CC too dark?

mamaof2 wrote in post #18078632

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Kxc7​5i Untitled by mamaof2wi, on Flickr

yup.

Yup. Im sure the camera's meter said it was properly exposed but you need to know when to use exposure compensation

The backlighting looks nice on the hair. The face is a bit dark, but not unpleasantly so. The left arm looks really dark to me, especially in contrast with the dress.

You're almost a stop under exposed. You should also consider cropping out the sky since it adds nothing to the image, but draws the eye away from your subject.

A little flash-fill on the subject would work wonders.

bob_r wrote in post #18078676
You should also consider cropping out the sky since it adds nothing to the image, but draws the eye away from your subject.

yup.

i wouldn't say it's unusable too dark...you could probably bring up the shadows in post...as you can see from your other shots on flickr, if you expose for her then the flowers are blown out...so no matter what, if you're not using flash you'd have to find a balance and try and push an pull the exposure...the main thing wrong with this one is that the focus is on the flowers an not her eyes

DreDaze wrote in post #18078706
the main thing wrong with this one is that the focus is on the flowers an not her eyes

I have a similar experience when looking at it. Specifically, the large flower areas and the dress pull my attention away from the girl because they're the brightest things around.

Almost all the girl's skin is in the shade. That, I think, makes it tricky to have so much white around her. The white makes her seem darker than if she were surrounded by neutral (medium) tones.

OhLook wrote in post #18078712
I have a similar experience when looking at it. Specifically, the large flower areas and the dress pull my attention away from the girl because they're the brightest things around.

Almost all the girl's skin is in the shade. That, I think, makes it tricky to have so much white around her. The white makes her seem darker than if she were surrounded by neutral (medium) tones.

oh i meant the actual focus...if you look at the larger version on flickr the flowers are sharp, and she's not

Great potential for a lovely shot but focus is the main problem - I think you could have stopped down considerably, and underexposed.

Just a note that this is my daughter. I just take pics for fun. Wanted to make sure you knew no clinet is getting this pic

Thank you so much for all the great feedback! I did have my husband holding a reflector but the sun was to far gone to get any to bounce off..ugh. I didnt notice my miss focus..darn it. Guess im a little rusty and need to pic up my camera more
I will take all your feedback and edit more and try and save the photo. Being its just for us i can deal with the miss focus haha.

Thanks!

If you had added a pinch of flash, off-camera of course, I think you would've had a remarkable portrait here.

As said before, I think the main issues is the focus. If you shot in raw you can easily bring up the shadows and maybe use some local brushes for further enhancements.

P.S.: Love the mood of the photo!

Dr_BigHead wrote in post #18078889
As said before, I think the main issues is the focus. If you shot in raw you can easily bring up the shadows and maybe use some local brushes for further enhancements.

P.S.: Love the mood of the photo!

I did shoot in raw..I am not very good at editing and work almost always in LR but do have PS also (on the cloud).

Thanks!