1st Studio attempt - Savannah

[michaelpieren]

Hi All,

Purchased a 3 softbox kit. This is a shot of my niece from my first attempt at studio lighting. Have boosted saturation a bit and altered contrast with software provided with camera. Will purchase Elements soon. I realize background is a bit bothersome. Shot may be a little soft. Your suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

F2.8
1/200 sec
ISO 400
51mm

[SusanH1970]

The increased saturation seems to have blown the red channel and her hair has an odd green cast to it. Increasing contrast too much does funny things to skin, too.

Do you have a SOOC you can post? Also your EXIF as the critique forum rules ask for.

[michaelpieren]

Thanks for responding SusanH1970.
Forgive me I'm somewhat new to this.
I added the shot info to original post. Is there a way to attach it to the pics I upload?
I used a manual wb of 5500K to match the softboxes.
Not sure what SOOC is, but imagine it is the original untouched photo.
Unfortunately I didn't make a copy before messing around with the sliders.
I've attached a couple untouched photos from the shoot.
361 was shot at f3.5, 1/125, ISO200, 60mm
489 was shot at f2.8, 1/400. ISO400, 64mm

Thanks again!

[SusanH1970]

You're welcome, Michael.

Just posting your EXIF as you did is just fine.

In the 2nd shot you posted, the WB is definitely off. She looks a bit green/yellow. Using custom white balance with a grey card will help you out immensely! Both of the unedited photos look underexposed to me (though the color of the 2nd one, the closeup of her face, looks better).

I hope you don't mind, I had a quick play at an edit. I can take it down, just say the word if you'd rather I didn't! Still nowhere near perfect, but for something done so quicky, I hope it gives you an idea of what can be done with such a lovely portrait. I do like the lighting.

1. Opened in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) and adjusted color and bumped exposure, saved as a .dng.
2. Opened in CS2. Used spot healing brush on blemishes, brightened eyes a bit. Used my buddy Vinnie's skin-softening tutorial to further enhance skin (I myself use Imagenomic's Portraiture and prefer it, but this is a wonderful option that you can use if you get Photoshop - not sure if you can do the same in Elements, though...)
3. Resized and sharpened a bit.

Again, please let me know if you'd rather I didn't edit your image and I'll remove it right away.

[michaelpieren]

Nice SusanH!

Your editing is fine with me. I am on a learning curve so all the advice I can get is very much appreciated. Seeing what you have done step by step and then visually seeing the results is helpful.

Will eventually get Photoshop, but also am going to jump to the other side and get a Mac. Didn't want to shell out the bucks for PS till then. Thought I would start with Elements for less $$ till I get the Mac.

Will definitely use a gray card next time. It was a lot of fun shooting with Savannah. Can't wait till we do it again! Hopefully with better results.

Thanks again!

[SusanH1970]

Thanks, Michael! You had a solid SOOC image to start with, so good for you! Glad you didn't mind the play. BTW you were correct - "SOOC" stands for "Straight Out Of Camera".

I started with Elements 7. Elements is AWESOME for getting used to Photoshop, and when you get comfortable with it, the learning curve isn't so huge when upgrading to a CS version.

Keep shooting.....you've got some raw talent and I'm looking forward to seeing you grow as a photographer!

ETA: A LOT of folks will want to argue with me, but why get a Mac? I have a PC and I do just fine, as do many photographers I know (including seriously major pros that kick my a$$). Some argue that Mac is better for imaging, but simply calibrating for a lot less money is a great option.

[michaelpieren]

Well Susan...I too think Mac's may be better at imaging, but am sure they are better for music recording which is something else I do.
I like the idea that Apple makes the hardware and the software for their computers. Also, 90 some percent of all viruses are written for the Windows operating system. Lots of holes in there. Plus I think they look cool!

Thanks again for your help.