

[43 North]

lookin' good mister... :)
#2 is lacking any sort of light reflections in her eye... be sure to keep an eye out for that. It's the very thing that makes an image come to life.. You can even throw a large piece of white cardboard on the ground and it will reflect back up to her eyes so long as it's bright enough and in the line of where the reflections are coming from. :)

Don't be afraid to bring your lightsource in nice and close.. just power it down some if you do. You'll get larger catchlights in the eye and ultimately a softer less contrasty light from it too. :)

Keep playing!! :)

Ahhhhh yes I did not pay attention to the catch light in #2, you are absolutley correct.

I can't decide if #3 is too bright...... Also is the PP looking ok? Nothing over done etc?

[D Thompson]

I can't decide if #3 is too bright...... Also is the PP looking ok? Nothing over done etc?
Not too bright on my monitor. PP looks very good and definitely nothing over done.

#1 - At first look I thought she should be looking toward the camera more, but the more I looked the better I liked it as is. Looks good. If you go to print I might crop just a little from the bottom & left side, not much tho.

#2 - Good shot, I like the composition on this one. Eyes need some lightening, but Kristy already told you that.

#3 - Another keeper, I like the way the rails lead you into her face. Exposure looks good to me. Wish it wasn't cropped quite as close to the top of her head and you've already mentioned cutting her off at the knees. Yep, try not to crop at a joint, good thing is you have room to take it mid-thigh and some from the right.

Agree with what Kristy said as well. Nice job all around.

[43 North]

Yep, try not to crop at a joint, good thing is you have room to take it mid-thigh and some from the right.

The original shot cut her off at the knees and left a ton of space above her head. I cropped it to cut down on the empty space above her head. Wish I had been able to move the whole frame down for a full portrait, would have been nice.

Funny thing I forgot to mention is that it was 32 degrees outside at time of shoot. She refused to wear her jacket, that is why some of the funny arm poses. I took what I could get in the 5 minutes she would let me take pictures. I think in total all I got were 6 so I will call it good. :D

[Here2Learn]

discloser, i am VERY amature so can only comment on what i SEE as a person, not a grand photographer...so take it as you may. i like Number one the best...it looks like a nice picture, cute little girl. my only beef here is that i think kids sitting or standing on the train tracks is kind of strange looking to me. we have to walk over tracks to get to school and im always hurrying the kids to get across so to see a kid lingering just looks wrong, maybe that's just me though.

[43 North]

discloser, i am VERY amature so can only comment on what i SEE as a person, not a grand photographer...so take it as you may. i like Number one the best...it looks like a nice picture, cute little girl. my only beef here is that i think kids sitting or standing on the train tracks is kind of strange looking to me. we have to walk over tracks to get to school and im always hurrying the kids to get across so to see a kid lingering just looks wrong, maybe that's just me though.

I assume your comments are derived from a safety perspective? I can see what you are saying and could see how some people might feel that way. I picked a spot that I could see a couple miles of tracks in both directions. Also the tracks are not used but maybe a couple times a week. The local lumber and sand mill is about all. I appreciate any comments people leave.

[Sam]

When I take outdoor portraits I think out the overall exposure of my surroundings before I ever plop my kid in the frame.

The sky in your shots looks washed out to me. I would have exposed the ambient light differently and used the flash to balance it all out. Where were you metering your light reading at?

You have a cute little model and it looks like you have the energy to lug your gear around. If you experiment with your exposures a little you should be posting up some really nice stuff soon.

[43 North]

When I take outdoor portraits I think out the overall exposure of my surroundings before I ever plop my kid in the frame.

The sky in your shots looks washed out to me. I would have exposed the ambient light differently and used the flash to balance it all out. Where were you metering your light reading at?

You have a cute little model and it looks like you have the energy to lug your gear around. If you experiment with your exposures a little you should be posting up some really nice stuff soon.

It was a horribly gloomy and overcast day today. I know that cloud cover is supposed to be good but it was depressing today. I am metering off of her face, should it have been somewhere else? I do want to start to be able to create some good effects with my backgrounds and ambient light. Just not real sure how to do it....

Here is the EXIF data for each photo. Please let me know what you would have done different.

#1 85mm, 1/250, F5.6, ISO 100

#2 80mm, 1/125, F4.5, ISO 100

#3 53mm, 1/250, F 4.5, ISO 100

[Sam]

I am not a very technical person so bear with my camera nerd skills... :)

Gloomy skies sure do take away from the mood for me. I like just after a storm the best. Without being there it's hard to say what I would have shot at.

I may have metered off the clouds to see how much light they had, if it was just dreary grey maybe underexpose a little so that you get some texture in the sky.

If that wasn't working I would just keep the sky out of the shot as much as possible and go with stuff like you have in the first shot. One thing about shooting outdoors is that you need to be able to make decisions on the fly to suit the lighting.

I dug through some old images to find something similar... This looks like the same sky you were dealing with. I shot these four years ago so details are foggy but it looks like I had a flash going with this set.

If you don't want my pictures in your thread let me know and I can remove them. These may not be the best example I have to show what I can do in dreary light, but one of them is hanging over my desk so I knew where to look for it :)

A shot with the sky. I am surprised I didn't toss this one.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/tborquez/January%202010/010706Lexiquick02.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/tborquez/January%202010/010706Lexiquick01.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/tborquez/January%202010/010706Lexiquick03.jpg

If you don't have any sort of white balance calibration tool check online for a grey card. I usually bring one in my back and use it to get my shots close, then I warm them a little. It's a bad habit but I can't help myself now.

Also, when setting up your lights try to light up the eyes and keep the ratio so there are shadows where they need to be. Your shots have shadows, mess with your exposure settings and see if you can polish them up a little.

Kristy is right about moving the light closer to soften it up too.


Hope this helps. I need to run off and make dinner now :)

[43 North]

I don't mind the pictures in the thread at all. When you say you shot with the sky do you mean that you did the metering off of the sky? I don't know much about metering but will be reading tonight :)

I actually just purchased an 8x10 18% grey card on ebay last night so that should help a little.

[Kristy]

ugghhh.. did I give poor feedback.....:oops:

I would meter off the sky.. and underexpose slightly to bring in some color and richness to the background.. and then let the light illuminate my subject... but I think I said that in a PM right...? I'm sorry...

Sam does such an awesome job of explaining things... that's why I follow his posts...
He really helps it all to make sense. I was so confused about flash until one day he put it plain and simple for me. I'm still confused.. but that is just me....:p (ha ha)

[43 North]

OK guys I think I need to wrap my head around something very basic. For outdoor shooting only, I currently have my camera set to the "P" shooting mode along with partial meter mode. Now when metering takes place is it simply setting your shutter and aperature values, assuming my camera is pre-set to ISO 100? Now when my camera uses the E-TTL function to determine the power setting of the flash does this take place when metering or right as the picture is being snapped?

So if I meter the sky and then recompose my shot to focus on the model then obviously the exposure would be underexposed right? Got it. So then I fill my subject in with flash so that my model comes out in the proper exposure right?

My confussion I believe lies with the flash piece of the puzzle. I am not sure if I will have to adjust the power level on the flash if it is getting it's reading while I am metering the sky or just as I am taking the shot of the subject. If I am not making sense please say so.

[texshooter]

A few suggestions:

1) All your pics are in need of some kicker light. Get a second flash and place it near the opposite side of your key light. This will help separate your subject from the background. I would use a kicker (rim) light in every shot with a few artistic exceptions, of course. Overcast days make for good lighting not because the light is flattering (because it isn't, too flat), but because you don't have harsh shadows from the sun to fight with.

2) The white washed out sky is your enemy. Try to minimize the sky in your compositions, and use Photoshop to add a touch of blue to it. The eye wants to go to the brightest part of the scene, which should be the face, not the sky.

3.Another important tip, which I rarely hear discussed is to add a touch of the Thomas Kinkade effect. Get your Photoshop brush and add daps of brightness here and there inside the dark areas of your background. Be careful not to overdo it. highlight the stones, a few bushes, and rooftop, etc. It adds some tonal interest to the background.

4. The girl's hands in the third shot have no placement. Try having her do something or hold something with her hands.

5. The first shot looks like you aimed down at a 30 degree angle. Keep the camera level to the child's face, like in the second shot.

[Sam]

OK guys I think I need to wrap my head around something very basic. For outdoor shooting only, I currently have my camera set to the "P" shooting mode along with partial meter mode. Now when metering takes place is it simply setting your shutter and aperature values, assuming my camera is pre-set to ISO 100? Now when my camera uses the E-TTL function to determine the power setting of the flash does this take place when metering or right as the picture is being snapped?

The flash will follow your meter I think. Meaning, if you set your exposure with the exposure lock, recompose and shoot your flash will too. Check through the lighting forum, the stickies there are good reading. Search for pretty much any post from Tim regarding flash questions and you'll find an answer.


So if I meter the sky and then recompose my shot to focus on the model then obviously the exposure would be underexposed right? Got it. So then I fill my subject in with flash so that my model comes out in the proper exposure right?

You make that call. If you have a lot in the background other than sky you'll have a really dark area behind your subject unless you light it separately with another flash. think of it like lighting a backdrop in a studio setting, only you can get really creative with what to light and what to leave dark.

You can over expose the sky slightly, in turn lighting up the rest of your image then go back and darken it in processing too.


My confussion I believe lies with the flash piece of the puzzle. I am not sure if I will have to adjust the power level on the flash if it is getting it's reading while I am metering the sky or just as I am taking the shot of the subject. If I am not making sense please say so.

Read the stickies, I can't even come close to explaining as well as they do. Try shooting in M or AV. In M use the meter in the bottom of your viewfinder to balance the exposure. In AV choose your aperture to control depth of field and let the camera decide the shutter speed. The flash doesn't care what shutter speed you choose, it gives off the same amount of light. The longer the shutter speed the more ambient light you pick up. Finding the balance you want is the trick. That wasn't explained very well, have I suggested the stickies?

Keep asking questions if you have them. There is a lot of experience looking through here every day.

[Sam]

A few suggestions:

1) All your pics are in need of some kicker light. Get a second flash and place it near the opposite side of your key light. This will help separate your subject from the background. I would use a kicker (rim) light in every shot with a few artistic exceptions, of course. Overcast days make for good lighting not because the light is flattering (because it isn't, too flat), but because you don't have harsh shadows from the sun to fight with.

2) The white washed out sky is your enemy. Try to minimize the sky in your compositions, and use Photoshop to add a touch of blue to it. The eye wants to go to the brightest part of the scene, which should be the face, not the sky.

3.Another important tip, which I rarely hear discussed is to add a touch of the Thomas Kinkade effect. Get your Photoshop brush and add daps of brightness here and there inside the dark areas of your background. Be careful not to overdo it. highlight the stones, a few bushes, and rooftop, etc. It adds some tonal interest to the background.

4. The girl's hands in the third shot have no placement. Try having her do something or hold something with her hands.

5. The first shot looks like you aimed down at a 30 degree angle. Keep the camera level to the child's face, like in the second shot.

I have no idea what your skill level is, this statement isn't in reply to your personal skills or experiences.

Before working on processing skills the OP is much better off in my opinion learning to work with current tools and hitting consistent and accurate exposures before processing tricks to save a missed shot.

[Sam]

ugghhh.. did I give poor feedback.....:oops:

I would meter off the sky.. and underexpose slightly to bring in some color and richness to the background.. and then let the light illuminate my subject... but I think I said that in a PM right...? I'm sorry...

Sam does such an awesome job of explaining things... that's why I follow his posts...
He really helps it all to make sense. I was so confused about flash until one day he put it plain and simple for me. I'm still confused.. but that is just me....:p (ha ha)

Haha, you are just one of those naturally talented people that claims to learn a lot here :p

[des34415]

A few suggestions:

5. The first shot looks like you aimed down at a 30 degree angle. Keep the camera level to the child's face, like in the second shot.

hey there,

how do you guys usually stand when going just a little lower for the shot? i'm asking because i tried a few stances and all of them weren't stable in helping me to take portrait shots ( e.g. i'm 6ft tall and the model is 5ft ). pics appreciated! :)


another question here - what if the BG is dark, and tuning up the ambient/shutter speed causes your subject to be overexposed ( although the BG will be just right? ) ? we can't possibly light up the whole BG in an outdoor situation right?

also.. do we strictly use snoots/bare flash when it comes to rim lights/kicker etc? since umbrellas will just spill all over the place..

[Kristy]

Haha, you are just one of those naturally talented people that claims to learn a lot here :p
Shut up..... (why am I always saying that to you...? lol)

I guess I don't have a lot to add to this.... but for sure I'd reaffirm my advice to learn to shoot manual. It gives you tons of control over your exposures. I don't know how I would shoot anything if I let the camera make my decisions for me. And I'm not saying that to be rude, or mean.. but I honestly have no idea how that "P" mode even works. :o

But I do know that in manual.. I can meter for the sky... and then kick up some flash to compensate (or use a reflector to bounce it up)... and I can set my meter to be anywhere on the scale that I want it to be.. and I can decide if my background is more important than my foreground or midground..... or any combination of the three.... so??

ANd being a huge control freak.... well, shooting manual is just the way I like it.. ;) (teasing of course.... or not)

I know we shouldn't rely on PS as a crutch.. but I'll be honest to say that I had to doctor up my fair share of images in post to make them look "okay". I still like to do things in post, now but my shots look okay out of camera most of the time....

ANyway... while you are learning, you can apply a little PS to help out.. curves boost, warm it up some.. slight vignette... blah blah blah...

Here's my tweak to one of yours....it's slight... but I did lighten the darks, and warm it up some. The color temperature carries a lot of weight in how your images render colors, and etc... So keep an eye out for that.. and use the grey card, or a calibration target or something..

I can for sure remove it if you like.. just say the word.. :)

[Kristy]

If you don't want my pictures in your thread let me know and I can remove them.

Off topic, but I just had to say that those pictures of your daughter are soooo cute... She looks so little.... :)

[D Thompson]

For outdoor shooting only, I currently have my camera set to the "P" shooting mode along with partial meter mode.
Forget "P" mode. Use M, Av, or Tv so you control the shot.
Now when my camera uses the E-TTL function to determine the power setting of the flash does this take place when metering or right as the picture is being snapped?From Canon somewhere :
E-TTL II autoflash system operation flow
1. Shutter button pressed halfway.
Autofocusing and evaluative metering (with the multi-zone sensor linked to the focusing point) are executed
simultaneously. The ambient light is thereby metered.
2. Shutter button pressed completely.
A preflash is fired, and the reflected light is metered by the multi-zone evaluative metering sensor.
3. The meter readings of the ambient light and preflash are compared and the ideal main flash output is calculated
and stored in memory.
4. The reflex mirror goes up, the first shutter curtain starts to open, the main flash fires, the imaging sensor is exposed,
the second shutter curtain closes, and the reflex mirror goes back down.
5. The flash exposure confirmation lamp illuminates.

As I understand ETTLII in Av or Tv the flash will provide fill light. In M or P it will expose for the subject.

[43 North]

OK so I am on the right track then.
So here is what I will try tomorrow with a similar situation:
1. Use M mode because I want a specific DOF and then will adjust shutter speed.
2. Meter the sky and then activate the exposure lock function
3. Lower exposure by one stop
4. Recompose shot on model, focus and fire the shot.
5. Take a look at the LCD and adjust exposure level and flash level as needed.

Sound good??

[D Thompson]

Sound good???
Sounds worth a try. Without bothering with the exposure lock another way would be.......
1. Use Av mode with the Av you want and meter the sky. Note the Tv.
2. Switch to M, set your Av, then set your Tv one stop faster.
3. Compose your shot, focus, and fire away.
4. Check LCD.

[Sam]

OK so I am on the right track then.
So here is what I will try tomorrow with a similar situation:
1. Use M mode because I want a specific DOF and then will adjust shutter speed.
2. Meter the sky and then activate the exposure lock function
3. Lower exposure by one stop
4. Recompose shot on model, focus and fire the shot.
5. Take a look at the LCD and adjust exposure level and flash level as needed.

Sound good??

If you are in M you won't need to lock the exposure, the camera is locked with whatever settings you dial in. The exposure lock is for the auto modes P, TV, AV.

So point up at the sky, get your starting point and back off until your sky and ambient light are where you want them and then use the flash to round it all out.

They're your pictures so you can't really do it wrong. As long as you get the results you want you're good to go.

[43 North]

If you are in M you won't need to lock the exposure, the camera is locked with whatever settings you dial in. The exposure lock is for the auto modes P, TV, AV.

So point up at the sky, get your starting point and back off until your sky and ambient light are where you want them and then use the flash to round it all out.

They're your pictures so you can't really do it wrong. As long as you get the results you want you're good to go.

Yes I understand the manual mode, you would think otherwise by what I typed :D

I know what you mean about that they are my pictures however people point out good things that I don't notice since I am still so new. The sky being washed out is a prime example. I look at those pics now and hate them so to speak because what you guys pointed out is true and takes away from the focus of the picture. I do still like #1 pic and will use that one. Thanks again for all the feedback.

[ears]

I have read this thread and thread a couple of times and figured I would post how I would shoot it from a exposure/lighting view. I almost always meter in evalutive mode which will meter for the whole scene and make a seat of the pants adjustment. In other words, since you have a bright sky the camera will try to compensate by under exposing which is good. I would also subtract some some exposure compensation by about a half stop or so (your call) to bring out some richer colors in the back ground and then adjust you FEC (flash exposure compensation) up if necessary to properly expose your daughter. I also would shoot in aperature priority mode with the flash set to E-TTl and high speed synch if shutter speed deemed necessary but that's another can of worms.

[D Thompson]

I know what you mean about that they are my pictures however people point out good things that I don't notice since I am still so new. The sky being washed out is a prime example. I look at those pics now and hate them so to speak because what you guys pointed out is true and takes away from the focus of the picture.
Guess I'm by myself here, because the blown sky in these don't bother me - I like the shots as is.

[43 North]

OK guys went out with some of my new knowledge for some more shots. I reeeeealllly love the way these turned out! Please be honest with the CC though. The weather was about the same as yesterday so that was good. All I did was meter the sky and then plug it into M mode took a couple shots and made a couple of small adjustments to exposure to get the background as dark as I wanted. Same flash setup as yesterday as well. To me this technique really adds a nice touch of seperation from the model and background.

This technique really brings out the background detail and color. I love it. My PP time was cut in half as well. All I really did was lighten eyes a tad, bumped sat levels on the colors of clothing, soften a little skin, and bumped contrast just a tad....... that was it, only took a few minutes.

As you can see in #3 we went back to the exact same spot on the railroad tracks as yesterday, to me the shot turned out far better than yesterdays! Let me know what you think!!!

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-5-10.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-5-10 2.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-5-10 3.jpg

[Kristy]

Honest... right....? I'm waiting for the others to chime in.... but..... *sigh*.. .sorry...

I think they are too dark now.. :( I know you put a ton of effort in them, but I would like to see more ambient coming through. Are you bouncing light back to the shadow side of the face with a reflector or anything? I think it would be useful.

I ask because there are lots of shadows on the face... and I would like to see more light in her eyes... let the light wrap around her.... Move your umbrella in closer.. really close like 4-5 feet close... the light should wrap... and just power it down... slow down your shutter and let more ambient in...

Somewhere there is a balance... but that is where the artist comes to play.. One's person's preference, is not necessarily a cup of tea for another person. I like my images pretty light for the most part. I love shadows too, but I use them to create a mood, and usually for B&W shots I think....
Even so.. my light falls of slowly and softly on a face..

Does that make sense... I'm sure someone with a more technical answer will jump in here.. I'm just speaking from a girly-emotional point of view maybe.. anyway..

That was pretty informative, huh...?

Check this lighting by Hatch during our holiday sessions... he posted the lighting diagram.. On a few shots I was climbing through the bushes and mud with a reflector to bring a little fill back in.. lol.. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=9040248&postcount=21

[43 North]

Kristy,
For these shots in winter time with not a ton of color I really like the darker background. Now on #2 and #3 I think it might be too dark, I think #1 is closer to what I want. #1 was one Fstop further open than #2. I could bump the exposure up in PP to lighten them up but I chose not to for these shots.

As for the umbrella, it was just outside of frame view. Within two-three feet in all of the shots. I have another wireless speedlight that I could throw in for fill flash which I agree would help with the face shadows. I am just taking it one step at a time for now. I of course always like your feedback. I hate it when people are not honest about their opinions. God knows I am ;)

[Sam]

I can give a little feedback later tonight. I don't have a lot of time right at the moment.

First thing I would do is run a sharpen filter over these after resizing. They are a little blurry from shrinking them down I think. I use the regular sharpen filer in photoshop in my images after resize.

This style is different from what I would do. I like to keep my shots looking natural as possible and hide the fact I am using a flash best I can.

The last set here has a studio look almost like it was shot against a backdrop.

The ambient light is lower than I would have chosen, but they look fine. Some of the cropping is too tight on the bottom of the frame for me too.

[43 North]

I agree solinger, the more I look at the shots it does look like a fake background.

Well third time will be a charm right? First to light then to dark third ones will hit the spot...... I hope.

I am overall pleased with my progression for only doing this a couple of weeks. :)

[Sam]

No doubt, good job for sure in my opinion. At least you ventured out past the green box :)

[Kristy]

Noting wrong with the background looking fake.... just a little brighter. I know it's dark and gloomy there in the winter... but not a whole stop dark..... :lol:

I say at least your having fun.. and experimenting. Best way to learn is to experiment around. :) Besides your kiddos are so cute.. so your creating nice memories for yourself in the process... :)

[43 North]

Noting wrong with the background looking fake.... just a little brighter. I know it's dark and gloomy there in the winter... but not a whole stop dark..... :lol:

I say at least your having fun.. and experimenting. Best way to learn is to experiment around. :) Besides your kiddos are so cute.. so your creating nice memories for yourself in the process... :)

Indeed. Have to go back to work tomorrow after 5 days off...... I will be itching for Friday to roll around to go do some more shoots. My wife is going to be my outdoor model this time and HOLD STILL for me. :D

Hope to nail some really good shots this next time around. As for the kids, Tootsie Rolls go a long ways. :lol:

[43 North]

OK so here goes from today's shots. Same general area as the other day. My wife was not as photogenic today because she HATES the cold and it was about 28 degrees today during the shoot. Here are the best ones that turned out. Forgot the setup shot but used two 430EX through umbrellas. One for main camera right and one for fill camera left. Ratio setup for lights was main light 3:1 if I remember correctly.

I didn't tell her that her coat and underclothes made her look a little heavier than usual :p I am happy with these shots for the most part. I have just made up my mind that winter shooting in an area like this is just pretty blah. Spring time will be much better.

Anyway let's start the CC on these ones!!!

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-9-10.jpg

http://www.43northphotography.com/pictures/1-9-10 3.jpg

[scrumpy]

What is it with you people putting kids on railway tracks for the sake a snapshot?

[Sam]

OK so here goes from today's shots. Same general area as the other day. My wife was not as photogenic today because she HATES the cold and it was about 28 degrees today during the shoot. Here are the best ones that turned out. Forgot the setup shot but used two 430EX through umbrellas. One for main camera right and one for fill camera left. Ratio setup for lights was main light 3:1 if I remember correctly.

I didn't tell her that her coat and underclothes made her look a little heavier than usual :p I am happy with these shots for the most part. I have just made up my mind that winter shooting in an area like this is just pretty blah. Spring time will be much better.

Anyway let's start the CC on these ones!!!



You should be careful :) I'd lose my model for a while if my wife read those comments after I posted up a shot of her :)

With the right lighting and wardrobe choices any location can be a good one. If you are burned out on this one move on to a new spot that has some new challenges. After two weeks you can't be ready to give up until the spring.

I think the lighting on these looks natural and even. If you aren't inspired by the location you are shooting at I can imagine it's going to be tough for you to get really creative with your shots.



What is it with you people putting kids on railway tracks for the sake a snapshot?

It's a cowboy thing. Nothing teaches a little one a lesson like strapping them to railroad tracks. Keeps my kid's rooms clean anyway. :p

[43 North]

Oh I am not ready to give up. Will find some other locations. I am just looking forward to the colors of spring. I agree that the lighting is much better in these ones compaired to the previous shots.

It is just hard at these times because everyone starts complaining how cold they are as soon as they step out of the car........ makes it hard for them to have fun while taking pictures....

[Sam]

You can always take some friends out if you have any with kids that need some pro bono pictures. The kids like running around the park and the parents appreciate the pictures so the complaints minimal.

You're probably ahead of most of us in regards to getting your family out in the cold to take pictures. I drove out to the coast for sunrise last weekend and no one would get out and let me shoot them. It was freezing and windy but between the fog and the rising sun it was a good opportunity for pictures :(

I didn't bring a tripod with me since I planned on pictures of the family, that'll teach me.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/tborquez/January%202010/010310DoranBeach01.jpg

[43 North]

Nice shot Sam! I went ahead and cooled down the white balance a little bit on both of the new shots. I think it took a lot of the orange feeling out of them. I did not do before and afters, sorry....

[Kristy]

Your wife is very pretty...... :)

the lighting on these looks pretty good, although I think you could try to hit the mask of her face a bit more... Or just mask the face and hair in PS.. and do a curves boost..

Here's a 2 minuted or less edit... curves boost masked to her face and hair.., increased saturation, and dodged the highights in her eyes just to give them a bit more life... another curves adjust to darken the bg a bit more for drama.. just a bit though..

I'm sure I over did the eyes.. but it was quick and sloppy.. lol...

Here's where I landed... I hope you don't mind, and I can remove it if you like.. just say the word.. no offence will be taken. :)

Hope it helps a bit...