My daughter's pillow

[welmoed]

This is my first "real" attempt at doing a portrait. My daughter was a very patient subject. This was also the first time I've tried using a separate flash. It was also done against a black back drape (actually, a big piece of drapery lining from my workroom). I need to work more on it, but already this is far better than anything I've done previously.

She's holding her favorite pillow, which used to be her favorite sweater until she outgrew it and I turned it into a pillow.

Taken with my Olympus E-510.

http://sissons.smugmug.com/photos/238940245-M.jpg

[Snappers]

Very nice Welmoed

[gjtoth]

VERY nice! Great pillow.... the kid's ok too. http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k119/gjtoth/roflmao.gif

[Snappers]

Trust You Garyhttp://www.smileycons.com/img/default/0568.gif

[welmoed]

Thanks; my husband insisted on her taking karate classes (she's a brown belt in uechi ryu) and she can stand up for herself pretty well.

My one issue with the picture is that her face seems "hot". Now, part of this I will attribute to not knowing how to set the flash, but are there some guidelines on getting a good "soft" skin tone in portraits?

--Welmoed

[Snappers]

It's a great idea to teach children Karate. What sort of flash was it you were using? You can get a softener which goes over the flash to soften the flash.

[kumod]

You could also try like Andy says on a softener for your flash, you might try stuff like a piece of wax paper and couple inches in front of the flash or a piece of rip cord nylon. I've heard of people taking a womans nylon stocking and stretching it across the lens and shooting through that to soften things up as well.

Nice shot by the way.

[welmoed]

I was using a Vivitar 283, left over from my film days. I figured out one reason it looked so "hot" -- my husband pointed out that I hadn't set the flash to correspond to the camera settings. Like I said, I'm still learning!! The flash does have a diffuser on it, and I have a pack of different color lenses. I might try playing with those as well.
--Welmoed

[Snappers]

Nice one. I havn't got around to playing with diffuser color lenses yet.
I just use a diffuser over my flash which I am quite happy with.

[ladyups]

This is my first "real" attempt at doing a portrait. My daughter was a very patient subject. This was also the first time I've tried using a separate flash. It was also done against a black back drape (actually, a big piece of drapery lining from my workroom). I need to work more on it, but already this is far better than anything I've done previously.

She's holding her favorite pillow, which used to be her favorite sweater until she outgrew it and I turned it into a pillow.

Taken with my Olympus E-510.



Nice portrait. Your daughter is very beautiful.

Mary

[jerryph]

I was using a Vivitar 283, left over from my film days. I figured out one reason it looked so "hot" -- my husband pointed out that I hadn't set the flash to correspond to the camera settings.

The Vivitar 283s are a favorite from the strobist group as being a well liked off camera flash. Its not that your flash wasn't set to correspond to the camera settings, it was that the flash was simply set to a slightly too high intensity. Any one of the things I suggest below would have prevented that "blown-out" look:

- one notch down on the manual power level settings
- move the flash back 2-3 feet
- place a diffuser on it
- flash into an umbrella
- flash through a softbox

Anyone of these would lower the intensity enough to give you the effect you needed.

In the end, its still a nice picture!
(don't want to get my hiney beat up by a brown belt... lol)