Can you please give me some cc on this photo?

[photomama3]

This is a photo of my parents and my children - Can you please give me some cc on the photo? Is it too dark? Do you think the effect works with this photo - with the aging skin, this effect flattered my parents best.


Nana, Papa & Boys by lindseymama3, on Flickr

Is this anyone better?


Everyone by lindseymama3, on Flickr

 

[McCoy]

Im a beginner, but I like the photo. It may be a bit too dark though, especially in the bottom right corner.

 

[rateeg]

underexposed

 

[photomama3]

Is this one better?


Everyone by lindseymama3, on Flickr

 

[KmH]

Dappled sunlight makes it virtually impossible to make an accurate exposure.

The high camera perspective is not flattering, but the photo is not bad for a snapshot kind of look.

 

[480sparky]

Too much contrast.... the hair on three of them has no detail, while the white shirt is nearly blown out in spots. Skin tones are a bit dark, and the lighting, while 'flattering', is spotty and mottled.

Despite that, it's a great spontaneous candid shot.

 

[photomama3]

Thanks a ton for the feed back!! That is exactly what I was hoping for? What would you have done to improve this shot or was the location (under the shady tree) not a good choice? Also, is it common to have to shoot quickly with children (specially very active children) or should I have been more verbal about how I expected the people (in this case, my parents and children) to pose? I told them to just play and I would try to capture whatever I could. I like a more candid shot, but more than anything...I like a more professional looking shot.

 

[KmH]

Professional looking comes from carefully controlled lighting, and making a posed shot look like a candid shot.

If the shade was solid and not dappled closer to the trunk of the tree the location may still have worked.

Pros shooting outside still use strobed light (flash) most of the time. If they don't have natural open shade available, they make some, using a diffuser between the subject and the sun.

Outdoor portraits are still made using tried and true photographic lighting technique. There is no avoiding learning how to light if you want to make pro looking photos. A photographer may put the subject(s) in open shade and use the bright sky as a main light, with some light from a reflector(s) to add facial shadow modeling or to fill deep shadows, but as often as not they use strobed light from off the camera as part of the lighting mix.

Jeff Smith's Lighting for Outdoor & Location Portrait Photography

Off-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Photographers

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

 

[photomama3]

KmH - thanks for the book suggestions. I am finishing up "Understanding Exposure" and will move on to lighting next.