rebel 2000 with Canon EF 28-105 II USM

[marat_irner]

Hi.

I received the this camera and lens as a gift together with a Tiften

UV 58mm filter. I am a complete beginner when it comes to

photography, so I decided to try it out. I took a roll of pictures of

my gf in the house (Kodak Gold 200), the lighting was medium to poor,

everyting was done either in full auto or portrait mode. After I

developed pictures the first thing that I noticed was how unnatural

the color of the skin looked -- it was red (like after a bad

sunburn). The rest of the colors seemed to be fine, and the clarity

was awsome. So I am trying to find out whether it was a mistake on my

part or is the camera and lens malfunctioning??

 

Thanks

[tony_b]

Hi,

 

The lighting was tungestan? this is why i think your pictures were something loke orange colors

[NK Guy]

Was the lighting all indoor tungsten (regular incandescent)? If so, sounds to me like a colour temperature problem.

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<A HREF="http://photonotes.org/cgi-bin/entry.pl?id=Colourtemperature"> http://photonotes.org/cgi-bin/entry.pl?id=Colourtemperature </A>

[r.m._watkins]

It does sound like a lighting temp problem. A couple of ways to help.

 

First I'm assuming your using the onboard flash. It just isn't strong enought to overcome this issue. You need a bigger unit. I personally think the 420ex is the best bet for your camera, but some others might disagree.

 

Second, You can try Fuji 400 speed film with the 4th layer. I've found that it does a lot better job of giving realistic skin colors under varying light conditions. Good luck

[nello]

I think you should take your girlfriend outside (preferably in the morning or afternoon which is when daylight tends to be more flattering for portraits.) and try some shots without using the flash. You'll be amazed.

 

BTW the 420ex is a great flash, but I would advise you to forget about it for now and learn more about what good light is. Good flash technique can be a lot to tackle when you're just learning photography.

 

I also agree that you're having color balance (temperature) problems due to artificial lighting. The cheapest, and most effective way to fix that is to take that camera outside!

 

In terms of consumer film, I also prefer fuji to kodak. I also think that 400 is a great speed for you to start out with.

 

goodluck!

[canon man]

I would go ahead and buy the 420EX flash along with the cheap 50mm 1.8 lens and then go to the learn section of this forum and teach yourself exposure.

[oliver_s.]

Yes, Photo.net's <a href="http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/">'Learn' section</a> is extremely helpful. The flash is absolutely no necessity right now, and you can even live with the lens you have IMHO. You'd better invest in film. After reading, you learn how to take good pictures only by taking pictures, taking pictures, and taking more pictures.