That's a strange shadow

[FowlersFreeTime]

Look at this photo I took of my family (sister, brother-in-law, nephew), and keep in mind I have not edited the raw other than to export to jpg:

• Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
• 31.0 mm
• ƒ/2.7999999523163
• 1/640 sec
• ISO 100

I'll crop in, now look at the shadow on my nephew's face:

• Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
• 31.0 mm
• ƒ/2.7999999523163
• 1/640 sec
• ISO 100

Makes him look like he's painted his face blue-ish/gray like he's an extra in the Braveheart movie
I've never seen a shadow rendered like that! Sadly it must be baked into the RAW because ON1 isn't really giving me good results in editing either. Pretty sad, because I thought it was a nice photo of them when I took it.

 

[iamdlewis]

It's not the shadow it is a reflection from the balloon that makes him look odd. His arm and shoulder blocking a lot of the reflection

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

It's not the shadow it is a reflection from the balloon that makes him look odd. His arm and shoulder blocking a lot of the reflection

ahhh that makes sense, and now that you've pointed it out, I cannot un-see it. Thanks for chiming in.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

My attempt at fixing the shadow on his face made him stand out too much, so I masked all 3 faces and brightened them up a bit. The shadow is still present, but hopefully it looks a little better... as long as I don't zoom/crop in on him.

• Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
• 31.0 mm
• ƒ/2.7999999523163
• 1/640 sec
• ISO 100

but however I edit it, what has been seen cannot be unseen

 

[Richard A]

Yes. That’s a pity. Shadows on faces can be very difficult. If you look at all three faces, they all have different colour shadows plus the bright sun. There are some good videos on YouTube about removing shadows from faces and you can get some good results but they all make it look easier than it actually is.

 

[iamdlewis]

Yes. That’s a pity. Shadows on faces can be very difficult. If you look at all three faces, they all have different colour shadows plus the bright sun. There are some good videos on YouTube about removing shadows from faces and you can get some good results but they all make it look easier than it actually is.

I don't think you've seen it yet

It is this reflection from the balloon.

You really want to do a fill replace. Just kind of unlucky. I am not sure how many people would have noticed that when taking the photo, seems like it was a casual thing.

 

[Richard A]

I have seen it. The colour balance of the rest of his face looks a bit off to me also. I have seen people on YouTube correct stuff like this but like I said before, they make it look a lot easier than it actually is.

I had to do this a few months ago. Not exactly the same obviously. This was a bit of a rush job for my wife. It's not too bad considering. These are just from an iPhone.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks guys. Yeah its just the luck of the draw on this one. It was a nice moment to capture, but I got other shots at his party that my sister can get printed and frame. Live and learn!

 

[Richard A]

Yes. Ban big shiny gold balloons from you photos in future!