Portraits C&C

[Rudha]

hi i shot some portraits today i tried using the flash but the pop up flash was really harsh so i did not use it
1.

2.

3.

4.

thanks for viewing.

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

They all look a bit underexposed to me... I really like the B&W one... But I wish her face was easier to see... oh and its not quite centered in the frame...

 

[reznap]

These aren't bad. I like #1 the most, mostly because of the light. Also her shirt really makes her stand out from the background.

Popup flash is actually really good for shots like these, and I wish you hadn't given up on it. It's important to set your exposure for the flash, and set the flash power (flash exposure compensation for the popup flash) to get the correct result. #4 suffers the worst, her face being almost all shadow. You get away with it on #3 I think, it looks good to me.

The thing that's missing most for me though, that flash could have helped with a lot, is eye catchlights. There's tiny ones in 2 I suppose. Having some reflection really brings the eyes to life.

Thanks for sharing, beautiful model.

 

[Rudha]

i thought so too....i keep making the noobie mistake of looking in my lcd the damn thing always makes the photos look ok i should make a habit of reading the histogram

 

[Rudha]

thanks reznap i'll tinker with flash settings next time....the thing i hated most was the flash makes her skin look really weird....i don't know how to explain other than saying the light is not distributed evenly

 

[reznap]

i thought so too....i keep making the noobie mistake of looking in my lcd the damn thing always makes the photos look ok i should make a habit of reading the histogram

You exposed ok for the ambient light, that's where the flash saves you though - giving your subject the correct lighting when the ambient is strong.

Your histogram's probably don't look so bad actually, maybe a stop low on #4 - but all of them have bright highlights that you didn't blow out so I'd submit again that the only problem with these is the lighting, or lack thereof.

thanks reznap i'll tinker with flash settings next time....the thing i hated most was the flash makes her skin look really weird....i don't know how to explain other than saying the light is not distributed evenly

Popup flash does give a harsh, flattening light.. but if you kept the compensation low, it might not have been so bad. You could consider buying or making a popup diffuser. When you're ready to spend some $$ consider an off-camera flash setup and a modifier such as an umbrella maybe?

 

[Rudha]

Popup flash does give a harsh, flattening light.. but if you kept the compensation low, it might not have been so bad. You could consider buying or making a popup diffuser. When you're ready to spend some $$ consider an off-camera flash setup and a modifier such as an umbrella maybe?

i been looking at sb-600s i think i'll buy two and like you said will look into umbrellas or go DIY

 

[reznap]

Just be careful because I don't think you can slave an sb600 with another sb600... I think you need an 800 or 900 for that. Unless you have a higher end Nikon with the 'Creative Lighting System'. I'm not a Nikon guy though so I could be misinformed. Someone else will confirm/deny I'm sure.

 

[Rudha]

thanks for the heads up....i wont be purchasing it any sooner but i'll research before i shall ....actually i saw this segment called confessions of a photographer on youtube and i am craving for a flash ever since ....lol