gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

In the past, I've posted various photos of my granddaughter over the years. She is now 6 and I find that candid photos are almost always best because if she sees me aiming a camera in her direction, she goes into a very 'fake' smile that has become a negative trademark of sorts. In this photo she is sitting at a desk we prepared for her in my office. I caught her as she looked up from a drawing she was working on.

Comments welcome.

(Download)

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Nice shot of a very pretty young lady!

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Total innocense!

dat2ra Loc: Sacramento

Yup. Hard to find fault with this shot. Lovely. Maybe brighten her eyes a bit? I'd guess in person her eyes are a bit lighter and hence more brown looking than they are in this pic.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

Thanks. Yes, her eyes are very dark, and I'm always careful about playing with the eyes too much. I have seen - and have committed - some incredibly horrid eye edits. But I completely agree that they could have been lightened some and will give it a go for my "keeper' version.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

With your permission, I can show you a quick edit that brightens the eyes. More importantly, the illumination of the eyes should be addressed in shooting by making sure the main light is providing enough shadow detail in darker eyes. If the main light is striking the subject from a position that is a bit too high the eyes can be under-illuminated. Sometimes, a bit of underexposure can render the eyes darker than they actually are. If the room is dark and the pupils dilate, the eye can also seem darker than usual.

The problem is with post-processing eye lightening, sometimes the white and the catch-light are overly brightened but the eyes themselves still seem too dark.

Some people just have BEAUTIFUL very dark eyes- ain't nothing wrong with those!

What was the light source in this image?

Oh- to avoid "jack o' lantern smiles" in kids, you have to act silly and get them to smile and laugh naturally. It works for me all the time!
Again, nothing wrong with a serious expression.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

thanks El. Of course you may edit the eyes. My light source was a bounce flash from an off white ceiling.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Bounce lighting, where the ceiling is the reflective surface, can oftentimes under-illuminate the eyes especially if the reflected light that is striking the subject is coming from directly overhead. If the subject has deep-set eyes, the eyes and the orbital area of the face (the eye socket areas) will also remain in shadow and the slang term is "raccoon eyes" because the shadows form dark circles around the eyes. It is said that "the eyes are windows to the soul" so we gotta get them right in portraits.

The ways to avoid lack of detail and getting better catch-lights when using bounce lighting is to use partial bounce where the Speedlight is tilted upward at about 45 degrees and some of the direct light strikes the subject. Another method is to use a bounce card or a small spoon to direct some of the light forward when the majority of the light is directed upward. Yet another method is to bounce the light backward at the junction of the wall and the ceiling behind the camera or a sidewall.

I have attached a few images of the flash configuration and a diagram.

In the portrait of your granddaughter, there are catch-lights in her eyes so some of the light did get through to her eyes. For most portraits, I prefer an off-camera main light, direct or modified, but if I am restricted to an on-camera Speedlight or strobe, those that are illustrated are the positions.


The attached edit is quick and dirty-is just a matter of dodging each eye slightly to reveal more shadow detail.

Yes, they do grow up fast! I'll show off my youngest granddaughter who is now a teenager. They get cuter and more beautiful as they grow and age, the problem is, we age too and for some reason, grandpas don't get all that cute!

Thanks for posting and show more of your work soon!


Ed

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

Thanks Ed. I like your version of the eyes.

lschiz Loc: Elgin, IL

I like the spoon idea too. Have you tried that? Looks like it could give a nice catch light.
Also
What did you do with the eyes?
LR Ps sharpening?
Just curious.
Thanks

Michael1079 Loc: Indiana

One of the most attractive features in child portraits has to be their eyes. Thee always seem so large and expressive. Your granddaughter is no exception. Lovely expression on this little Miss. (Mine is now 10 years old, and yes, she is growing WAY too fast.)

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I have not seen the "spoon bounce" technique. What does this accomplish vs. a white or foil card bounce?
Thanks