Hi Stock Folks,

My approval ratio on my pics taken inside the controlled studio is not bad but almost all my pics taken outside of the studio are getting this message for the stock photo editors-

"The lighting in the photograph is poor.
The photograph contains lighting mistakes. Common lighting mistakes include underexposure, overexposure, harsh lighting, unintended shadows, flare spots on an object, white-balance issues and imperfect color reproduction."


I used my Speedlite 580 II flash as  my lighting only since these shots are normally taken on location such as the doctor's office. My concerns are that do I have to stage all my shots? The doctor will not allow me to bring all my soft-box lights and take up their time. How do I take pics that will be accepted via my flash only or am I hosed?


Thanks.


Tom

Ideally you wouldn't even use a doctor, maybe his office, but even they are problematic with tons of visible logos etc. It's very hard to compete using documentary style images. I had a chance to use a dentist's office for a shoot, my friend the dentist, didn't appear in a single image, it was all models with nice new clean uniforms. Patients were models. Lots of lights. Lots of money up front with no guarantee of a return. Makes you want to stay in a day job.

Not sure about it cutting mustard but to me the white balance looks off and it looks underexposed.

Good comments the table- the white balance is another story. After taking a class (2 hours on WB) it is so subjective. I used camera raw 6.4 and selected Flash for my white balance. I've tried that little passport with the all the colors but not sure how to use it properly. A lot to learn...

Another note, if that is an actual med chart in the photo, even with a good release, I would be reluctant to use such an image. I am not particularly cautious but med. charts could expose you to unnecessary grief.

Shoot raw so you can modify WB later. Grey reference card can help you set it right. Bounce light of white surfaces.

Just a thought:
Assuming you've got models, I don't see anything in the photo in the top shot that would mean it actually had to be shot in an actual doctor's office.

Have you considered using multiple off camera flashes for your lighting?  Or even a single $6 clamp light with a CFL bulb and a cheese cloth for diffusion.

I occasionally photograph my daughter when she is at the dentist and once when she was really young being weighed on a scale at the doctors. I found you could get half decent results if you crank the ISO a bit, use a IS lens, and watch for the action to stop a bit. Usually there is some problems with conflicting light sources but you can usually find a color temp that works alright. Adding a direct on camera flash doesn't do much in this situation except Pi** off the subjects. Cameras clicking are bad enough. My experience has always been that, although friends will often help out, they often wish they hadn't. The process has to be seamless, as if you weren't there. I still use friends occasionally, but you get so much more milage and so many more usable images with models and actors. Even if it's just a TFP deal. Basic lighting isn't all that much money, even as people suggested getting the flash off camera and up at an angle but does require more set up time which is difficult to do in a working office. In my opinion what you are trying to do is pretty hard.

A hot-shoe flash is the worst light I can think of (it is okay as a fill in but not more) no matter how expensive it was (so it doesn't matter if it is a 20Bucks hotshoe-flash or a speedlite II the results are the same). Drinking the Kool-Aid and buying completely overpriced empty yoghurt cups isn't a solution at all neither to do a two hour workshop at WB alone  . The only solution I have for you is to buy 17 Profoto B3s than every thing will be fine  .

Tom

If you wish a good read on the mindset of a location photographer, pickup a copy of "hot shoe diaries" by Joe McNally.  He has shot for Nat. Geo, Life and all the other big names.  The book is not so much a teaching of lighting but gives an excellent view into the mindset of a pro. location photographer; he discussed white balance, when to set it other than what is recommended, on camera and off camera flash, gels on flash, natural light, etc.

I am a wildlife photographer but much of his advice is still excellent for me; it gives me a view into the creative mind and helps me take my images from snaps to wall-hangers.