Few pics

[Evertking]

I am having a problem with my highlights. It's mostly with strobes. I use a handheld meter and get the correct exposure. But when I open it up in camera raw I have this blown out, blotchy look. In the histogram the right side had lots of room. If I push the whites to set a white point, it's way blown out way before the highlights warning and touching the side and clipping. It's got me confused

 

[Evertking]

Here is one example

Well that's a bad example. Now I have it uploaded it looks like a good exposure.
Ok I attached a image that I tried to set a white point on.
Ok.. the two histogram represent out of camera and when I try and set a white point and in doing so... Looks like crap.
Am I thinking in too much on the white point and just go with my eye?

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Wow, she almost smiled! I really like that background in Number 2.

 

[ronlane]

Those look good to me. I'm not really seeing any blown out highlights unless it is on the nose of him and her lips. How far away are your lights and what modifiers are you using?

 

[Evertking]

Those look good to me. I'm not really seeing any blown out highlights unless it is on the nose of him and her lips. How far away are your lights and what modifiers are you using?

I used a 36in in these photos and I read that you should keep the light distance at the diameter of the box, so about 3ft.

 

[smoke665]

If I push the whites to set a white point, it's way blown out way before the highlights warning and touching the side and clipping.

And this could be your problem. We sometimes take for granted that we can push and pull the raw file, somehow magically generating data where none was before. In reality you're not generating new, you're splitting what you have. Split it to thin and you get noise and banding. Are you sure you're not underexposing? Both of the histogram samples you posted under, one slightly under, the second quite a bit. The other thing is the lack of data in midtones and highlights.

When you say you're metering, how are you metering? Are you taking an incident reading toward each light to set the lights and an incident reading pointed at the camera to set the exposure? You don't have the white dome slid over to reflective? Finally is your meter calibrated to your camera?

 

[DanOstergren]

Your exposures look great to me. To be honest, blowing highlights is one of those "rules" that I personally try not to follow too closely, along with many of the other "rules" that photographers seem to set for themselves. If you're not careful, striving for perfection can result in a sterilized and boring photograph. Give yourself some freedom to express yourself without limitations.

For example, I love the contrast in the unedited version of the gentleman's portrait, but feel like your editing in the final image lost it's "punch" by getting rid of that contrast, essentially reducing the overall impact of the shot. I think the portrait of the girl could also benefit from a brighter, somewhat more contrasty edit, rather than the "safe" edit you did.
Just out of curiosity, do you edit in photoshop? If so, how do you apply contrast? I find I get really amazing results by making an "S" curve using a Curves adjustment layer.

 

[Derrel]

Keep at it.