OCF Hepl... Hpel... HELP!

[JasonLambert]

Anything jump out at you about the lighting in the first two?

Both shot at:
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
430 camera right naked

Out with my wife by Lambert Photography, on Flickr


Out with my wife by Lambert Photography, on Flickr


Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 39 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
430 cam left shoot through umbrella
270 cam right shoot through umbrella

Out with my wife by Lambert Photography, on Flickr

Thanks!

 

[JasonLambert]

Whoopsies... Didn't realize I saved the one I put a purple sky in... Blah!

 

[LCARSx32]

First, tell me what OCF means, lol. *EDIT* Never mind... figured it out: Off Camera Flash, lol.

#1: Lighting looks "ok", but she looks brighter than the background. Also, there's a little glare on her cheeks, but I think that's more of a makeup thing than a camera lighting thing.

#2: Same as #1. PURPLE SKY!!! lol.

#3: Much better. She looks like she fits with the background. Good lighting.

In the first two, she looks like she's in a photo studio with a field backdrop behind her. In the last one, she's exposed just as much as the background is, so he doesn't look "pasted on".

 

[KmH]

#1 has good separation from the background. The bare light is quite harsh and for me to close to the lens axis. That makes for little effective shadow modeling on the subjects face. The light is not high enough. It has left a shadow/light'shadow combination under her chin that accentuates, rather than minimizes, her second chin. Having the light a bit higher would have put the entire area under her chin in shadow.

I don't like the horizontal format. To me it leaves way to much negative space to the right of the subject. #2 isn't as bad, but to me still excessive. If your wife is the intended main subject, why not go vertical orientation, and leave no doubt your wife is the main subject.

Most of the people living in the western hemishere start scanning a photo near the upper left corner (think words on a book page). The upper horizontal line of the ROT grid is actually called the 'eye line' for that reason. That upper left (or right) corner is a very natural place to lead a viewer into an image.

Your wife's eyes are closer to the horizontal centerline in #1, #2 is better but still not high enough IMO.

#3 your modified speedlights didn't have enough oommph to dominate the ambient light. Had they been much closer to your wife.......