Seeing Creatively

[MTVision]

I ended up doing an exercise from Understanding Exposure and Learning to See Creatively yesterday afternoon. When I got home I realized that my exposure compensation was set at -.07. I was wondering if you could critique my photo on exposure, white balance, etc not composition. The exercise said to center the subject so my composition probably isn't that great!

1. Original

Original by MT Vision Photography, on Flickr


2. Edited

Edited by MT Vision Photography, on Flickr



The first one seems a little dark probably due to the EC. I shot this with Cloudy WB, esposure 1/1000, f/3.5. The sky is so bright in the edited one that it looks blown out. I'm trying to learn so thank you for taking the time to look!!

 

[IgsEMT]

Wb seems fine. But I'm on iPod so anything on 3" screen look fine
Exposure - u know the dif bn the two. What I'd suggest is even further underexposing the scene AND adding some fill light - u get details in you highlights and well exposed face.

 

[MTVision]

Thanks. I'll try that!!

 

[gsgary]

Both look a bit pink to me

 

[MTVision]

Both look a bit pink to me

I'll play around with it. My screen isn't calibrated so I'm trying to do my best. Would changing the wb in post fix the pink?

 

[The_Traveler]

You need to think this through a bit.
By lightening everything, the face looks a bit pallid while the eyes are still in shadow.
Don't lighten everything; just lighten the parts that are too dark, like the shadows under the brim.

And move him off the center. That bright space behind his head doesn't add anything.

 

[MTVision]

The crop looks a lot better. Thanks! My power just cane back on so I am going to play around with it some more. I'm new so I don't always know what I'm doing! I appreciate the advice and feedback. This quick edit was done in The view nx2 that came with my camera. I've never uses it before but figured I would try it out!

 

[MTVision]

So even if the camera says you have a correct exposure - it's not necessarily correct? I brightened it in raw because I had the ex set to -.07. I didn't raise it the full .07 though. With raw editing does it allow you to selectively brighten or should I do that with layer adjustments?

 

[The_Traveler]

The camera sets an exposure as correct so that the average light intensity of the entire scene is at medium grey.
If non-important parts are very bright, they will affect the exposure too much. You want to expose so that the important areas get enough light.

Once you get it in RAW you can use exposure to raise the entire curve, pr manipulate parts of the curve to change those parts.

I lightened the area under the hat brim by doing dodge and burn on a overlay layer

 

[pgriz]

Lew, good critique, and even better example with the edit. If you keep doing this, some of us might even learn a thing or two!

 

[KmH]

So even if the camera says you have a correct exposure - it's not necessarily correct?

That is going to depend on what metering mode you used.

For portraits don't use Matrix or Center-weighted, use spot metering and meter the skin highlights of your subject.

When someone is wearing a brimmed hat and the light source is above the brim the eyes are going to likely be shadowed. The eyes are so very central to a good portrait. a reflector can be used to get some light in under the brim of the hat.

It is almost impossible to make really good portraits with out some kind of supplimental light.

I recommend you use the AF-S focus mode, and not AF-A.

 

[MTVision]

That is going to depend on what metering mode you used.

For portraits don't use Matrix or Center-weighted, use spot metering and meter the skin highlights of your subject.

When someone is wearing a brimmed hat and the light source is above the brim the eyes are going to likely be shadowed. The eyes are so very central to a good portrait. a reflector can be used to get some light in under the brim of the hat.

It is almost impossible to make really good portraits with out some kind of supplimental light.

I recommend you use the AF-S focus mode, and not AF-A.

Thanks Keith! I was unsure of what metering mode to use and I was using center-weighted.

I tried to get him to take his hat off but he refused. I did have him take his sunglasses off! I think I was using AF-S but I'm not 100% sure.

Can you make your own reflectors or is it better to buy them?

 

[The_Traveler]

It is almost impossible to make really good portraits with out some kind of supplimental light.

that is KMH's personal belief - or I routinely do the impossible.
Nice natural looking portraits can be done if one chooses the environment.