Girl in Sa Pa

[scully]

This shot is of a young girl from the Black H'mong minority taken last month in Vietnam

[Manfred M]

Stephen - this had the potential to be a very nice image, but the exposure doesn't look right. I think a good bit of fill flash to bring out a back-lit subject was needed to bring out the face that is in shadow. The person sitting in the chair, while out of focus is still an element that detracts too.

[NorthernFocus]

Pretty much ditto what Manfred said. Tough lighting in this situation.

[scully]

Point taken. Flash fill wasn't really an option as it was a trek and the shots are reactions to a moment.

I tried quickly to brighten her face up and cropped the person on the chair. Is this what you meant?

[Manfred M]

That's getting there, definitely an improvement over the first posting. You might be getting some artifacts from pushing the image too hard though.

[Shadowman]

Point taken. Flash fill wasn't really an option as it was a trek and the shots are reactions to a moment.

I tried quickly to brighten her face up and cropped the person on the chair. Is this what you meant?

Nice edit, although I'd keep the hands even if they are partially cropped.

[rpcrowe]

Stephen,

Whenever I am traveling in an area in which I expect to capture images of people with generally darker complexions, I always use fill flash.

Photographers using Canon gear are quite fortunate in having the tiny Canon 270EX II available This little flash is not terribly powerful but, has enough power to brighten a subject. I will often use my fill flash in -1 or even -2 EV which requires less power.

The 270EX II is very light weight, uses only 2-AA batteries and has a very fast recycle time. All of which are advantages when traveling. It is so small that I hardly know it is on my hotshoe.

The 270EX II is also capable of slave operation with a flash that can act as a master. In fact, my Canon 7D built-in flash will trigger the 270EX II. Holding the camera with one hand and holding the flash with the other hand with your arm outstretched will give some pretty decent lighting. I tend to use this with still subjects and to use the flash on-camera with moving subjects.

The 270EX II will allow bounce flash from the hotshoe. When combined with a Demb Photojournalist Flip it and a camera at a relatively high ISO can give surprisingly good lighting...





Of course, the 270EX II is only applicable to Canon cameras but, perhaps other brands have relatively small units that make it easy to carry a flash on trips. If they don't (they should) then perhaps there might be a small flash available from a third party supplier.

BTW: Another Canon flash unit that I use for traveling is my old (ancient) 420EX. This is the smallest full size hotshoe flash available for Canon cameras. No manual availalble but, both the 270EX II and the 420EX have HSS capability which makes them quite handy for fill flash. The 420EX is no longer produced but can be found on eBay for a low price. I have recently purchased another one for $30 U.S. Dollars plus a small shipping charge.

Of course there might be advantages in other brand cameras, but these two small flashes are another reason I am glad that I originally opted for Canon gear over twelve years ago...

[Manfred M]

I tend to err on the side of caution and pack the flash and light modifiers when heading out on that type of trip.

[ionian]

Hey Stephen - this is a beautiful shot. The lighting issues are a shame but give you something to think about in future.

I've been thinking about how you could rescue the skin tones. If you have photoshop, applying a curve adjustment to lighten and selectively reducing clarity to the face could help. Even recolouring the skin (see here) to reduce the colour cast and make it more natural may also be worth trying.

[scully]

Hey Stephen - this is a beautiful shot. The lighting issues are a shame but give you something to think about in future.

I've been thinking about how you could rescue the skin tones. If you have photoshop, applying a curve adjustment to lighten and selectively reducing clarity to the face could help. Even recolouring the skin (see here) to reduce the colour cast and make it more natural may also be worth trying.

Thanks for that. It gives me something to think about. The images that I have posted on here are ones that I have issues with but do not want to discard and the feedback is welcome although at the same time a little in your face when you think that you have managed to rescue something and it still gets criticism:-)

However, if I did not want to improve I would not post. Thanks.

Also, the clip you pointed me at is interesting. I have PS, only CS5 so will have a shot at something similar.

[ionian]

Thanks for that. It gives me something to think about. The images that I have posted on here are ones that I have issues with but do not want to discard and the feedback is welcome although at the same time a little in your face when you think that you have managed to rescue something and it still gets criticism:-)

However, if I did not want to improve I would not post. Thanks.

Also, the clip you pointed me at is interesting. I have PS, only CS5 so will have a shot at something similar.

I completely understand, believe me - when I started posting here I had to learn to have a thick-skinned approach. But then when I gave feedback myself, I realised how important constructive criticism was as part of the learning process. We are all learning photographers so that's how we approach an image; take what you find useful and improve so you can make the images you want to.

[rpcrowe]

I tend to err on the side of caution and pack the flash and light modifiers when heading out on that type of trip.

Manfred, this is really a great shot!

[Manfred M]

Manfred, this is really a great shot!

Thanks - my wife has a habit of catching me in these strange situations.

What we have found in many developing countries is that people don't see themselves photographed all that often, so they will crowd around the photographer to have a look at what has been captured via the camera's screen. This is what happened here near a Hamar tribe village in Ethiopia's Omo Valley.

[Donald]

... although at the same time a little in your face when you think that you have managed to rescue something and it still gets criticism:-)

Please don't feel bad about that Stephen. I do know exactly what you mean. But what's happening here is that you're getting some pretty experienced photographers coming in with comments that, once you reflect on them, will hopefully lead to you improving your skills even further. If your image was awful, these guys wouldn't even bother commenting in the first place. It's because they see the potential in your work that they have done so.

I do know it gets some people down when they feel that it's all negative comment and no praise. But it's not said in order to make you feel like that.

[scully]

No offence taken, mate. All good.

Hopefully, it educates more than just me, as well. I will put my head in the noose again soon:-)

.....and believe me, false praise will do more harm than good.

[scully]

OK, have had another go. Altered skin tones to match another photo I had of her taken in better light, as per Youtube video using hue. Tightened the crop. Used a high pass filter but only on the eyes, nose and mouth. Played with curves, levels and contrast a little. Hope this is a better result. Yes?

Fire away.

[IzzieK]

Stephen, I still think the yellow on her cheeks is a little bit overdone. Can that be blended a bit? (Or it must be my monitor?) Just my opinion...ignore me.

[scully]

Stephen, I still think the yellow on her cheeks is a little bit overdone. Can that be blended a bit? (Or it must be my monitor?) Just my opinion...ignore me.

not ignoring anyone Izzie, maybe this is all guesswork and you play until it looks right. ??

[Dave Humphries]

Yes Stephen,

The latest edit/crop in post #16 is much better.

The colour of her face doesn't worry me so much as the unlit area down the centre.

If it were mine, I'd be attempting (and perhaps failing) to see if I could recover that, I'm not sure if your CS5 version of ACR has the Fill Light control, but if it does, that's what I'd be trying with, with a localised adjustment brush application, if that's possible.


ACR has had one, if not two, significant upgrades since CS5 and if I were you, I'd be seriously considering going the PS CC route (and yes, I have). Granted it is a (relatively small amount) every month, but it removes the need for spending hundreds of pounds in a big lump every few years, or getting stuck in 'legacyland' as you are.


If attempting in PS, I would try different things on copied layers, then flick between them to decide which works best (if any).


The other thing I'd do with the shot is crop a tad more off top edge and clone over that bright inverted "V" shaped glossy leaf thing just above her head on left. Same with any bright 'bokeh' areas, especially any that have become 'cut' by the edge of frame (and there are several), all those bright semi-circles (with a sharp straight edge) are just waiting to lead the eye out of frame. These are only little things I know, but collectively they can make a big difference.

Cheers, Dave

[Manfred M]

Stephen - another classic retoucher's trick is to slightly desaturate the subject's skin to reduced the tonal issues others have already identified. I would use a layer mask to ensure that this only impacts the skin. Of course the ultimate in desaturation is to go B&W.

One other comment. Adobe totally re-wrote the raw conversion engine when they brought out CS6 and finally resolved a long-standing issue that Nikon users had when working raw images of people. The skin tones finally started to look right. I suspect that CS5 might be part of your issue here.