Bridal Portrait

I have been having trouble with WB when it comes to portrait photography so I went out and bought a gray card in order to set a custom WB every time I change lighting. This is the first shoot I utilized the gray card and I thought photos look good but the WB just doesn't look right, but at the same time in this particular photo it gives it a nice warm look. (plus that the model was slightly tan) So what do you think? to warm?

This was PP in CS3 and I set the clarity to -25ish to give it the soft effect. I normally don't use this effect but I thought it looked nice... any thoughts on that would be appreciated as well!

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The color, softness is good -- but I do not like the photo - the one side of her face is too dark -- and her pose is awkward.

The bright window kept taking my attention away from the subject. And secondly, as stathunter said, the pose is not great (her right hand is in a strange place).

I did a crop and lightened the face a bit:

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What I think is that if you put a reflector on the other side it will bring more of her facial details coz she's got some raccoon eyes happening there and as the other ppl here said the pose was awkward. IQ is good.

Thanks for the feed back everyone! I was going for a dramatic effect originally but I think the use of a reflector would have made it better. Also the crop really took care of the window getting to much attention.


clint0914: What does IQ stand for?

rlineberg wrote in post #8245980
Thanks for the feed back everyone! I was going for a dramatic effect originally but I think the use of a reflector would have made it better. Also the crop really took care of the window getting to much attention.

clint0914: What does IQ stand for?

Image Quality

An 18% gray card will give you perfect white balance only if the exposure is correct on the card and on the subject. You cannot be two or three stops off on your gray card exposure and expect to get good white balance on your final image.

Position the subject and take an ACCURATE meter reading of the main light. Make sure the hand held meter and the camera BOTH have the same ISO. Then set your camera at what the meter suggested and make an exposure of the gray card. I usually have the subject hold it for me.

In your image her left arm is way overexposed. My suggestion is to learn how to drive down main street before attempting to drive in the Indy 500.

Benji

Benji wrote in post #8246114
An 18% gray card will give you perfect white balance only if the exposure is correct on the card and on the subject. You cannot be two or three stops off on your gray card exposure and expect to get good white balance on your final image.

Position the subject and take an ACCURATE meter reading of the main light. Make sure the hand held meter and the camera BOTH have the same ISO. Then set your camera at what the meter suggested and make an exposure of the gray card. I usually have the subject hold it for me.

In your image her left arm is way overexposed. My suggestion is to learn how to drive down main street before attempting to drive in the Indy 500.

Benji

Thanks for the insight Benji, I will keep all that in mind for next time.

(not sure if your last comment was an insult or not, but either way your right... I am still learning)

I didn't want to start another post so here is another very similar shot. Critique away please.

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Better shot.. Waayyyy better! Good job. Do you also have a full body shot here? as that would be more interesting.

clint0914 wrote in post #8246435
Better shot.. Waayyyy better! Good job. Do you also have a full body shot here? as that would be more interesting.

Thanks Clint! I do have a full body... but that window is also in the shot.

All I can say for the last one as quick as my eyes can scan coz I am also at work right now is that the bottom piece is overexposed.

More of a full body shot...

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rlineberg wrote in post #8246184
Thanks for the insight Benji, I will keep all that in mind for next time.

(not sure if your last comment was an insult or not, but either way your right... I am still learning)

Not an insult, just wisdom from one who has been there and done that. In 1982 when I first started shooting portraiture I didn't want to do things the way everyone else did them, I wanted to be different. Different poses, different lighting, different everything, I wanted to reinvent the wheel. But after suffering many many setbacks, failed images, mad customers, and shooting hundreds (thousands?) of really really bad images I finally figured out that maybe I should learn how to drive down main street and keep the wheels between the two lines painted on the street, keep the vehicle at the posted speed and shift the gears at the correct time and also know when to apply the brakes and when to accelerate. Then after mastering all of that maybe I could apply to be a driver at the Indy 500.

In the photographic world this translates to:

1. Knowing the basics of how to pose someone.
2. Knowing how to see available light, and if there is no available light knowing HOW to make light.
3. Knowing your equipment and exactly how to use it all the time even in a hurry or under duress.
4. Knowing how to get proper exposure and correct white balance every time.
5. Knowing how to interact with people to put them at ease when photographing them.
6. Knowing the little posing nuances so you can take a good image and make it a great image.
7. Knowing enough Photoshop to take the image from a "diamond in the rough" to a masterpiece.

Benji