(Shooting / Exposing for dark and lite skin colors)

Take a light meter reading or use a grey card; the skin color may be different but the light is the same. Just make sure that neither the highlights or shadows are clipped, which can still happen.

20droger wrote in post #5909433
...the question is:

When skin tones and/or attire call for entirely different exposures, what is the photographer to do do obtain a well balanced shot?

This is hardly a new problem. I remember a discussion years ago about the problems of a double head shot of Guinan and Data (Whoopi Goldberg and Brent Spiner) on Star Trek:The Next Generation. If their cinematographers, as highly experienced professionals, had problems on a controlled set, what are we lesser mortals to do working with what nature provides?

My "Wedding photographer's nightmare" a few posts back was only slightly tongue in cheek. But I did see that no-one posted a solution.

My solution? Expose for whatever is the most important or the most difficult (in this case, probably the bride's very dark face), bracket the exposure by two stops, use photoshop to further adjust the exposures, and then cut and paste the images. Naturally, shoot in raw.

If only one shot can be taken (no bracketing), then be prepared for a lot more dodging and burning work.

It is possible to obtain a well-balance image that can be presented to the B&G with pride in one's workmanship. But be prepared to have to work for it.

Its very simple to keep the different skin tones exposed properly but yes, introduce the extra troublesome variable of one very white wedding dress and one black tux and it gets a little complicated. Personally, if you only have a one shot opportunity (indoor, poor light) I would expose the white dress at +2 so it doesnt get blown out. Then you can create multiple layers in photoshop for the different skin tones and adjust, mask out and blend accordingly. It might be too much to try and retrieve the detail in the black tux, even using raw but at least you would have correctly exposed skin tones and viewable detail in that same white dress.

conkeroo wrote in post #5910253
Its very simple to keep the different skin tones exposed properly but yes, introduce the extra troublesome variable of one very white wedding dress and one black tux and it gets a little complicated. Personally, if you only have a one shot opportunity (indoor, poor light) I would expose the white dress at +2 so it doesnt get blown out. Then you can create multiple layers in photoshop for the different skin tones and adjust, mask out and blend accordingly. It might be too much to try and retrieve the detail in the black tux, even using raw but at least you would have correctly exposed skin tones and viewable detail in that same white dress.

And lets face it - who really cares about the detail of the tux? The groom? Not if he wants a quiet married life!:p

neilwood32 wrote in post #5910284
And lets face it - who really cares about the detail of the tux? The groom? Not if he wants a quiet married life!:p

Too true! And its the mother of the bride, not the bride you'd have to deal with if you didnt capture that dress properly. Which brings up another question: how much does one value ones legs!!

conkeroo wrote in post #5910350
Too true! And its the mother of the bride, not the bride you'd have to deal with if you didnt capture that dress properly. Which brings up another question: how much does one value ones legs!!

Sometimes it is the mother of the bride, sometimes it is the bride, and often it is BOTH! In these days where the bride and groom often are responsible for the wedding arrangements and the mother is footing the cost of the gown, it is the bride's wedding not the mother's.

Wilt wrote in post #5910397
Sometimes it is the mother of the bride, sometimes it is the bride, and often it is BOTH! In these days where the bride and groom often are responsible for the wedding arrangements and the mother is footing the cost of the gown, it is the bride's wedding not the mother's.

Your right... and I was kidding...

My three biggest wedding pains, in order...

1. Wedding planners (who usually think they are God).

2. Mothers of the bride (who usually KNOW they are God).

3. Bridezillas.

What a great thread. This has answered some of my biggest problems. We have an interracial family and my daughter-in-law is always so pale in family photos. She has very blue undertones. This will give me something to practice.

Also, I would think bracketing would be a good idea in these bridal situations. And how about taking a separate shot of the grooms attire alone in good light so it can be used later for masking and filling in the bad exposure shots?

Christine Mitchell wrote in post #5912942
Also, I would think bracketing would be a good idea in these bridal situations. And how about taking a separate shot of the grooms attire alone in good light so it can be used later for masking and filling in the bad exposure shots?

If the light permits 2 quick shots in succession then absolutely. But if in the case of low light/slow shutter speed, the chance of the groom moving out of position is very probable and wouldnt perfectly overlay on the original shot. But sure you could still work with it...

If time permits, I would meter on each of the principle objects (bride's face, groom's face, bride's dress, etc.), then take a series of bracketed shots in quick succession, each cluster centered on the proper exposure for one of the principle objects. This would give me something to work with in post processing.

Christine, your pale daughter-in-law give you the perfect opportunity to do some experiments and share with us. We are very interested.