consistency in color from 1 headshot to another

Greetings and thanks for your consideration of this question.

I have a number of corporate headshots across the country that I am shooting for a client. The biggest complaint of the current headshots is inconsistency in color be it skin tone and background.

I use a gray card however I get very disappointing and inconsistent results. I used a gray background with 2 lights for the existing portraits. I end up sampling with the picker on the background.

Fortunately we have eliminated the background light so the possibility of inconsistency from the background light and Key light is eliminated.

I know I need a better gray card. Anyone know the best one to buy? I purchased one and is plastic. It shoots very blue.

My camera is a Mrkiii and my raw editing is Capture 1. I use a small octodome on a Dyna-lite.

* Or is the question "how do I get my monitior more consistent?" I tether when I capture but use a iMAC 27" to process. Both monitors get calibrated.

schewitt wrote in post #18647485
Greetings and thanks for your consideration of this question.

I have a number of corporate headshots across the country that I am shooting for a client. The biggest complaint of the current headshots is inconsistency in color be it skin tone and background.

I use a gray card however I get very disappointing and inconsistent results. I used a gray background with 2 lights for the existing portraits. I end up sampling with the picker on the background.

Fortunately we have eliminated the background light so the possibility of inconsistency from the background light and Key light is eliminated.

I know I need a better gray card. Anyone know the best one to buy? I purchased one and is plastic. It shoots very blue.

My camera is a Mrkiii and my raw editing is Capture 1. I use a small octodome on a Dyna-lite.

* Or is the question "how do I get my monitior more consistent?" I tether when I capture but use a iMAC 27" to process. Both monitors get calibrated.

Examples of your issue?

A couple of things I'd consider:

1. Do you have too much ambient light leaking in on your mobile studio?
2. Your portable lights could be bouncing off of other surfaces in the vicinity such as low ceilings, desks, colored walls, etc...

This should be more accurate then a grey card as it will use software in Lightroom to ensure all of the colors are accurate.I don't ahve one personally, but i sure do need one. X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

https://www.amazon.com …ef=pd_sl_5skveh​eys6_b_p38

Thank you.You are correct about the many possible reflecting colors surrounding the many different places we shoot these. However, I believe in theory a gray card should always be able to bring the color back to its proper gray balance. What i am noticing is a color/contrast shift from one person to another in the same session.

I'm baffled. I go back to the monitor drifting and possibly the window light that changes in my office through out the day.

Some light sources, especially cheap office light, will flicker with the electric cycle. So if it is present in the exposure, it will easily change from shot to shot.

With decent strobes you should be able to stop down enough to eliminate most ambient light. If you have already done that then the issue is with the strobes/lights.

What issues with the strobes should I be looking into?

THX!

schewitt wrote in post #18648823
What issues with the strobes should I be looking into?

It's not the strobes but the natural or artificial ambient light. Either the shifting white balance from the natural light or the shifting output of overhead fluorescent.

The solution to both is the overpower them with strobes.

schewitt wrote in post #18647936
....I go back to the monitor drifting and possibly the window light that changes in my office through out the day.

The monitor would have to be really badly broken to drift during a single session.

I have never used a gray card but have had no issues with an X-Rite Passport and processed with CaptureOne.

I use a WhiBal card and have had no problems keeping my color balance within reasonable limits IF and ONLY IF my lights provide virtually the only illumination for the image. Opening the image in Adobe Camera RAW, I use the white balance eye dropper to balance out the color...

The big advantage to using strobes for lighting a portrait is that I can overwhelm the ambient light.

If I am shooting in my studio, I like to have the strobes as my only light source with the modeling lights as the only working illumination. If you are using strobes that do not have modeling light such as hotshoe flashes, - you could eliminate the ambient light impact with a very high shutter speed.

I would recommend using a standardized setup with the lights in the same relative positions and I would definitely recommend using the same type of background throughout the series of portraits.

To reduce inconsistencies in color and light from location to location you need to control your environment at each location. This means reducing or negating all outside light sources at the locations. In office buildings this can often be easily done by requesting a room away from any windows. Room lights are easier to control than light leaking in from windows. Set your camera settings so the only light being registered on the sensor are the ones you introduce. By keeping your light placement (specially the background light) consistent from location to location you can get better results. I use a string meter for consistency as it allows me to place the lights consistently to the background all the time (6 feet is 6 feet no matter where you go).

Hope this helps.