Outside my comfort Zone

[nikonkidforever]

My niece is pregnant, while I love to shoot people, i'm not a people shooter, so we took a few hours on Saturday and had ourselves a little photo shoot. There is potential for several more chances between now and when the baby comes to improve on what we did.

So serious or comedic, i'd appreciate your feedback.

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/346/d/4/reflections_of_life_by_jwfisher-d34po6w.jpg

revised

http://fisherfamilylife.com/images/jere/portrait/DSC_7764-sm.jpg

[drh681]

White balance.
I know they are colored lights, but using the tungsten setting will help with the intense red shift.

[nikonkidforever]

After looking at it here at work, with (possibly better monitors than home) I was thinking a slight shift might be in order (fix up skin tones a little) the main lighting on Ailsa (my model) was two white candles.

Thanks for the feedback :-)

[bobkemp]

No matter what you shoot, I continue to believe you are one of the best photographers alive today.
The adjustments you need to make are minor, and I look forward to seeing the "fixed" result.

[peirceman]

The lighting will be a challenge just because I like the warmth of the light on the subject, but the red in the background is distracting. Also, it might just be me, but the whole shot seems to tilt a bit to the left.

[coppertop]

As mentioned the white balance is off.
Personally, it's a little too dark for my tastes (and balancing things might do the trick).

Also, and again a personal preference, I don't like the bow. I don't know if it's the back part riding up on her hip or just the bow itself but it's a bit of a distraction.

[JWurst]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the white balance. If it isn't white light then it doesn't need to be white. I think the color works well with the Christmas theme. I love the color and luminosity of the light on her face. I think it might be better if it were coming down from a slightly higher angle because I don't particularly like the upward shadow coming from her note. On her belly I like the bow but don't like the shadows so much. A higher light might help with those as well. I think you were right to make her belly a bit brighter than her face. It allows her face and belly to compete fairly equally for the viewer's attention. Overall I think it is well done.

[nikonkidforever]

http://fisherfamilylife.com/images/jere/portrait/DSC_7764-sm.jpg

BobKemp, no idea how to respond to that, thanks.

Pierce, thanks for the feedback, I played with the slant of the image, and best I can tell the window in the back is just not square ;-). In a future shoot i'll make sure to have it obscured sufficiently.

Copper, here at work I found the image to be terribly dark too. And great catch on the ribbon, it doesn't balance right. I'll pay attention to that specifically next time I shoot her (maybe this weekend)

And yes I chopped off her fingers GRRRR Which I already knew when I first processed this, though i'm surprised nobody mentioned it.

120,000 more people shots and I might start getting some consistently decent shots :D
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I've reprocessed the image altogether to make it more as intended and hopefully more pleasing all around.

I am also in the process of changing my work flow to create the jpg from nikon software, as I prefer the way Nikon Renders the RAW files, over what ACR does. And the Nikon software has most of what ACR has to offer. I simply cannot get ACR to reproduce what the Nikon does natively, so shifting my workflow (when I don't forget to ;-) )

[nikonkidforever]

@JWurst
You were posting as I was :-)
Thank you for the feedback. Lighting was a big issue on this, and I reverted to two candles for the main light source. I could certainly have a 3rd higher up to balance things a bit, or move the two.

[JWurst]

The mood is totally different in the re-process. I like the first one better. But then I liked it to begin with. We'll see what others say.

[Skipper]

I have to say I think this is a total mess. The color is garish and harsh and gaudy. There's nothing flattering or realistic about the color. There isn't even anything 'creative' about it to justify it.

The bow is tacky. It's a baby not a Christmas gift. The bow clashes with her belt. And, as has been mentioned, the shadows are bad.

The shirt is clumsily tucked up under her bra and that just adds to the sloppy look of the photo. The black pants clash with brown top.

The hat would be fine except that the color clashes with all that magenta.

The light on her face does nothing for her and I agree it's underexposed.

Also, it's rarely flattering to position the arm as her left arm is -- supporting her. It makes the upper arm seem much bigger and more muscular than it is.

And finally the photo is just way too busy all the way around.

[suci]

While I respect Skipper's opinion, I think she is looking at this too clinically. It's a semi formal shot, I would even call it informal. The color is exactly what I want to see with the model being lit by candles.
The rework has more accurate skin tones, but the ambience is gone. The first is by far preferable.
Finally it's a fun shot, it's Christmas, so put a bow on her, sit by the tree and maybe get some eggnog.
Jere I have seen your people shots before, they are always more than excellent.

[drh681]

I did not realize those were LEDs on the tree.
LED and candles...
very tough combination!

being lit with candles I revise my earlier suggestion, tungsten is still the way to go, but I'd not try to correct much more than that.

Saturation may be the way to get back some detail. it's going to take some judgement as to when to stop.

[coppertop]

Skipper.... glad to see you haven't changed. Still no tack.

Ever consider that if you're a little more constructive with the garbage you post, you might be better received.

[nikonkidforever]

Thanks again Jwurst, and that color shift really changes the mood, I think somewhere in between might be the happy point I want, capturing the mood but keeping skin withing the realm of the living.

Skipper thanks for your feedback, the bow will stay, I will pay special attention to the shirt tucking on the next shirt, excellent point.

Suci, thanks for your feedback as well. And I think you got the "idea" of this shot. So I did not totally miss my mark. I'll redo with some detail clean up :-)

[nikonkidforever]

DRH,
It is just standard Christmas lights not LED's still tough. Candles were the complete front lighting.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[suci]

Skipper.... glad to see you haven't changed. Still no tack.

Ever consider that if you're a little more constructive with the garbage you post, you might be better received.
Ok Copper; she may be blunt , but her critique was much like yours in essence, except she didn't resort to meanness.

[coppertop]

Ok Copper; she may be blunt , but her critique was much like yours in essence, except she didn't resort to meanness.

except she didn't resort to meanness?

[nikonkidforever]

Keep it on track guys. Lets not fuel the flames more than we need to. I wanted some real critique on this and I got some and am better prepared for next time. Forget about any lack of tact that may or may not exist here and move back to looking at the pretty pictures :P

[Sharna]

Jere,
I like the first fixed version better. The first image is too dark on my monitors and the second is better.
As for the white balance issue if there is one or isn't one is a matter of taste IMO. We don't know what the "original" skin tone is or what color the lighting cast on your subject so I'll just leave that alone.
As for the bow, not sure I like it but that's a matter of taste as well.

I sure wish you hadn't cropped her fingers too. And the image is tilted a bit as well.

Cute model though and very nice first attempt.

Sharna

[AlexShark]

The color in the original is too much, and in the revisions -- too little. Here's a suggestion: place the original on top of the revision and start dropping the opacity until there's a reasonable compromise. I would also introduce a touch of glow, say, by placing yet another layer on top of everything in Screen mode, Gaussian Blur mid radius (8-16?), and opacity under 20%.

[nikonkidforever]

Thanks Sharna and Alex for the feedback.

I like the idea Alex, i'll give it a try, I don't have the original where i am now so i'll just tweak the edit and then see about a glow. :-)
I'll let everyone know what I come up with.

[anjin_nav]

For people shots, Jere, you're shorting yourself. Many of the shots you've taken with your kids and Mrs. Forever have been wonderful. I think it's because you know how to capture their essense and spirit. Here, though, you miss. I don't feel the emotion you obviously have for the others.

I think the light sucks for you. I know this is supposed to be a fun shot, and I think you can still get it, but the magenta is ick, and the white balance shots make it look like you took these in a hospital waiting room. The mood, her skin tone, and the subject just scream for a nice, warm light. Christmas lighting is great, but I'd suggest a whole bunch of white lights in on the tree, and some real candles off camera in the foreground. Warm it up with some yellows.

I can't get past the venetian blinds in the background. I've come to the conclusion that backgrounds sometimes even more important to consider in many shots than foregrounds. Obviously not here, but you get my drift. You and she deserve better than a stark white wall offset by a distracting window. I hesitate to make posing suggestions, but I think getting her a few feet in front of the tree, setting a wide aperture, and taking shots with nothing but the tree in the background would be a good start--even if you do keep the Santa hat. Maybe you could even include some wrapped gifts.

Also, I understand that nowadays pregnant women want to show off the belly with the protruding belly button. I don't like it, but that doesn't mean they don't. Fine. However, the tight pants and tight shirt just seem to squeeze her belly out. I've seen some shots of a woman with a button down blouse unbuttoned around her belly. It hangs loosely, frames the belly nicely, and just seems more comfortable.

I don't mean to be harsh, just honest.

[nikonkidforever]

Hey tim :-) thanks for the feedback. I put this in the serious critique for a reason and it was to get it nit picked, I don't shoot people, not what my skills lie in, and while I can get my kids and wife just fine, part of that is a lot of years with them, knowing when and how to capture a moment. This is my third time with an actual set "shoot" if you will. I get lots more chances on this so I will take all the thoughts into account on the next round :-).

Frankly, i'm not redoing my tree to shoot my niece :P I do dearly wish my living room was bigger, cause the 35mm was pushing my limits for distance. I may yet try to convince her to go outside, but its tough to do in this weather.

Regardless thanks for the feedback :-) it is useful and gives me a place to start :-)

I am confidant with some pointers and a few more sessions I can start to narrow things down and get some consistent and decent results.

[pnh173_a]

In future shots you might want to consider putting at least one candle in the shot to show it as a light source. It might also add to the composition and theme of Christmas, assuming you do it during Christmas, but no matter, it can be a nice prop.