Soccer portrait- skin tones

[amymnc]

Hey guys! My first share here. I'm still learning to sharpen for the web in lightroom (i kinda stink at that) and don't have photoshop so bear with me please

The skin tones here have given me a royal fit. Also wondering if you see any other problems like color casts. Glasses looked fine in LR, but uploaded here the edges look over sharpened or something weird. I give you all free reign to critique and edit to your heart's content. Have at me, I can take it!

Nikon D40, 18-55 lens set at 18mm, shot in manual, matrix metering
ISO 200 1/250 f3.5
LR and PSPXI for editing (desperately wishing for photoshop)

[PhotoPhix]

Originally Posted by amymnc

Hey guys! My first share here. I'm still learning to sharpen for the web in lightroom (i kinda stink at that) and don't have photoshop so bear with me please

The skin tones here have given me a royal fit. Also wondering if you see any other problems like color casts. Glasses looked fine in LR, but uploaded here the edges look over sharpened or something weird. I give you all free reign to critique and edit to your heart's content. Have at me, I can take it!

Nikon D40, 18-55 lens set at 18mm, shot in manual, matrix metering
ISO 200 1/250 f3.5
LR and PSPXI for editing (desperately wishing for photoshop)

Your skin tones are fine, although the blown out sky is very distracting.


Armando

[WooD]

I don't see anything really wrong with the shot, other than the white sky which is hard to avoid. I love the fact you shot from her level.

I half fixed the sky, and with CS2 I used Brightness/Contrast. Brought up the contrast just a touch, and then darkened the whole image. I also removed the tree or bush coming out of the top of her head.

[deborahinky]

the way this soccer photo was fixed by WooD really made it much better. I have such sympathy for shooting kids who wear glasses. My grandson is 5 and wears glasses.
His glasses are always out of adjustment - just like the girl's in this photo - and it's a nightmare taking photos. I have to remember to really pay attention to his glasses because I'm so used to the problem, I don't notice it. Half the time one of the lens frames is covering up an eye. But with kids, it is what it is, and messed up glasses are just part of the package.
Love the shot.

[James R. Harrison]

[IMG][/IMG]

Your photo is wonderful with great perspective. Adding a gradient map and a few photoshop tricks does help the washed out sky though. Armondo's crop adds to the look of a portrait, but I kinda of like the original photo with cleats and all. Thanks for sharing

[candleman]

nice edit Wood.
i think prettymuch everything was covered there.

i'd probably also remove the fenced off thingy on the right in the background.

great pose.. +1 on that

i'd try keep her glasses straight.
does she have a lazy eye or is one of them just squinting from the angle of her head... IE the glasses distorting her eye shape.

[RLucas]

Here is my take on it. Cropped the sky, cloned out bush over her head, Made a layer, set blend mode to multiply, set opacity to about 50%, made new layer, dodged the catchlights in her eyes, burned around the pupils, and on the outside edge of iris to make her eyes pop a little more. Flattened, and saved. Hope you like it.

[amymnc]

Wow thanks guys! These are great

Originally Posted by candleman

i'd try keep her glasses straight.
does she have a lazy eye or is one of them just squinting from the angle of her head... IE the glasses distorting her eye shape.

I've tried tons of angles with her over the years and there are only a few that make her eyes appear straight, which is odd because in real life unless she is tired or holds her head a certain way most people don't even notice. She was born unable to open it and had surgery...they're not aligned perfectly, lots of issues there, a rare problem similar to strabismus. So we're doing good with just glasses compared to when she was a toddler.

It's tough because the eyes are the main thing in portraits. Maybe this could help somebody else who runs into another child with a similar issue? You have to get really creative with your angles with these kids.

I have another pose where they look perfectly aligned. I'll add that tomorrow- still editing it and I think I can only add one photo a day right?

Thanks again!