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Hey guys, i've been floating around these forums for a bit, posting here and there, and have yet to post my first image to be critiqued....so here it is...

these are not only my first images on this forums, but these are also my first real foray into portrait photography! i was at a friend's 21st last night and went around with the 400D and the 50mm 1.8 and a business card (to bounce the on camera flash onto the ceiling) and managed to pull out a few decent shots i reckon.

so i hope you enjoy!

The birthday girl:


Simon and Janet:


Debbie and Carl:


Trent:


thanks for looking!

Great shots. Watch that white balance though unless it's the warm feel you are going for. Great idea with the business card!

I agree - the candids are nice shots, but the white balance looks quite out on my monitor. A couple of the shots are very red.

mmmm, no doubt my white balance is out.

how do i go about making sure my colours are correct? without going down the presumeably expensive road of buying a colour correct monitor.

The easy way, shoot in RAW and fix in capture NX or photoshop. Fortunately I have a great example off the top of my head!

Compare:

This, straight out of camera with JPG conversion


to

Where I have lightened and fixed the white balance in capture NX

Justin wrote:The easy way, shoot in RAW and fix in capture NX or photoshop. Fortunately I have a great example off the top of my head!

Compare:

This, straight out of camera with JPG conversion


to

Where I have lightened and fixed the white balance in capture NX

see on my monitor i would call that second photo washed out with unnaturally coloured skin tones. her shirt is white and his shirt is black, but the skin tones don't work for me on my monitor. for me on my monitor, of the photos i posted, the one of simon and janet (second photo) the colour is just slightly on the orange side of natural.

Just an example of what changing the white balance can do. Yours are in no way as severe an example of this.

Have a look at what the recommended WB setting is for your monitor. I seem to recall 6.5k is the correct setting.

p.s. And her shirt was white and his black

Justin wrote:Have a look at what the recommended WB setting is for your monitor. I seem to recall 6.5k is the correct setting.

any idea on where to find this information?

Justin wrote:p.s. And her shirt was white and his black

lol, that was my point the 'background' colours looked correct, but skintones are way off

Actually, they aren't off. His face is quite red, you find that with a lot of men. And she has quite a bit of makeup on which lends the yellowish tone. This wasn't a modelling shoot

I'd google monitor settings, or search this site.