Reddit reviews Weddingstar Round Paper Lantern, 16", White
We found 2 Reddit comments about Weddingstar Round Paper Lantern, 16", White. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Available in various colorsAvailable in various sizes16-inch diameterMix and match the colors and sizes to customize the lanterns to your individual needsPaper Lanterns only, lights not included
This is going to be very difficult to achieve with a T2i. Much of the detail is in the shadows, which the T2i doesn't capture very well.
Start with some ND on the windows. I'd start with knocking them back 2 stops, but you'll likely need more. After that add some fill light from something soft at camera right. Maybe 3x china balls in a line to keep the cost down. I'd love a 4-bank here, but the paper lanterns are a very affordable way to get some soft light. Since you're shooting agains the sun be sure to put daylight balanced lights in them. 2700-3200k warm lights are going to give you color balance woes.
The goal with the lighting is to try to bring the dynamic range into something a T2i can record. The difference from dark to light here is the problem. Cameras that shoot raw or log formats are more equipped for this shot.
---
As for color, the people in this sub will have better advice. I'm not really a color person, but I'll take a crack and hopefully someone can tell you what I'm wrong about.
For starters desaturate the shit out of what you shot. This starts with art direction, continues into set design, and finally ends in post. You can only be as successful as what the camera is allowed to record.
Next you need to lift the pedestal. The blacks should be pretty milky. This is something the T2i will struggle to do elegantly as its encoder doesn't give you a lot of shadow detail. Pull up the bottom point of a curves layer up 15ish percent. After that add a point a little bit up the line and lift that even more. Work the curves after that to get toning that you like. It doesn't have to be final, but try to get it much of the way there. What you really need will vary based on your shot.
Next I believe (could be my laptop screen leading me astray) the shadows have a slight purple tint. Add that with a 3-way. Use the same 3-way to push your midtones towards green. Also push your highlights towards the same green. You might push the highlights slightly more towards yellow or orange than you did the mids. The midtones are pushing further on the color wheels, so make sure that point is further from the center of the wheel than the highlights point is. Note that you'll probably need to adjust the pivot point for the shadows-to-midtones transition and work the curves from above to get that changeover happening where you like it.
Add a soft dark correction to the room using some sort of soft mask to target that area more specifically. If the camera moves a lot your mask is going to need to change to compensate.
After that get some grain going on. Add a final curves to get the toning you want to finish with.
---
Now hopefully I've said something wrong along the way. Nothing brings out good advice like giving bad advice. :-)
Move the little rug under your coffee table into your kitchen in front of the sink. Try your dining area rug in the living room. Bring in a side table where your floor lamp is and add a nice table lamp. You can also add some plant stands scattered about with plants. The bar shelf could use a lamp or something cozy on top as well. But most importantly, cover those bare bulbs with something like these paper lamps since you can't do much to change them.