Large group photo. Color and editing C&C please

[zulu42]

Please feel welcome to critique the entire photo, but I'm mostly looking for post suggestions at this point. Many things I wish I'd done different, starting with the posing. I think one needs plenty of experience to pose people well - which I don't have. So this is my shot.

Looking for suggestions on overall process, color balance, saturation, etc. Goal product is a 16x20 framed print. What can I do to make it acceptable? Thanks for your thoughts!

D800 50mm f/14 1/125 ambient open shade with two umbrella soft boxes left and right floor level with speedlights at 1/8 for fill

 

[480sparky]

For informal group shots like this (my guess is a family gathering), I wouldn't worry too much about posing. Things like the 'thumbs up', holding hands and the genuine smiles makes at much more memorable that a stiff, formal shot.

That said, it's a bit light and the green grass/leaves are a bit yellow. Otherwise, I'd say you have a printable shot.

 

[zulu42]

For informal group shots like this (my guess is a family gathering), I wouldn't worry too much about posing. Things like the 'thumbs up', holding hands and the genuine smiles makes at much more memorable that a stiff, formal shot.

That said, it's a bit light and the green grass/leaves are a bit yellow. Otherwise, I'd say you have a printable shot.

Thanks, much appreciated. I wish I had noticed the left side was overloaded, and moved a person or two over to the right side.

I dropped the exposure a little, and desaturated the grass and leaves (still yellow?) in this version:

 

[480sparky]

Desaturating doesn't remove the yellow, it just makes it less intense. Without knowing what you're using to edit with, it's hard to say what steps to take to make the grass greener. But using a Hue Slider might be the road you're looking for.

 

[zulu42]

I see thank you. Using LR I adjusted the hue of the greens here

 

[ac12]

You did good to have everybody in the shade.
I've seen group pics where half the group was in the shade and half was out in the sun. It was REALLY HARD to fix.

I would lower the exposure more.
Concentrate on getting the faces right. Some of the faces look too light.
- When I look at a group photo, one of the first things I look at is the faces.
- And if it is MY family, the faces are the first things I would look at.

Specifically, lower the highlights.
There might be some blown highlights, which unless you shot in RAW the details would be lost.

You really can't do anything/much about the grass in the sunlight.
That is one of the problems when shooting in split lighting, the stuff in the bright sun light can get really BAD.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Still bright but getting there. I wonder if the camera's meter was reading the light in the background and threw off the exposure. I often frame somewhat downward, meter, then reframe (for future reference).

They are all in bright colorful shirts which might be making it a little more tricky to adjust. But this is looking pretty good, just make slight adjustments til you get there.

Main thing is they're all smiling, laughing, and look like they're having fun. So it will probably make for a fun group memory for everybody.

 

[480sparky]

You CAN do something with the grass in the sunlight.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I think the people to the right are starting to look a bit more dark. Maybe will take some tinkering.

Can you print one, an 8x10? I usually print my own, and if it looks good onscreen go ahead and print one to see. Sometimes they'll print a little darker on paper than they look onscreen (especially if shot in low light, etc.).

Often they'll look good onscreen and the same printed. Just depends, getting a proper exposure helps, and mixed lighting can be a bit more challenging.

 

[zulu42]

You did good to have everybody in the shade.
I've seen group pics where half the group was in the shade and half was out in the sun. It was REALLY HARD to fix.

I would lower the exposure more.
Concentrate on getting the faces right. Some of the faces look too light.
- When I look at a group photo, one of the first things I look at is the faces.
- And if it is MY family, the faces are the first things I would look at.

Specifically, lower the highlights.
There might be some blown highlights, which unless you shot in RAW the details would be lost.

You really can't do anything/much about the grass in the sunlight.
That is one of the problems when shooting in split lighting, the stuff in the bright sun light can get really BAD.

Thank you for the feedback. I did some local adjustments on the highlights on their faces

Still bright but getting there. I wonder if the camera's meter was reading the light in the background and threw off the exposure. I often frame somewhat downward, meter, then reframe (for future reference).

They are all in bright colorful shirts which might be making it a little more tricky to adjust. But this is looking pretty good, just make slight adjustments til you get there.

Main thing is they're all smiling, laughing, and look like they're having fun. So it will probably make for a fun group memory for everybody.

I metered on their faces and then brought up the flash power until the fill looked right, so I can see now that did leave me a little over just by that sequence.

@480sparky I love your edit thank you. Especially the grass - was that just an adjustment brush dropping exposure?

 

[zulu42]

 

[ac12]

You CAN do something with the grass in the sunlight.

View attachment 245581

You did WAY better than me.

 

[480sparky]

I think the people to the right are starting to look a bit more dark. Maybe will take some tinkering.
......

It would help to have the full-size original to work with.

 

[zulu42]

I was inspired by sparky's grass. Then I did some aggressive cloning to remove background distractions. Sorry for the pic heavy thread but here's the latest: Any thoughts are appreciated