Portrait Shots - how can I improve?

[Daniel Browning]

Let me try to explain in a little more detail.

Blown highlights, especially in that first shot.

This means the bright parts of the image lack detail.

I suggest backing off on exposure

This means to use a faster shutter speed (e.g. 1/1000 instead of 1/500) or something else that will reduce the amount of light falling on the sensor.

(ETTR)

ETTR means "Expose To The Right". You can google for more information about this technique, but here's the brief version: Keep increasing exposure until the highlights you care about (brightest parts) are almost, but not quite, clipped. In the first image, the highlights on the face are already clipped, so ETTR would mean reducing exposure. This would result in more noise, but since the image already has such little noise, I think the noise would be preferable to the blown highlights. Shooting in direct sunlight can be difficult in that way, but if your print sizes are small, the noise will not be an issue.

and a tone curve with more highlight headroom.
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The default tone curve in the camera allows for around ~3 stops of highlight headroom in the green channel. If you reduce exposure without changing the tone curve, it will just make the picture looks too dark. A tone curve with more highlight headroom is one that compresses the highlights. For example, HTP (Highlight Tone Priority) does this through the ISO setting.

[I chase light]

Great suggestions, all.


One I will add is the oft-repeated ideaof "catch light." Catch light is simply reflected light in the eyes.


Note that in the other portraits posted, you cann see reflected light in the eyes. It seems to make the subjects come to life or "sparkle."