"School of Portraiture" - Lesson 08 - Taking it to the next level ("The Reunion")

[M Aella]

Jen,

When did you bought your Lightroom3? If you just bought it last month, you should be eligible for a free upgrade LR4.

Check it out!

Really?!?! you just made my day!!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Jen,

I am not a Canon shooter, so I am not going to try to help much with camera settings, just the basics.

Exposure Compensation (EC for short) is something else entirely from Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB), you seem to be confusing the two.

That said, arguably both allow you the opportunity to get a more accurate exposure. You can probably use them together in certain circumstances.

Exposure Compensation is where, for a single shot, you offset the exposure from what the meter wants to give you.
This only works in Program (P), Aperture (Av) or Shutter (Tv) Priority modes, it may also work in full Auto. It doesn't work in Manual (M).

On my Nikon, in Av mode, I half press the shutter button and get an exposure, but if I know that won't be correct, I can hold down the EC button and spin the dial to give me more or less exposure than the meter suggests, this is shown on a scale on the LCD and in V/F. Now if I press the shutter button, I get the modified exposure I want (assuming I don't move the camera or the light changes), but I still only take one picture.

Auto Exposure Bracketing: on most cameras this takes three shots for each single press of the shutter button. It can be used in all modes and is set up in one place and enabled somewhere else. In setting it up, you tell it how many stops gap you want between the three exposures (e.g. +1 , 0 -1). When you enable it, as I said one press = 3 clicks, then you can select in PP which exposure is best.

Personally, I don't use AEB - maybe that's just the kind of things I shoot; I'd rather get it right at the time, shoot and review histogram on LCD, use EC to get a more accurate exposure and shoot again.

Hope that helps,

[M Aella]

That's why!! *facepalm* I honestly do know the difference between EC and exposure bracketing, despite how clumsily I tried to explain myself . However I didn't know ec doesn't work in manual mode! lol I have been shooting exclusively in manual and whenever I went to try to use EC it bracketed and I didn't know why I couldn't just compensate for the exposure for ONE shot. thank-you! I was getting sooo frustrated! I don't need bracketing 1) I don't have photoshop to stack the different exposures anyways and 2) I too would like to learn to get it right in camera . Thank-you for not throwing your hands up in frustration. I'm going to take it off (M) and try EC just so I know how to do it. Oh I feel better now, I took a LOT of pictures trying to get it to work in manual....

[Crovean]

Really?!?! you just made my day!!

Yes. Try this page: Adobe Upgrade Policy

This was posted a month ago so please check it right away and contact their support.

[speedneeder]

If possible return it and buy LR4, isn't it half the list of LR3?

[M Aella]

If possible return it and buy LR4, isn't it half the list of LR3?

A friend and I went 50/50 and paid $50 each... I'm not sure the list price of LR4. Now you've got me curious. I'll have to put down the camera from experimenting with EC and get back on google. LoL Thanks, guys!

[Colin Southern]

A friend and I went 50/50 and paid $50 each... I'm not sure the list price of LR4. Now you've got me curious. I'll have to put down the camera from experimenting with EC and get back on google. LoL Thanks, guys!

You went halves on LR3? Was it installed on different computers?

[M Aella]

I was concerned about that part too, Colin, but I used the chat from Adobe's website and the man I spoke to assured me that we could use it on two seperate computers but no more than that. She uses Mac and I have a PC. I hope he was telling the truth because we both wanted to be sure that what we were doing didn't compromise their Terms of Use and he assured us we would be perfectly "legal". She uh, "misplaced" it just after it arrived and hasn't found it yet. lol That's why I've been waiting. And nail biting.

[Pjerry]

Hi Colin,

You will not believe it, but I have just finished lesson 1 (one ). I really appreciate the great work you do to improve our skills.
I will do every lesson pretty serious, so I will go out tomorrow tot search for good backgrounds.

My question: How can I discuss my pictures. To post these pictures right here isn't a very good idea I think. Do I have to catch up with the present lesson and hope for the best, or is there a better way.

Thanks again,

Regards, Pierre

P.S. LOL I see I've already posted a portrait in the beginning of this thread. I don't know why I didn't start the lessons at that time..... I've got a lot to learn, so that couldn't be the reason I didn't .

[Colin Southern]

My question: How can I discuss my pictures. To post these pictures right here isn't a very good idea I think. Do I have to catch up with the present lesson and hope for the best, or is there a better way.

Hi Pierre,

Just start a new thread

[Pjerry]

Colin,

Thanks, I will do. I'm going to sleep now (it's here 5 o'clock AM )

Pierre

[Colin Southern]

I was concerned about that part too, Colin, but I used the chat from Adobe's website and the man I spoke to assured me that we could use it on two seperate computers but no more than that. She uses Mac and I have a PC. I hope he was telling the truth because we both wanted to be sure that what we were doing didn't compromise their Terms of Use and he assured us we would be perfectly "legal". She uh, "misplaced" it just after it arrived and hasn't found it yet. lol That's why I've been waiting. And nail biting.

Hi Jen,

I think they need to review their own documentation, unfortunately

From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 EULA ...

[M Aella]

I am going to hunt down that little Adobe tech and teach him the importance of "Truth" :|

[M Aella]

Looks like I'll be paying $149.00 for LR4. A good deal I know, but less of a deal than the $50 previously thought. *sigh* Thank-you, Colin for the sad-but-neccessary news. Is there anything ohh-la-la about LR4 that would salve the sting of waiting longer and paying 3x what I was going to pay?

[Colin Southern]

Looks like I'll be paying $149.00 for LR4. A good deal I know, but less of a deal than the $50 previously thought. *sigh* Thank-you, Colin for the sad-but-neccessary news. Is there anything ohh-la-la about LR4 that would salve the sting of waiting longer and paying 3x what I was going to pay?

Hi Jen,

Sorry What he said just didn't sound right to me though.

Can't help with LR advice I'm afraid - as much as I tried to like that program, it just wasn't for me.

[Andrew76]

Is there anything ohh-la-la about LR4 that would salve the sting of waiting longer and paying 3x what I was going to pay?

Yes, actually quite a few upgrades from LR3, but if you're not overly familiar with LR3, there's not really any sense in confusing you! The addition of "White" and "Black" sliders I find quite useful, as well as all of the 'Basic' sliders are now up for use when you select the Adjustment Brush. Makes it a lot more powerful in my opinion - more CS5esque. I'm not much into video, but apparently they've upped the capabilities of the video editing as well.

Definitely worth the wait.

[Pjerry]

Hi Colin,

I couldn't go out today to find a right spot (lesson 1). It was cloudy all day long.

To keep the course going, I've got a question for you.
On holiday I met the deputy mayor of Périgueux. After a chat I asked him if it was all right to take a picture of him. No time for poses and so on, a point and shot is closer to the reality....

I made this picture which a back ground you would qualify as high frequency (and wrong as a consequence).


Richard by Pjerry , on Flickr

To my opinion this back ground isn't distracting at all, or do I miss something very important.

For the interested ones, there is a whole story about this picture on my Flickr stream.

Thanks in advance,

Pierre

P.S. There will be more things in this picture that isn't OK, but I'm focussing right now on the first lesson. Maybe this picture will return later on .

[Colin Southern]

Hi Colin,

I couldn't go out today to find a right spot (lesson 1). It was cloudy all day long.

To keep the course going, I've got a question for you.
On holiday I met the deputy mayor of Périgueux. After a chat I asked him if it was all right to take a picture of him. No time for poses and so on, a point and shot is closer to the reality....

I made this picture which a back ground you would qualify as high frequency (and wrong as a consequence).


Richard by Pjerry , on Flickr

To my opinion this back ground isn't distracting at all, or do I miss something very important.

For the interested ones, there is a whole story about this picture on my Flickr stream.

Thanks in advance,

Pierre

P.S. There will be more things in this picture that isn't OK, but I'm focussing right now on the first lesson. Maybe this picture will return later on .

Hi Pierre,

Looks pretty good to me. This background isn't high-frequency though (no fine detail) -- the gentleman's beard on the other hand is high-frequency (lots of contrasty fine detail).

Overall the shot just looks a little flat and perhaps may benefit from a slightly tighter crop?

[Colin Southern]

Here's a comparison shot of the same gent - shot by a professional photographer - from the official staff photo on the website ...

[Colin Southern]

Actually, I lied ...

... the shot above looks better than a lot of staff photos I've seen ...