difficult light, how to improve next time

[Ubo_Pakes]

Hi all,

This weekend I was out with a meeting of my wife's womens organization in one of the urban poor areas in Cebu City, Philippines. As always in these occasions, there are plenty of kids around there and more often then not, they are just too happy to cooperate in exchange for seeing their picture.

This girl was standing in a jeepney (local transport, some kind of minibus) and I loved her face and expression right away. Coming home, I noticed that parts are over and parts are underlighted. At the time of taking the picture, I didn't notice. What could I have done to prevent this. Apart from moving her to the shade on the other side of the jeepney that is :-)

Thanks for your suggestions

ubo
Flickr: ubo_pakes' Photostream



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Date Time = 2010-09-05 21:20:43
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Date Time Original = 2010-09-05 14:59:25
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[edbayani]

maybe you should have told her to move back farther inside the jeep so she would be totally under the shade. another way, next time, use a fill in flash with the proper adjustments.
This is hard to post process since there is no detail in the washedout portions but not impossible.
the child is very pretty, very nice eyes.

[BigFuzzy]

In the end, it's a basic case of not having even light on the subjects face (as said by edbayani). You need to get her face in even lighting considitions, either fully in the light or fully in the open shade. The contrast between the highlights and shadows is just too extreme.

[Ubo_Pakes]

Thanks guys for the comments. Next time I'll have a better look at the conditions and not only the cute girl :-)