My daughter had her first formal dance last night, the ROTC Ball at her high school. Full Disclosure: I'm no portrait photographer. To be honest, this is only the second time I've tried this (the first time was a disaster).
Any and all CC is greatly appreciated. I wasn't the one directing their poses, but I tried to catch a few good candid shots. What should I change in processing to make these better? Is the color too yellow/warm? Thanks for any advice here!
Color wise, looks fine to me. And, they look pretty consistent in all 4 images.
All images, probably about .3 stops underexposed.
Has a snapshot (or phone shot) feel because the background (especially the bushes) is not blurred enough. What I would have done:
1. Step them away from the bushes as much as possible.
2. Use your 28-300 @ 300 @ f5.6 as much as possible.
3. Unless you can use the bushes like a background wall, avoid them.
Not sure why f8 was used on the last image. Probably your landscape photography kickin’ in. :)
Lastly, just because there’s a bench, doesn’t mean you have to use it. Consider what’s behind the bench.
Thanks so much for the great feedback! This was a “one and done” kind of opportunity, so I was terrified I would screw this up. Lol!
Unfortunately, I notoriously underexpose images like this... I blame it on my monitor, but honestly I think it’s my eyes. I’ll definitely go back and fix that. I never even thought about using the big lens, but I have a feeling I’ll get another chance to practice this since we have so much unexpected free time (thank you, global pandemic). As for f8, you’re right: the landscape/nature photography instinct kicked in when they got bored and started squirming around. Two teenagers loaded up on fast food and caffeine, they were moving around so much I couldn’t keep up. Lol!
Thanks again!
Don't beat yourself up on the underexposure. It's so minimal it's just a matter of taste. For these types of photos, I typically prefer them on the brighter side. :)
I agree with the comments about the background. I don't feel they are underexposed, although this is a matter of each photographer's taste. I would have a tendency to have less exposure on the scene and add some fill flash on the subjects. This would also reduce the impact of the background.
You have a good opportunity to practice with family (if they will let you), so now might be a good to work on your portrait photography. There are many good tutorials and youtube videos on portraiture.