some assistance please

[cream T]

this is as shot except for some cropping and resize. How could I improve the shot pre and post processing.

[Mike Buckley]

You have a terrific subject and I really like the informal setting. It has the potential for a very pleasing informal, environmental portrait.

The major issue you need to grapple with in both your capture settings and your post-processing is that the outside light is a lot brighter than the inside light. In this case you've got a better exposure for the outside light than the inside light. If you have to make a compromise, you're better off nailing the exposure on your subject, which in this case is underexposed.

I don't know your post-processing skills, but if you treat those two areas separately you'll be able to achieve a better balance between the exposure of the two main areas (the outside and the inside).

The house in the background is a distraction for me. Consider cropping at the top to eliminate it. Another benefit is that if you capture the image without that house in the scene, you'll probably get a better balance between the inside and outside exposure because less of the outside light will be influencing your camera's light meter.

[Shadowman]

Possibly needs a bit of shadow adjustment so that the shoulder and arm doesn't blend into the background. The reflection on the pad/photo could be toned down. Seeing the newspaper in the image makes me want to see the headline, if the paper isn't significant consider cloning out.

[KingsHockeyFan]

Interior lights....to both emphasize the subject and to eliminate glare on the table objects; Non sheer curtains....to eliminate backlighting and to reduce outside visual distractions, however, I assume this was a snapshot thus no attempt to set up, so as mentioned earlier you should expose for the inside.

[DanK]

Capture: increase interior lighting, with some directed toward the child give catch lights. Expose for the face, not the frame as a while. Frame so that the eyes are higher and there is less distracting stuff above him.

Postprocessing: Crop from the top to get rid of some of the space. Given how distracting the background is, I would make it a pretty tight crop. Separate the boy from the background, and lighten the boy. Darken and blur the background. Add a vignette. Then see what it looks like to evaluate other changes, such as contrast.

[Manfred M]

You've received some excellent advice and I'd like to add some of my own thoughts.

It looks like there is a second light source behind you and to the left; I assume this is another window? The catchlights in the eyes and the shadows suggest that this is the case.

I personally would have shot this a bit differently, but trying to preserve what I think you were trying to do, here is my crop and edit.



1. Too much in the image that is distracting and not relevant to the shot. The house in the background is quite distracting. Our eyes tend to be drawn to the lightest parts of the image, which is the window, rather than the child. Getting rid of most of this would be where I would start.

2. The bright lights from the window are fooling your light meter and the shot is underexposed. I would suggest that you use exposure compensation here; this would brighten everything up.

3. The window is providing a heavy amount of backlighting, so even with the second light source, the shot is a bit flat, so increasing contrast would help.

4. The window is still distracting so darkening it up with a vignette will help.

[Downrigger]

You've received some excellent advice

I surely agree - and one other thing I notice is that even in Manfred's effort, there remains a competing distraction emanating from the reflections off the place mats - another consequence of the unhelpfully bright window.

[Manfred M]

I surely agree - and one other thing I notice is that even in Manfred's effort, there remains a competing distraction emanating from the reflections off the place mats - another consequence of the unhelpfully bright window.

Which is why I said I would have shot this differently.

Getting it right in the camera should still be the primary goal and PP should be used sparingly to correct things that can't be handled through good lighting and composition.

[Mike Buckley]

Manfred's treatment is exactly as I imagined when I made my suggestions.

I think a major issue here is that we don't know the OP's circumstance when he captured the image: was it primarily a grab shot with at the most a little coaching to pose the child or was it primarily a planned environmental portrait? If it was the former, I understand why the place mats that produce the direct reflections are there; you have to get the shot while the child is in the right mood and taking the time to move the place mats might ruin the opportunity. In that situation it's best to take the shot, then move the place mats with the hope that you can take some other shots. If it was the latter, lots of great suggestions have already been made about how to make improvements the next time.

[cream T]

Thank you all for your very helpful comments. The situation was I had just finished watching a u tube video on using natural light and my grandson came over to see what I was doing. I liked what I saw as he was standing by the two windows I just grabbed the camera and shot. I certainly take in your comments about the distracting junk on the table and the house in the background. I'm still struggling with the basics of lightroom so I'm greatful for your editing. thank you all again.
Graham

[chauncey]

Maybe put yourself and the subject parallel to the window's natural light soft glow.

[Barnwell]

Would a polarizer filter eliminate the reflections/glare?

[Mike Buckley]

Would a polarizer filter eliminate the reflections/glare?

Possibly, not necessarily.