DIY Network

Digital Photography and Dealing With Skin Tones Using Proper Lighting and Camera Settings to Get Truer Skin Tones From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-205

	Darker skin tones can absorb light, causing the details to be lost.
	Creative use of lighting helps capture detail.

When people adjust the color on their TV, they typically use skin tones as a reference--because if you can get the skin tones right, the whole picture is likely to appear more true. Similarly in digital photography, skin tone is critical because it's often one of the most obvious attributes by which a picture will be judged. If the skin tone doesn't look right, the whole photo may be a wash.

But people, like photographs, don't just come in black and white. Effectively dealing with the range, variations and nuances of skin tones and colors can be a real challenge to the photographer.

Photographing people with darker skin, in particular, can present a large set of obstacles for amateur photographers. Too much flash can distort the color while too little can obscure detail.

In this lesson from DIY's The Whole Picture viewers learn how to take into account varying skin tones when lighting, composing and shooting photographs.

Materials:

digital camera
reflector
tripod
camera manual

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People Come In Lots of Colors

It's no secret that one of the biggest factors in getting good, professional looking photographs is the proper lighting of your subject. And when shooting people, a basic principle at work comes from the fact that white or lighter colored skin reflects more light while darker skin tends to absorb it. As a result lighter skin tones require less light to get the right kind of exposure and detail, and darker skin tones require more.

When photographing people with darker skin colors, novice photographers often fail to capture the dramatic highlights darker skin tones offer. The results are usually shadowy silhouettes or faces with little or no detail. Don't feel discouraged, achieving accurate and balanced skin tones is one of the more challenging areas I deal with as a professional photographer.

	Using a simple background allows the viewer to focus on your subject.
	Shooting your subject in good light is essential to capturing the details.

Basics of Working With Available Light

The light meter in your digital camera is designed to achieve the best images from the mid-tones in the scene. As a result, when photographing people with either very dark or light skin the results are often muddy and disappointing.

Point and shoot digital cameras are designed to shoot the average. They're not made to capture all the different skin tones that our eyes see. That's why we sometimes get the blowouts and blotchy skin colors because it doesn't capture the details. The problem is further compounded when you're working with really light or really dark skin tones.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to work with light or dark skin tones?and the good news is the tips are applicable whether shooting inside or outside.

The first thing you need to do is pick the area with the largest amount of light. For instance, if you are inside, move near a window--but not right in front of it. Keep reading to find out why.

Something else to keep in mind is the selection of the background. A general rule of thumb in photography is to find a location with a simple, medium toned background. Now, if you were shooting someone with lighter skin tones, then this rule of thumb would work. However, if you are shooting someone with a darker skin tone, try and find a background that's equally as dark. That way you'll keep the focus on the face of the subject and not on the background.

If you're going to use the automatic settings on your camera, it is especially important to start by analyzing your entire scene before you take your pictures. Looking the scene over first will help you capture the best possible skin tones, especially when they are darker or lighter then average.

If you are outside, move your subject into an area that avoids great levels of contrast that will make it harder for your camera to get proper exposure in.

When inside, avoid any area that is very light, like in front of a window or very dark, like a door into another room. Minimize these areas by closing the blinds or door.

Put your subject in position and try taking a shot with everything including the flash on automatic. When on automatic, most flash pictures will have an increased level of contrast. Making it even harder to capture the detail in skin tones.

Turn off the flash and take the same picture again. Notice how the picture is much more evenly exposed. Now try turning on some more light and take the picture again. When set on the automatic setting the camera will make its best guess to give you the optimal exposure. Zoom in or move in as close as you can to minimize the background even more

You can also try moving your subject closer to the window to increase the amount of light. Adjust the blinds and curtains to give you the optimal look. Erin Likes to try using shear curtains to help give a softer light on the subject. Just keep experimenting until you get the look you want.

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