First Pics with New AB 800's!!!! (NOT WORK SAFE!!)

[bethany138]

It looks like you're having fun with the new lights! These are really nice shots. There are a couple of things that I noticed:

In #2, she's leaning into the crop. Unless there's a specific reason to do otherwise, I tend to prefer it when the subject leans into the image rather than out. Moving the left crop in or shifting her right in the frame would look more balanced for me. You have some nice even and smooth lighting on her without the deadness of straight on light.

In #3 the relative size distortion of the wide angle lens distracts me. That's another one I don't care for unless there's a specific reason for it. It tends to come of as comical. Her head is too big compared to the size of her legs. It's not drastic, but enough for me to notice. Adding blur exagerates that for me and makes her look even more stretched out. But like I said, it's not over the top.

All four look a touch "dull". In the first one, the white point is off. This means that the white in the image is grey, there's no true white. You don't always need a true white in the final image, but it there's actually white in the scene, it's usually a good idea. Otherwise it can look a little flat. When you do this though, it reveals something else: I think the highlights on her skin are a touch overexposed. Once the whitepoint is set correctly, you lose the smooth tone and the highlights become harsh.

In the other three, the black looks a little dull. The black point is set so that there's no true black in the scene. You can see both cases and fix them with a levels adjustement. There also seems to be a slight red cast in the color images. It's easier to notice in #2. In #3, the white is neutral, but only because it's blown out, but I can see it in her face. If you put the eyedropper in the shadow, where it should be grey (if those actually are white sheets), you get a reading of something like 236/222/222 (R/G/B). Neutral would be 222/222/222, or at least close to the same number. Going with what looks good is more important than the numbers. I found that a slight shift from red to cyan removes the cast and is more pleasing to my eye. Sometimes I like a warmer look, but not so much with all the white and her pale skin. Let me know if you'd like me to post and edit as an example.

Great stuff!

You know your fabulous right?? lol..ok..i will try to work on these... THANKS!