HELP IS WANTED! PLEASE :)

RachaelRenaesPhotos · Mar 5, 2013

Ok, so I got my Nikon D3100 a few weeks ago. I haven't had very much time to work on it. But I was wondering... How can you set your settings so that the face is bright but it's still clear OR is it post processing? I love this look and I've been seeing it around lately. I asked her how she does her shots and she says it's all her camera (Nikon D3100) but she won't tell me how she got it. My shots of people look very amateur. My computer isn't really letting me access my photos right now or i'd put an example but heres the URL for what a picture i'm talking about looks like Kaitlin's Photography's Photos | Facebook

Help is VERY appreciated and wanted.

texkam · Mar 5, 2013

Get out of the sun. Set your camera to manual and meter for the light on her face. This will get you started in the right direction.

RachaelRenaesPhotos · Mar 5, 2013

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll be sure to try that out tomorrow. :thumbsup:

tirediron · Mar 5, 2013

Probably a little post-processing as well; selective exposure increase on subject, etc.

RachaelRenaesPhotos · Mar 5, 2013

Thank you!

I've been wondering about this for a long time.

JamesSomerset · Mar 6, 2013

Hey!

So first, the woman in that photograph looks like she's wearing some light colored but heavy make-up. I know she's young but her skin is so flawless - and you says there's no Photoshopping.

The lighting is pretty 'flat' (meaning there's no directional lighting giving strong contrast). I'm guessig it was a cloudy day and there may have been some relectors bounding light in to her face (although as the eyes are so dark I could easily be wrong).

The image is, in my opinion, a little over-exposed. Notice how the hair (and to some extend the dress) have bleached out areas. However if this is the look you're looking for then - if you don't have Photoshop - you might want to play with the Exposure Compensation setting on your camera. Turn it up a stop (+1.0 EV) and see if that gets you what you want. Tweak it up or down depending on what you get. Of course, most people would normally suggest you expose correctly and achieve the effect in controlled condiditions later using your image editor. You run the risk, when over-exposing in camera, that you will lose detail you'd rather have kept.

Hope that helps - why not post your experiments back here once you're done?

KmH · Mar 6, 2013

The image looks to have been post processed to have one of today's popular 'looks'.

It is somewhat de-saturated and looks to have had some skin softening editing applied.

It's quite possible the image was edited using a Photoshop action.

hirejn · Mar 13, 2013

Generally all professional images are post processed. The exposure is a touch over as indicated by the hot spot on the hair and the absence of deep shadows. You need some overexposure and processing to get this effect, possibly some film effects in Nik. You could do it in post entirely, but that just brings out noise and degrades the images. This is not the way I shoot so I'm not an expert in the look. I go for more contrast and color.

I wouldn't recommend shooting without a light meter, but if you do, spot meter off of the subject's face in the brightest light. The meter will be giving you the exposure for middle gray. Despite what you might think, the average Caucasian skin is not middle gray. It's close, but not exact. It's difficult to know without a lot of experience and looking at the image on a calibrated monitor. This is why I use a light meter. To overexpose creatively, you have to open up from a known point, such as middle gray. Opening up will render the skin a lighter tone than it is naturally, but it won't be blown out. It will be technically overexposed, but that could be creatively correct depending on what you want. If you would compare the image you want to the same image exposed accurately, you'd probably see a darker skin tone and deeper shadows.

This works better in overcast conditions because this is a low-contrast look and in bright light overexposing the face could cause you to lose highlight detail and may have too much contrast. Do some experimenting.

cgipson1 · Mar 13, 2013

spam reported

KmH · Mar 13, 2013

Spam deleted, and spammer(s) permanently banned.

runnah · Mar 13, 2013

RachaelRenaesPhotos said:
Thank you so much for the advice! I'll be sure to try that out tomorrow. :thumbsup:

I like the cut of your jib young lady. Always be learning, experimenting and having fun.

RachaelRenaesPhotos · Mar 25, 2013

I haven't been on here lately since I've been so busy with work but thank you all so much for the advice. I tried some of it out and it worked awesomely!

I will post pictures later of my results!

Derrel · Mar 26, 2013

texkam said:
Get out of the sun. Set your camera to manual and meter for the light on her face. This will get you started in the right direction.

Good, serious advice from texkam. Shooting in a large area that is shaded from SUN-light, but which has a broad expanse of light from the SKY, will create big, sparkly catchlights on the tops of the eyeballs if people are faced toward the bright area of SKY-light. Set the in-camera White Balance control to the "Shade" setting, or in Manual white balance setting mode, somewhere around, I am gonna say, 6500 Degrees Kelvin (aka 6,500 K) as a starting point--to be evaluated as the session is started,and as it goes on.

It looks to me like that shooter on Facebook is using two or three different Lightroom or Photoshop CS "actions", which make the images look the way they do quite quickly.

Now, as texkam told you, one of the keys is WHERE the shots are made. Working in what is called "open shade" is a very good way to be a natural-light shooter who uses simple pre-sets in Lightroom, or CS, or other software, to modify the look of the images, fast and reliably and easily. Open shade as I have described it above, is fairly even lighting, and low in contrast. It's easy to work in. People will not squint. All plusses for them,you,and for the processing software and what can easily be done, without a lot of heroics or rescuing of sucky images.

If you are shooting in JPEG capture mode, make sure to look at the white balance setting and what kind of results it is giving. I am suggesting the 6,500 K as a starting point. You might very well want to move that, either up, or down. As sunset nears, do not be surprised to see the need for 7,500, then 7,800, then even ridiculous #s like 9,000 K.