Lighting Nightmare! Please help!

[FocalFrenzy]

I took this shot with the available lighting because the woman in the photo is disabled and could not reposition herself into more favorable light. She is sitting under 3 of those cork-screw flourescent lights, with a window over her right shoulder. The lights make the skintones too red, and the window makes the skintones too blue (pale and unnatural). The following shot (edited), was acceptable to her, as the kitten was the subject she wanted focus on anyway. If anyone knows how I could have gotten a better shot (without editing), please let me know.

[FocalFrenzy]

I converted the image to Black and White, then selectively colored in the kitten. I also cropped out the window over her shoulder, which killed all chances of following the rule of thirds. Any help would be great. Thanks.

[FrankenPengie]

Here's my try.



Adjusted curves to brighten the darker areas. Used a little darken brush on a couple of spots. Despeckled and an unsharp mask. Then B&Wed the background.

[jdepould]

Flash bounced off the ceiling. Those compact fluorescent bulbs are a gift from satan.

[tjwExperience]

FocalFrenzy,

EDIT: I didn't see the portion where you said without editing. Sorry about that. I will still leave my response....Thanks

To me the background is to distracting. I would have tried an aperture that would have put the background a little more out of focus. This is my quick 5 min edit.



Remember this is quick edit. It could be much better, I am just trying to show how a more out of focus background would draw more attention to the picture.

[FrankenPengie]

Sorry FocalFrenzy, I'm an idiot. They do say that reading is fun demental, do they not?

If you can't bounce light very well, a bit of white paper over the flash softens and spreads it's effect. My camera has an adjustable flash level so I can tone it up or down. Also some foil taped onto a chunk of cardboard to reflect light up. She could hold the kitten with one hand and the board with the other. Just need to make sure the foil is crumpled.

BTW, could she have turned her head, and you have moved to allow more favorable light from the window?

[WooD]

Everyone else gave it a shot, figure I wood too.

[wulf]

Don't be afraid of editing. In professional portraits it is still often the difference between a good and a great result. Having said that, it is important to get the best starting point before going into the digital darkroom.

One idea that several of the shots illustrate is that a wider aperture, blurring the background, works very well for portraiture. I don't know how much that is an option with the camera in question but is worth bearing in mind.

Another suggestion (beyond the good ideas about diffused, low power flash and using a reflector) is that, although the woman may not be able to move much, you could try positioning yourself somewhere else. With the other tools as well, you might find a position that gives a better play of light on her face (and the kitten's face) and a less distracting background.

Wulf

[RussHeath]

FocalFrenzy -- What camera/flash are you using? This is one of those shots and situations that would really benefit from an off-camera strobe. One concept in flash photography is how far "above" or "below" the ambient lighting you are. If you turn up a strobe far enough and set your camera to expose correctly for the strobe's light, you can easily overpower the ambient light to the point where it won't contribute significantly to the final picture. I don't know if you have access to that kind of setup, but IMO it's the best solution to this type of problem. I would have put the flash on the side where the fluorescent is coming from and turned it up enough to completely overpower any ambient light. A reflector (car sunshade works well) on her other side could serve for fill-light.

[aetnajojo]

Some cameras provide a setting for flourescent light. I think this setting provides a blue filter to counteract a yellow-red cast. Does your camera have this setting?