Last minute shots....

[bronadui]

I had to take some quick shots yesterday of my kids and my sister-in-law's kids.....I had very little warning, no prep time and no equipment other than my camera with me (not that I own any, but I would have tried to figure out something for a reflector if I had known!).

So. The one thing I know I should have done that I completely spaced out on is set my white balance....I had it on Auto.

I am looking for what I should have done to get better colour and to try to prevent the shading on their faces. The kids refused to turn any more towards the sun, it was really bright, as you can tell by the blown out spots. With it being so short notice, I hadn't had a chance to bone up on how to do outdoor shots in bright side light.....I'm still a newbie

So, to do this again, what should I do differently? Any and all advice is welcome and very appreciated!!

Exif:
1/200s
f/7.1
ISO:200
Focal length 80.mm

[denja]

You did an admirable job considering that you didn't have a reflector. I keep an old bed sheet in my trunk for such situations. Also, with an 80mm lens at that shooting distance, fill flash would have worked well, even if it were only popup flash. Keep up the good work!

Jim

[wmbtaylor]

It appears that the light is coming from Camera right. I think this is a great picture of the kids but had you turned 90 degrees to where the sun was shining on their faces it might have made a better shot. The light looks soft enough that it wouldn't have blown them out.

The only other thing I think I would have done differently would be to have the dark haired girl a little farther back and angled in the same way as the other girls.

Having the boy in the back seems right to me.

Nice shot. And buy a white sheet and keep it in the car. I am planning on this peice of advice for myself.

[constructivecriticism]

Originally Posted by wmbtaylor

It appears that the light is coming from Camera right. I think this is a great picture of the kids but had you turned 90 degrees to where the sun was shining on their faces it might have made a better shot.

Originally Posted by bronadui

The kids refused to turn any more towards the sun

One recommendation I could make is to put it in Av mode and click down the aperature to as small a number as the lens would allow you. This would have allowed for more bokeh, which would have been welcomed in this situation. Zooming in while moving back would have also helped blur out the background..

I'd also vote to move the boy closer to the group, as he seemes a bit lost back there. The diffusor would have been helpful, but with no prep time, post-processing might help diminish the light on their faces. Would also help with the white balance you mentioned it required.

Best of luck.