All dressed up

[gimmie5]

I wanted to get a photo of my son in his tux before his big ring bearer moment this weekend. From a mom perspective I love the photo and will print it no matter what, but am wondering about the color in his face. Does it look OK? Also, is the background alright or is it a bit distracting? I took the photo in front of a historical Inn.

EXIF:
Nikon D60
1/320
f4.5
75mm
ISO 400
No flash
White Balance Cloudy

[ttosifa]

I think this is a great photo! What do you see when you sit back and look at it? I personally see his eyes, with no distractions. For me, that is what I want in photos like this.

If you were so inclined, you might crop so that his hand and thumb were removed. I personally would not as it seems to add a little of his personality to the photo.

I would not regard the background as distracting, even if you did not mention that it was at a historic inn where (I suppose) the wedding took place. But knowing that, then the bit of historic inn in the picture becomes part of the subject of the photo (where it was taken is important in context), so it definitely would not be distracting. It's part of your memory of the event.

As for the color, it is important to realize there are (at least) two sources of light with different colors. One is the ambient color produced by the sun. Another more subtle light source is the light reflected from the surrounding greenery. The second is going to give a slight green cast. Checking the CMYK numbers in your photo, it appears that some areas that should be neutral (white shirt, black/gray suit) are indeed neutral in some spots, but in other spots have a slight greenish cast, consistent with light reflected from the surrounding greenery. So to your eye, the photo might sometimes seem a bit greenish. So overall, I'd say the color is very good since you got the important colors right. I would not worry about it a bit. Just look at it as an accurate rendition of what your eyes saw when you took the photo.

If it were my kid, I'd hang this on my wall in a heartbeat.

[gimmie5]

Thanks so much for your reply! The mommy in me loved it right away, as did Grandma, but I wanted to check on a few of the technical things in order to learn for next time. I'm pretty sure in this picture that he is standing right where a gravel driveway meets the grass, so what you say about the greenish cast makes perfect sense.

And you asked what I see when I first sit back and look. I too see his brown eyes, which is what I was hoping for. I just wasn't sure if the black house lights in back compete for attention.

Thanks again!