My Mom, Any PP ideas?

[brianroe]

This was shot yesterday as the sun set.
I adjusted the WB slightly warmer and removed a minuscule amount of vignetting. Anything more I should do?
I have Aperture, Lightroom 3, PS CS5, DPP...

I am still working out the particulars my new lens, (Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 IS USM Marco) But I think these turned out really good.

For future shots, what adjustments should I make? I would have liked to be at 4 or 5.6 but the light was low and I try to stay away from upping the ISO unless necessary.

I did not crop either one.

Shot RAW, 100mm, ISO100, f/2.8 1/100

I uploaded the full jpeg and the contrast ended up flat. They were also reduced in size. So I am assuming the upload process resized them. I re-saved them as jpeg 10 vs 12 and the color/contrast seems to be correct now.

Update, I am still working on this... At least they are now what I intended... I am going to reduce their size to make them more manageable...

OK, that should work. Is there any way to remove the attachments? I can't seem to be able to remove them. I don't know what was done to them as the originals did not look like that.

 

[tirediron]

They're not bad, but there are is room for improvement. First, just because your lens can shoot at 2.8, doesn't mean you always need to use that setting. I'm guessing that your DOF was probably no more than an inch or two, and if you look carefully, her forehead is sharp, but her chin is soft. Going to f5.6 would have helped. As for the ISO, use it; you should be able to shoot at 800 without any problems.

I think the lighting is nice and warm, but the background, even though it is out of focus is very distracting; the bright area upper image left and the grey lower area really fight for the eye's attention. As well, when shooting portraits, consider portrait aspect, that is: turn the camera vertical! Get more Mom and less background in the shot!

Avoid cropping limbs as you have done in #2; if you need to, do it boldly and never at/near/through a joint or laterally. Also watch things like the straps on her left shoulder; it gives the impression that her bra strap is showing.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[brianroe]

I like the framing of number one better. I took the second one first and then took a step forward and took the closer shot. I am aware of the low DOF. I would have used 5.6 with a slightly slower shutter speed and higher ISO had I had time to think about it.

The background is a grey building that is partly in the sun and partly shaded. Obviously not ideal.

I will watch more closely for things that are not matching or out of the ordinary.

So, I will try portrait aspect and concentrate on a less busy background along with a larger DOF. And I will use a higher ISO if that helps keep more in focus.

Thanks for your help John.

 

[DiskoJoe]

First one is okay. I would convert it to black and white. Second is a bit oof.

 

[brianroe]

How about this,

 

[Granddad]

OOF is OOF in B&W as well as colour. What TiredIron said, use the ISO as much as you use the aperture and the shutter speed. By using a higher ISO you get more room to play with the other two.

PP won't help OOF.

 

[brianroe]

What I originally liked about the photo was the lighting. But getting back to the DOF, in the future I will use a smaller aperture and pay more attentinon to the background. If the light is low then I will sacrifice ISO instead of opening up the lens. For tight portraits like this I think 5.6 would be better. That should keep more features in focus.Brian

 

[murklemark]

I really like the expression in the first image, would of been good to of got her whole head in the shot but it's not a massive issue. As people have said abobe if it had been sharp throughout her expression and her eyes would of really 'popped' out the picture. But it's still a really nice shot at the end of the day.

 

[Granddad]

What I originally liked about the photo was the lighting. But getting back to the DOF, in the future I will use a smaller aperture and pay more attentinon to the background. If the light is low then I will sacrifice ISO instead of opening up the lens. For tight portraits like this I think 5.6 would be better. That should keep more features in focus.Brian

Good man! You captured the expression, the rest just takes practise.