Beginner Practicing with flash and PP

Flash is placed to low so the shadow from the nose looks unnatural.
Is it on camera? Try bounce flash to get softer light.
Cant comment om your pp, its not to my taste
 
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As above.

'Flattering' starts with pose and lens and camera position, then lighting, then a touch up in PP.

You've used the wrong lens from the wrong angle with some awful light, even if the PP was awesome you couldn't have saved it.
 
soeren said:
Flash is placed to low so the shadow from the nose looks unnatural.
Is it on camera? Try bounce flash to get softer light.
Cant comment om your pp, its not to my taste
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Phil V said:
As above.

'Flattering' starts with pose and lens and camera position, then lighting, then a touch up in PP.

You've used the wrong lens from the wrong angle with some awful light, even if the PP was awesome you couldn't have saved it.
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Appreciate you guys taking the time to give advice. I guess the tiny space worked against me with the lens and angles. I will put the flash higher in future, I don't know anything about all this. It was off camera firing away from me into a white umbrella about 2 feet below the ceiling, but it wasn't very far from the camera.
With regards to the angles, would the camera have been better off higher or lower?
Also, my fill flash was the opposite side to the the key light but closer to camera level.

These are definitely the notes I need to improve, thank you again.
 
It took more careful inspection to see both lights, your ‘fill’ has overpowered your key light. The key light is a tad too high (losing the catchlight)
The key light is camera right and it would be more flattering to have it camera left. We call this ‘short lighting’ it creates a shadow on the side of the face nearest the camera, your light has created a huge white slab of cheek, which is unflattering.
The camera is at its lowest position for a portrait, I’d aim for closer to straight on, and with a lens of 85mm or longer (equivalent) in my view, the longer the better. My favourite on crop is 85mm and 135 on ff.
 
Phil V said:
It took more careful inspection to see both lights, your ‘fill’ has overpowered your key light. The key light is a tad too high (losing the catchlight)
The key light is camera right and it would be more flattering to have it camera left. We call this ‘short lighting’ it creates a shadow on the side of the face nearest the camera, your light has created a huge white slab of cheek, which is unflattering.
The camera is at its lowest position for a portrait, I’d aim for closer to straight on, and with a lens of 85mm or longer (equivalent) in my view, the longer the better. My favourite on crop is 85mm and 135 on ff.
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Thank you, great information to work with. Thank you, Phil.
 
Simplify and start with one light as this will make it a lot easier to see what it does. I was puzzled by the very (to) open shadow creative by your fill, was that meant to be your keylight?
After placing and setting your keylight turn it off while you play around with the fill untill you think its about right. You probably need to less power from that than you think.​
 
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soeren said:
Simplify and start with one light as this will make it a lot easier to see what it does. I was puzzled by the very (to) open shadow creative by your fill, was that meant to be your keylight?
After placing and setting your keylight turn it off while you play around with the fill untill you think its about right. You probably need to less power from that than you think.​
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I think things are confused here. Set up was

Subject


Key light into UMBRELLA - CAM - fill light (pointed at ceiling with fill card up)
 
Ok so fill was camera right (casting the shadow left of the nose) and key camera left. As Phil V said your fill is overpowering your key. May I suggest bounce flash with BFT at a side high on wall/ceiling as key and a much lower povered through umbrella flash next to camera as fill. And get rid og that bounce card thing, they only do ugly things :)
 
soeren said:
Ok so fill was camera right (casting the shadow left of the nose) and key camera left. As Phil V said your fill is overpowering your key. May I suggest bounce flash with BFT at a side high on wall/ceiling as key and a much lower povered through umbrella flash next to camera as fill. And get rid og that bounce card thing, they only do ugly things :)
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Thank you. I will try these things next time. I will also try to find a bigger space.
 
I am not passing comment on lighting ... but the original is too purple and shurely that is not your skin tones (I am not sure I got much to say for the processed image ... maybe it is me I prefer the original but less purple).
 
Lacking lots in technique etc but....
A setup kind like this?DSC01536.JPG DSC01537.JPG
Though actually Id rather use my second light as rimlight and then a reflector if fill is needed.
 
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TLR-330 said:
I am not passing comment on lighting ... but the original is too purple and shurely that is not your skin tones (I am not sure I got much to say for the processed image ... maybe it is me I prefer the original but less purple).
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The first only has an exposure adjustment, no other changes. The issue there would have been that I forgot to change my camera from sunny WB.
juggler said:
Lots of folk have commented on the lighting so I'll just comment on the processing... I think you've over-done the skin. But it's always tricky with selfies!
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Ste_S said:
Also prefer the first image, much more interesting. Concur the skin on the second image is over processed.
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Noted. Funnily enough, the only change I made that affected the skin would have been the reduction in micro-contrast, I didn't do any pixel editing apart from using the dust tool in DXO to remove the white fluff in my hair.
soeren said:
Lacking lots in technique etc but....
A setup kind like this?View attachment 114148 View attachment 114149
Though actually Id rather use my second light as rimlight and then a reflector if fill is needed.
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Thank you for that, that's very helpful. Much easier to understand seeing it.
 
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