Is this appropriate, or am I just taking the easy way out?

[tirediron]

Background: A couple of times a year I do a free (or almost) free shoot for a local dance group's performance nights. This is nothing fancy, just PJ types of captures to record the event in whatever venue they have for that night. The backgrounds are usually total crap, lighting... interesting, and my set-up is a simple on-camera bounced speedlight. The amount of movement the performers do negates using a large aperture and shallow DoF. Every now and then I get a capture that one of them really likes, and I try and improve it a little. Again, it's fairly simple ($25 for a single digital file cropped to whatever size they ask for) thing.

So, my question is: is my end product reasonable in your opinion, or is there something I could or should be doing better or differently.

This is the image SOOC:

This is what I planned on turning over:

Thoughts, suggestions and comments all gratefully accepted, as always.

~John

 

[SCraig]

Given the original you had to work with your edit looks far better. It does, however, appear to have a slight magenta skin hue compared to the original to me.

 

[Light Guru]

It looks way to fake for my taste.

Background: The amount of movement the performers do negates using a large aperture and shallow DoF.

I would still try and blur the background.

You could try doing a focus trap. Talk to the dancer before the event and find out where they might make a interesting pose, or if they are pro forming more then once pay close attention to where things happen. They may even let you mark the floor with tape. Before the event have someone stand on the mark and you focus on the and then turn off auto focus. Don't use the widest aperture this will give you a little breathing room in your focus point but do it enough to blur the background.

Sure you will have less opera unites for shots but the few shots you do get will look a million times better then the ones you did not take.

Also that flash causing really bad shadows i would say crank up the ISO if your camera allows it and loose the flash.

 

[tirediron]

Given the original you had to work with your edit looks far better. It does, however, appear to have a slight magenta skin hue compared to the original to me.

Yeah, my WB got a little hosed and I was eyeballing it. Gotta fix that.

It looks way to fake for my taste.

No denying that!

I would still try and blur the background.

Do you mean at the time of shooting, or in post?

You could try doing a focus trap. Talk to the dancer before the event and find out where they might make a interesting pose, or if they are pro forming more then once pay close attention to where things happen. They may even let you mark the floor with tape. Before the event have someone stand on the mark and you focus on the and then turn off auto focus. Don't use the widest aperture this will give you a little breathing room in your focus point but do it enough to blur the background.

Oh that I could. There are no repeat performances, and many are unchoreographed (off the cuff).

Also that flash causing really bad shadows i would say crank up the ISO if your camera allows it and loose the flash.

That's their spotlight... annoying isn't it?

 

[manaheim]

I'm betting that us photographers will notice the issues where most of your patrons would not... I imagine they love them. I also suspect that you're putting more than $25 worth of labor into each one of those, so you're being more than fair, IMO.

 

[pic_chick]

ok I would maybe ask each lady to give you a good pose with a good background and better lighting then maybe a group shot what you have above is nice but with a bit of planning it could be great also I would get into the dressing rooms maybe a few shot of them fixing hair and makeup would be nice

but the above photo I would try adding a blur to your edit maybe that would soften it a bit

 

[Light Guru]

Do you mean at the time of shooting, or in post?

While shooting!

ok I would maybe ask each lady to give you a good pose with a good background and better lighting

Probably the best idea ask if you can have sometime before the show and set up a good background and decent lighting.

 

[tirediron]

I'm betting that us photographers will notice the issues where most of your patrons would not... I imagine they love them. I also suspect that you're putting more than $25 worth of labor into each one of those, so you're being more than fair, IMO.

I thought so, but there's that 'cut & paste' look that bothers me slightly.

ok I would maybe ask each lady to give you a good pose with a good background and better lighting then maybe a group shot what you have above is nice but with a bit of planning it could be great also I would get into the dressing rooms maybe a few shot of them fixing hair and makeup would be nice but the above photo I would try adding a blur to your edit maybe that would soften it a bit

How/where do you suggest adding the blur. Unfortunately, posed shots aren't an option, and the "dressing room" in this case was behind a screen in the hallway. My primary task is just to record the event, for the event coordinators, and there's no time or place for posed shots.

 

[pic_chick]

you know having reread your post i think for the price it looks nice as to the blur in PS you can add a lens blur that looks very near the real thing on simple backdrops I would try adding it to the just background on a new layer and see if it helps the cut and paste look

 

[pic_chick]

Shame about the dressing rooming the hallway

 

[TonysTouch]

In your edit, you might be better off shooting a black backdrop and using PS to replace the background with that instead. The added texture in the back could help get rid of the Cut and Paste look.

 

[TonysTouch]

If you shoot a backdrop that isn't flat, it should also help give it some depth.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I'm betting that us photographers will notice the issues where most of your patrons would not... I imagine they love them. I also suspect that you're putting more than $25 worth of labor into each one of those, so you're being more than fair, IMO.

A sentence packed with facts right there. My first thought was "looks like she's floating" in the paste, then this gentleman brought me back to reality

 

[bratkinson]

I think I'd try something somewhat different. If you could find out in advance what the theme of the night was, perhaps you (or they) could locate some free-to-use public domain photos that would suggest the theme...such as an appropriate background for this dancer. Turkey? Iran? Wherever. Then Photoshop her into the background. You could even blur the background as needed to highlight the dancer making it appear to be a shallow DOF. The only downside that I can see is the time spent trying to locate freely downloadable 'backgrounds'.

 

[manaheim]

Someone called me a gentleman. Mark it on your calendars.

BTW, tired... I do also think you're taking the easy way out, btw. It's not that you couldn't put some more effort and do what pic_chick was suggesting, but... that would be more work too.