My first post on TP

[Kev M]

Hi all,
I've uploaded a photo of me and the wife on our recent honeymoon. We have very few photos of the two of us together so I thought I'd give it a go whilst we were away. What I wanted was to try and balance the sunset (unsuccessful:thumbsdown: ) and light us two with some flash. I've only got the onboard flash and I think it's a harsh and nasty piece of kit and if I remember rightly I might have tried do diffuse it with a single ply of toilet paper (don't ask me where I got that idea from:shrug: ). What I'm after is advice on how I might have got this shot right in the first place, what you think is wrong with the composition and what you think I did with the job of RAW conversion. I've only just started using RawShooter Essentials so would be keen to know if you think I've overdone it anywhere.

EXIF:
Manual Mode,
1/60 Sec,
f-5.6
70mm (105 eq)
Can't find any ettings for the flash in the EXIF.

Here goes,
Before and after
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Untitled-1.jpghttp://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/portrait2.jpg

[CT]

The second one doesn't look too bad Kev, but you really need to use slow flash sync to get this right. What camera are you using? the 20D has a Slow Flash Sync Mode which simplifies the process, but you don't really need any of these fancy modes.

What you need to do is meter for the background, the sky in this case, which would probably give you a lot slower shutter speed than the 1/60 you've used, probably 1/10 or even slower, but that's the shutter speed you should have set.

You then set the flash to TTL mode and what happens is the shutter opens for the 1/10 (or longer) and exposes perfectly for the sky, but the flash fires with just enough power to light the foreground figures. You just have to tell your subjects to keep reasonably still because of the likelihood of faint secondary images from the foreground couple caused by the shutter still being open after the flash has fired and died away.

The camera and flash should deal with this reasonably well without any interference from you, but if the foreground figures tend to look over-flashed, simply reduce the flash power until you get a pleasing result.

Obviously, the camera needs to be on a tripod. :)

[GfK]

That's not a bad rescue at all.

I would have softened the highlights on your faces though, and also removed that rogue bit of bra strap. ;)

http://www.zen39361.zen.co.uk/pics/kev.jpg

[Kev M]

Thanks for the explanation CT. I'd have liked more time to play around with the settings but the wife is impatient at the best of times and she's even less tolerant when I'm playing with the camera. I think I did try metering for the sky but by the time I'd mucked around things changed (as sunsets generally do).

Thanks for the improvement GFK. I did try cloning the bra strap out but made a bad job of it (rubbish blotches of different skin tones) and I like what you've done with the highlights the skin looks almost greasy in my version. What tool did you use for that?

[GfK]

Photoshop CS2, clone tool, small soft brush, 25% opacity.

[CT]

This is GfK's edited version which I've run through a Virtual Photographer plugin filter called 'Natural Portrait' to reduce the redness in the skin tones. This filter does add a little noise, which I don't find objectionable, but you could get a similar result playing with saturation and RGB levels.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/530/kev2.jpg

[SammyC]

The only hint I can add after these two is ... Smile!

;) :D

[Kev M]

Yeah thanks for that, was too worried about getting the picture rigt and done quickly to keep her happy for me to smile.

[SammyC]

Only being cheeky mate. :D

[Arkady]

the wife is impatient at the best of times and she's even less tolerant when I'm playing with the camera.

So? Tie her up first...

Different kind of photos, I grant you, but it might work - don't go posting them on here *** - the Girlie-Taste Police will hammer you.

[HIMUPNORTH]

I think GfK's touch up (ooer!) was all that was required.

You managed to retrieve a useable photo which is fairly warm and clean. CT's version has too much noise for me but that is a matter of taste and you should decide yourself what you prefer.

Composition is difficult if you are not looking through the viewfinder at the point of shooting so this not a bad result :thumbs: