Red Heads and Pale Skin

Red Headed women, there is something about the pale, milky white skin that I find attractive.
My question is, how do you guys photograph them, to keep the pale skin the same without it getting washed out or color swing added to the pictures.
Thanks
Don

Before I take portraits , I calibrate my white balance and exposure using a calibration target to get the skin tone right. From there, when your camera is properly calibrated you take the shot. if you have exposure problems then you meter the subjects skin.

If you shoot RAW, you can use saturation controls...skin tones fall into what LR calls 'Vibrance' control

As an example, to the left is how I would ordinarily process a shot with my own standard settings, and to right is the shot with Vibrance reduced.

If you are relying on your camera's light meter, you need to help it out.

If you shoot a black wall, your camera will try to make it grey. If you shoot a white wall, your camera will try to make it grey. The first is overexposed, the second is underexposed.

If you are filling the frame (or the metering area of your frame) with (oh so wonderful) redhead skin, your camera will try to make it darker. It has been programmed to do that.

If you shoot in manual, try overexposing by 2/3 of a stop. If you are shooting in Av, or Tv, adjust your EV up ~2/3...

Like mentioned in the post above, shoot raw and you can play with it in post.

As long as you don't blow out the highlights, you are okay and you have some room to make it like you want it in post. If it's not turned on, turn on your overexposed highlight indicator (not sure the real name, but googling that should find it).

There is nothing like a redhead.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/E4To​sa

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/EA4t​V1

Wilt wrote in post #17920668
If you shoot RAW, you can use saturation controls...skin tones fall into what LR calls 'Vibrance' control

As an example, to the left is how I would ordinarily process a shot with my own standard settings, and to right is the shot with Vibrance reduced.

Wilt.... don't take out too much saturation.... people have natural pink in their skin (even the red heads)... you don't want them to look like zombies.

I deliberately lowered Vibrance considerably, exaggerating for illustration purposes so the OP coiuld see.

Thanks guys
Shooting in RAW, which I do, I don't think I have ever shot in automatic mode.
When everything is right in camera, shouldn't the histogram be mainly in the middle? I use a light meter but My photos seem to come out of camera being to the left on the histogram
Thanks
Don

DigitalDon wrote in post #17922304
When everything is right in camera, shouldn't the histogram be mainly in the middle?

No. The histogram should be correct for the contents of the photo - which is very often NOT in the middle.

If you're shooting a pale-skinned model in a white dress against a white background, the histogram will be way over to the right - which is correct. Were the histogram in the middle, the image would be underexposed. Whites are supposed to be white.


For a low-key portrait against a dark background, the histogram will be way over to the left.

DigitalDon wrote in post #17922304
When everything is right in camera, shouldn't the histogram be mainly in the middle?

The histogram merely shows the brightness and quantity of pixels.

Assuming an incident light meter read 1/60 f/4, in a certain amount of light...

• a shot of a white wall would put ALL pixels near the right edge of the histogram because nothing is black.
  
• a shot of a black piece of foamcore would put ALL pixels near the left edge of the histogram because nothing is white
  
• a shot of an 18% grey card puts all the pixels near the center of the histogram because nothing is white or blacki.
  
  
• and a shot of a target with all three brightnesses creates three peaks in the histogram (like this illustration)
  

In addition to what Wilt is saying... with that information using the calibration target. It will help you get consistent outcome when you use different printers. For example, the Noritzu printer we have at the photo lab needs to have the target to be in pepper exposure white area spiked all to the left to get good exposure for prints. It;s different with other printers FYI. btw Wilt you have your target backwards. black should be camera left so it follows the layout of the histogram

PhilF wrote in post #17922896
btw Wilt you have your target backwards. black should be camera left so it follows the layout of the histogram

Yeah, I figure that with about 12 years of experience in digital using histograms, I don't need the mental crutch of which is which!

It's useful to note that this forum provides a "Histogram" button at the bottom-right corner of an embedded image. Click on the image, hover the pointer in the bottom-right corner, then click "Histogram."

With that tool in hand, let's see some real-world examples. OK, maybe not real-world, welcome to MY world

1. This image is properly exposed. That is, the skin tone is exactly where I want it, and all the important details are clear and visible. Take a look at the histogram.

[Main light is an Elinchrom D-lite with the Maxi-Lite modifier; kicker light is two bare Speedlights, one clamped to each side of the backdrop stand. The blue is an LED stage light that I didn't think would have so much of an impact on the shot, oops]

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/vgv7​eT

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pRNg​wx

Thanks for the great info guys.
I was looking through the redheads thread looking at the pictures and guessing where the histogram would be before I clicked on the histogram, I ran across this photo, before looking at the histogram I guessed it would be to the right (white side)
Photo # 53
https://photography-on-the.net …read.php?t=1327​259&page=4