Need help fixing this...

[misstwinklytoes]

I took these pics and they're good pics of a girl who doesn't normally smile. I'd like to make it them decent (not so bright). Is there any hope?

 

[oldmacman]

She has a lot of sun on her face in the first pic. and deep shadows in the eyes on the second. Have you tried curves, levels and recovery?

 

[misstwinklytoes]

I tried playing with the curves, but it really didn't look good. I'm still learning PP, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[misstwinklytoes]

It doesn't help that she's SO pale to begin with. This is my family so, I guess I can talk.

 

[oldmacman]

I tried playing with the curves, but it really didn't look good. I'm still learning PP, so any help would be appreciated.

I would have tried PP on the pic, but you have a "do not edit" warning.
I would have tried:
- adjusting mid-hilights down
- adjust exposure down
- Adjust highlights down
- I'd have to see where that takes me before going any further

 

[misstwinklytoes]

Yeah I should fix that. I think I misunderstood that when I signed up for the forums. Feel free to try it if you want.

 

[KmH]

Is the original a JPEG file, or a RAW file?

If it's a JPEG, there is not enough editing headroom to 'fix' the photo.

Few good outdoor portraits can be made without supplimental lighting.

Explore how to use spot metering, open shade, and fill lighting.

 

[vtf]

I attempted but because of the pale skin and her in direct sunlight you'll never get a great photo without some help. When available shade can help.

 

[misstwinklytoes]

Thanks a ton. I should have shot in Raw! I could kick myself for not checking that. Reshoot necessary!

 

[robyn_fresh]

I'm not a fan of the second one. The first one is good, but I think it would benefit from adding a little blur to the background.

 

[Bryce]

If I was doing this one I would have sped up the shutter and used a flash. The fast shutter tones down the brightness and the fash gets rid of the shodow or lessens it.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Here it is. You want to fix the contrast, but then again you dont want to show more of her freckles.

 

[KmH]

Thanks a ton. I should have shot in Raw! I could kick myself for not checking that. Reshoot necessary!

The goal is to get it right in the camera so it doesn't need to be fixed. There are basic things that need to be done to all photos like color correcting and sharpening but.....

Don't shoot at mid-day in direct sunlight, unless you have lighting powerful enough to overpower the Sun, or a way to create your own open shade, which really isn't to hard.

There are few portrait shooting situations that don't require the photographer use supplimental lighting or some kind.

The minimum is a good reflector or 2. Better still is off camera lighting.

For location shooting more and more photographers are opting for a light weight minimalist approach that has been driven in large part by David Hobby and his Strobist web site www.strobist.com.

I also recommend the inexpensive book:
Minimalist Lighting Professional Techniques for Location Photography by Kirk Tuck.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OXpPDl58Nc[/ame]

 

[gsgary]

If I was doing this one I would have sped up the shutter and used a flash. The fast shutter tones down the brightness and the fash gets rid of the shodow or lessens it.

All a fast shutter does is let in less ambient light so it looks flashed, you need to match the ambient and flash then you can make the background darker by using a faster shutter speed , or blow out the background by using a slower shutter speed, when you are mixing flash and ambient shutter speed controls ambient and aperture controls flash
Here's one from yesterday where i used a slightly faster shutter speed to make the background a bit darker

 

[misstwinklytoes]

Thank you all for your suggestions and comments! I am still learning and this is the stuff I need to learn.

Working with my lighting is the hardest part of learning...