The boyfriend, fiance to be....

[lisameowrie]

Using new 26" rapid box and 50mm 1.8f prime lens.

 

[BrickHouse]

Very nice portrait. Welcoming, relaxed. gives a feel for his personality.

 

[fjrabon]

Nice. White balance seems a touch cold. Soft boxes typically need a custom white balance set.

 

[lisameowrie]

What do you suggest?

 

[fjrabon]

What do you suggest?

I'm a big fan of expo discs, but they're expensive

A simple grey card that your subject holds up for a quick test shot to set your white balance should suffice though.

 

[lisameowrie]

I am normally taking photos of pets. What can I do in that situation? Could I use a gold reflector?

 

[Vtec44]

Fiance to be????

 

[tirediron]

What do you suggest?

Cut to the chase. The expo disc is good (I use one sometimes), but the X-Rite ColourChecker Passport is the dog's bollocks!

A couple of thoughts on the image; watch your backgrounds: I see a horizontal line I assume is the back of his chair/chesterfield, and what looks like a bit of picture-frame image left. As well, raising your lights a tad might not hurt either.

 

[ronlane]

Cut to the chase. The expo disc is good (I use one sometimes), but the X-Rite ColourChecker Passport is the dog's bollocks!

I have an expo disc and I just got a passport and I will admit, the passport is WAY better. Loving it.

 

[fjrabon]

I am normally taking photos of pets. What can I do in that situation? Could I use a gold reflector?

regardless of what light source you're using, be it reflector or flash, or just plain natural light, you'll need to start thinking about white balancing. Your camera is actually ambivalent to what shade of lighting you use, be it yellow (late day sun) or blueish (in the shade outside) or white (a good flash unit). You have to tell your camera what true white/grey is. It can sometimes make a good guess with auto white balance, but this all goes out the window when you begin using flash, because it can't read the flash's white balance mixed with any ambient light prior to taking the picture.

The reason you would use a gold reflector is so that it will better match late afternoon, right before sunset light, because you don't want to have your light sources mixed in color.

 

[lisameowrie]

Enjoyed looking at your portfolio James, beautiful work! Too bad you are not in Chicago! We will need engagement photos and a wedding photographer down the road, late 2016!

Fiance to be????

 

[Derrel]

Ahhhh, the Rapid Box is a Westcott product....looks NICE!!!!

I see it has a silvered interior, which in my experience, often looks a bit "cool" in terms of white balance, compared against white-interior boxes. As far as setting white balance...it's kind of a personal thing. The right white balance is an artistic and aesthetic choice, to a degree. I personally often find white balances in the 5400 to 5775 range actually look good with flash...but then. I have a lot of uncoated flashtubes...

Adobe software can not properly read the encrypted white balance in Nikon .NEF files made since the mid-2000's, and is often wayyyyyyy off in some situations on .NEFs. So...at times, Adobe's "best guess" application of white balance will be significantly off...often as much as 700 degrees Kelvin, or even more.

 

[lisameowrie]

I personally like the cool look with my photographs, but that's just me.
However, I was unaware of the Nikon .NEF file issues with Adobe... hopefully they fix that!!

 

[Vtec44]

Enjoyed looking at your portfolio James, beautiful work! Too bad you are not in Chicago! We will need engagement photos and a wedding photographer down the road, late 2016!

Fiance to be????

Thanks! I was more or less wondering why fiance to be? I mean is he or is he not? How do you know he's going to be your fiance??? Did someone slipped and told you?? However, I'm traveling to Oregon, Texas, Miami, and Scotland this year. I can make a stop at Chicago next year. The plane ticket is only $400

 

[lisameowrie]

Enjoyed looking at your portfolio James, beautiful work! Too bad you are not in Chicago! We will need engagement photos and a wedding photographer down the road, late 2016!

Fiance to be????

Thanks! I was more or less wondering why fiance to be? I mean is he or is he not? How do you know he's going to be your fiance??? Did someone slipped and told you?? However, I'm traveling to Oregon, Texas, Miami, and Scotland this year. I can make a stop at Chicago next year. The plane ticket is only $400

Oh, we've talked about it and I already know he got me a ring! He can't keep surprises.