Puppies! + photobox groan.

Jo

Jo

Messages
3,667
Name
Jo Fisher
Edit My Images
Yes
My little Shih Tzu puppies shoot went quite OK. Cute little things with adorable temperament.
The owner warned me before hand that they were a handful, but they behaved beautifully :D

Now I recieved the print back from Photobox this morning, and they have messed them up, so I have them being redone. Each and every one of them had a major yellow cast on them, and the one I took of the adult dogs has been over exposed somehow, yet they all look fine to me :shrug: Do the colours look OK to you? All the white parts came back yellow on the photobox prints, not one single white showing on any of them. So I presume it's their error. But would be interested to know how they look to those of you using calibrated monitors.


Here are my favourites from the shoot.

#1


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 200

#2


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 21 mm
ISO Speed: 200

#3


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 200

#4


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 200


If I had the chance to do them again I would, whilst making sure I have some extra light to work with.

Jo
xxx

​
 
They look good to me Jo, not calibrated. Cute wee thing isnt it :D

Gary.
 
Have another coffee Gary! :D

They look fine to me, infact I'd be quite chuffed with them. (y)

I'm shure Dod had some Photobox pics recently that had to be redone due to a yellow cast?
 
Very nice little tykes Jo and well taken!

They look sooo sad though!

Whites look ok on this pants uncalibrated screen! (y)

and not too grubby at all ;):LOL:
 
Whew, thanks all. I did think that was the case. I feel justified in demanding reprints now. But I'm miffed by the fact I won't be able to give the owner her prints tonight now :( First proper paying job, and photobox balls it up for me.

Dark Star said:
Very nice little tykes Jo and well taken!

They look sooo sad though!

Whites look ok on this pants uncalibrated screen! (y)

and not too grubby at all ;):LOL:
Click to expand...

Thanks John, this is only because I left the grubbier ones behind on Flickr :LOL:

Thanks again all. xxxx
 
I recently had pics back from photobox and had three done again in truprint and they were so much better in truprint.

Photobox ones were very dark.
 
Great pics and to me the whites look fine. I have been reading more and more online recently about photobox not creating up to scratch prints. May be time to look elsewhere?

I think they are great pictures and after trying to get pictures of my cats sitting still I know how hard it can be. I have a question though,

what flash did you use? (reflection in dogs eyes suggest 2 off camera flash on either side) I would be interested to hear what set up you used because I think they are great pics.
 
the lesson to be learned here is don't rely on photobox, especially for a paying job there quality conrol makes Sigma's look perfect there must be three or four threads a week on here complaining about balls ups.
 
Well photobox aren't the best for consistent colour but the shots do have a warm cast to the whites, just running a colour picker over the rug shows the whites are far from neutral with the saturation hovering somewhere between 50 and 80 (out of 255).

But how neutral should the rug be in the first place?
 
LadyLens said:
On my calibrated monitor, #4 is ever so slightly more yellow than the others, but not significantly, as in, seen on its own, you would struggle to notice, so I would definitely get them re-printed. Nice set Jo, what a bunch of cuties :clap:
Click to expand...

I actually just did a little fill flash on that one before I posted it here :LOL:

alex_m90 said:
Great pics and to me the whites look fine. I have been reading more and more online recently about photobox not creating up to scratch prints. May be time to look elsewhere?

I think they are great pictures and after trying to get pictures of my cats sitting still I know how hard it can be. I have a question though,

what flash did you use? (reflection in dogs eyes suggest 2 off camera flash on either side) I would be interested to hear what set up you used because I think they are great pics.
Click to expand...

Actually, truth be told, I didn't use any flash at all. I used 2 of THESE instead. I don't have a flash gun, or other studio lighting, so I make do :)

Thanks again all.
 
They look spot on to me Jo? Good shots.

I've just had some photos printed from Photobox, first time i've ever had any of my photos printed, they recieved yesterday & i'm delighted with them.
 
pxl8 said:
Well photobox aren't the best for consistent colour but the shots do have a warm cast to the whites, just running a colour picker over the rug shows the whites are far from neutral with the saturation hovering somewhere between 50 and 80 (out of 255).

But how neutral should the rug be in the first place?
Click to expand...

The rug isn't white, it's more of a 'natural' colour. Think dirty but groomed sheep :LOL:
 
Jo said:
The rug isn't white, it's more of a 'natural' colour. Think dirty but groomed sheep :LOL:
Click to expand...

I figured it would be something like that. I have experienced the same results from photobox with yellow and green in the past and I stopped using them even for cheap proofs because of it.
 
Well it seems they have also printed out some of the kitten pics the same. The breeder also ordered some prints that arrived with her today, and after telling her to watch for the yellow cast, she confirmed a little while ago that they have got the same yellow cast :( I defo think it's time to look for a new printer.
 
i am not a lover of domestic pets and i have none, but i have to say what fine little dots they are, and very photogenic.

Regards Mark.
 
shots look good to me:) have you considered using LeeP for prints rather than photobox, the ones ive ahd done always look good to me :)
 
The Images all look OK from here Jo (y)
( actually much better than "OK")
After a few dissapointments from photobox I switched to colab, quite a bit more expensive
but I think well worth it for those "important" images (y)
 
Thanks again all, I'm really glad you all like them so much :D I'm going to be putting an ad in my local papers for next week. I thought it about time I tried breaking into the market. I'm nervous as hell though, this is a huge step for me :confused: I will definitely look into the printers suggested, as that is going to be something I need to be reliable if I'm going to make this work.

Jo
xxx
 
Last edited:
No yellow cast to be seen, they're lovely photos. The rug too is the colour you've described.


No need to be nervous about putting that add in your local paper, going by the evidence of these shots :)

Well done on the handling of the "handful", a definite help to be able to take charge where pets are concerned (y)
 
Thanks Toon:)

Well the second lot of prints arrived, and they are only marginally better (and by that I mean, you really have to look hard to see any difference!) :( So I'm going to let the owner have a look so she can see the problem, the I will look elsewhere for some more.
 
If I were you Id say nothing Jo and see if she notices. To be honest we are sometimes our worst enemies.

Ii think she will see her lovely puppies and be well pleased.

By all means try someone new next time... but see how it goes with these ones.
 
Having just spoken on the phone with photocarpbox and being told I won't get a refund until they receive my prints back (fair enough, but a long process and hassle), I am agreeing with you there Janice. But I feel bad about it, because I know in my heart they aren't right. I will most certainly be going elsewhere from now on.

Oh and BTW, the supervisor I spoke to (got no joy with the sales guy) said all of your monitors must be wrong because they all look to have a heavy yellow cast on her professionally calibrated monitor :eek: :LOL:
 
Jo said:
Having just spoken on the phone with photocarpbox and being told I won't get a refund until they receive my prints back (fair enough, but a long process and hassle), I am agreeing with you there Janice. But I feel bad about it, because I know in my heart they aren't right. I will most certainly be going elsewhere from now on.

Oh and BTW, the supervisor I spoke to (got no joy with the sales guy) said all of your monitors must be wrong because they all look to have a heavy yellow cast on her professionally calibrated monitor :eek: :LOL:
Click to expand...

Ah, the old "everybody else is wrong" argument! :cautious:
 
Wow aren't they cute! Spesh number 4 :D Is the owner a breeder or something or did she adopt all of the pups?

They look really good to me, nice natural lighting (great idea about the lamp btw, i think i'll try that!) Lovely composition on them too.
 
Tiny ~ The owners were breeding from the mum and dad (the only two adults they have) but with this littler she had complications during birth, and because of that she won't be having another litter. Which is why she wanted the memento pics, plus something to give the babies new owners.

Please share any results you get with the lamps ;)
 
Jo, not sure how much help will be, but I got a couple of table top studio lamps with daylight rated bulbs. Not powerful enough for full size adult portrait stuff, but great for smaller subjects like pets and as a boost to natural light. They were really cheap from fleabay last year with a bloody great big light tent, but the same company was selling them on their own too, might be worth it for what you are planning and easier for you to carry round than full size studio lamps if you go out to do pet portait sessions - looks a bit more 'pro' than desklamps too. Will see if I can find the company and send you link if you are interested.


edit: cant find them, but basically, mr LL bought me this kind of set up, except my tent is 80cm, but whilst the tent has had little use, the lights have been well used. If you contact the seller, they might do just a set of lights for you.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Studio-Light-Set-Kit-60-cm-SoftBox-Tent-Cube-2-Lights_W0QQitemZ130252117018QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3860QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
 
Last edited:
I looked at those when they were on ebay! :LOL: I wish I had got some now. A studio kit is first on my list once I get a bit of money in from any sales. Unfortunatly I have to earn it before I can spend it at the moment. Shouldn't take me long though. Thanks for the link! ;)
 
I just received a 14x11" photo of one of my poppyfield shots.. with blue sky, bright red poppies etc.

it was dull and muddy.

i couldnt be bothered with hasssle. I wont be using them again. Its their loss as I order quite a lot.
 
Janice ~ for all they said they absolutely would not refund me without getting the images back, I found the funds back in my paypal when I checked this morning :LOL: They suck big time. They weren't too bad about a year ago though, around the same time they did the poster prints for £5. really gone down hill since :thumbsdown:
 
Two or three times I've complained to photobox about prints and they've just re-sent without question though I've never asked for a refund. Once I did receive someone elses print in with my order but I stopped using them a while back. I switched to DSCL, the first batch were a little off but since them they've been great and I quite like the s/w they have for ordering too, if a little quirky.

I think photobox are quite happy with the mass consumer market and know that for every DSLR owner they upset they'll be 3 P&S family memory snappers to replace them. Forgive my "labelling" but hopefully it's clear how I think the photobox business model works.
 
Pxl8 ~ TBH, and I don't mean this to sound like an insult to anyone ... Maybe I have only started to notice the quality being poor because I am getting better, and part of that is know what looks right. So I know what you mean by your latter paragraph.

Gadgetman ~ They suck for sure. Won't be getting my business again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top