Blotchiness in portraits

[chauncey]

I'm seeing, of late, a lot of female portraits that have shiny/blotchy areas on the skin, face and arms/hands. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a color or B&W image. I want to do some pictures
of my kids and want a heads-up on how to avoid that potential problem.

[Manfred M]

Blotchy areas are often caused by oily areas on the skin that reflect the light. In pro photography, a makeup artist is used to prepare the skin to minimize these effects. A bit of powder can do wonders here. This issue is above and beyond any other skin defects that might require a more agressive makeup approach. These are not necessarily 100% solutions and post processing may be required.

All that being said, these problems can also be tackled in post-production, i.e. Photoshop, but the more extreme the issue, the more difficult the fix, so again in pro work, both techniques are often used.

[Shadowman]

I see a similar problem when shooting portraits under overcast skies or when figure is in the shade. Colors of garments aren't affected as much as skintones.

[kdoc856]

Hi, Chauncey.

I can't remember what editing program you use. I generally use Lightroom, and use an adjustment brush and move down both the clarity and sharpness sliders to taste. I am often pleasantly surprised how much homogeneity I can get in the skin. I also mask the skin before any sharpening, and do the eye sharpening on a separate layer. Just have to be careful not to reduce clarity and sharpness to the point of giving a "porcelain-like" artificial look.

[Mike Buckley]

Most people wouldn't associate using a polarizer while shooting portraits but I've read many times that it works well for eliminating glare on skin. This would be most appropriate for outdoor candid shots where the photographer doesn't have other (better) methods for controlling the situation.

[chauncey]

Aah...it just dawned on me that I should mention that my kids are black...past experience tells me that shooting black folks is way different than is shooting white folks. They are more prone to that glare that Manfred mentioned. I hadn't considered using Kevin's adjustment brush technique prior to going into PS CC...makes sense. Polarizer...don't have one Mike, nor do I have lighting of any kind, save flashlights.

Perhaps a visit to a beauty salon before a shoot would be a great idea.

[PhotomanJohn]

A good number of portrait photographer's style includes slightly overexposing skin areas on women to wash out details in the skin which aggravates any issues in the highlight areas. This is an alternate method of hiding blemishes and the like.

John

[rpcrowe]

Perhaps you might post an example. There are saveral factors which could cause the problems you described...

The following mostly concerns problems with the face.

IMO, the one accessory that any portrait photographer should not be without is a pack or a box of facial tissue. Just asking your subject to blot (in the case of females with makeup applied) or wipe (in the case of males or females with no makeup) will easily remove much of the oily residue that causes ugly reflections.

Another thing that might cause blotchiness is poor post processing; such as over sharpening.

IMO, one of the worst offending factors in female portraiture is the lack of, or inappropriate use, of makeup. This and poor hairdos probably ruin as many portraits of women as do poor captures and inappropriate post processing...

There are often brightening ingredients combined with makeup which will fluoresce when hit by high levels of UV light, Fortunately many electronic flashes of today have UV filters incorporated which reduces the glowing effect.

Finally, skin conditions such as (but not limited to) acne can cause blotchy looking skin. In the old days of B&W film photography, I often used a green filter in portraiture which suppressed redness or ruddiness. Flat lighting will often reduce the impact of poor skin such as large pores or acne....

[kdoc856]

They are more prone to that glare that Manfred mentioned.

The adjustment brush can help there, too. The glare is a highlight, so try nudging down the clarity, sharpness and highlights either in one adjustment or separate.