Feedback on this model shot appreciated.

Zascar

First time with proper light setup... I only got a few minutes with the lights etc but i really enjoyed it. Pretty happy with this shot - interested in your feedback



So I'm a total novice at photoshop etc. I did some rough adjustment with camera raw but have not done anything else. If anyone is a wizz with photo retouching and would like to have a go at making it right, I can link you to the raw file. I've cropped the pic a good bit here also.

I'm thinking of entering this into a little competition, first entry, so would appreciate any feedback and help

Thanks

jpfahy

Colour Correction, lifted shadows, smoothed skin, brightened and sharpened eyes

flyingsnail

I hope you don't mind but I did a quick edit, I softened the skin (might of slightly overdone it ) and brightened up the eyes. If you have room to crop on the original you might consider a square format.

If you are considering entering it into a competition you should carefully read their editing rules first.

FNn43Pg.jpg

dinneenp

Constructive criticism-
Her headgear thing is distracting, especially the bit to her right/our left.
Her eyes could be lit up more.
Besides that very nice.

kevc2

I gave it a whirl, http://static.dyp.im/ZecbdkpNL8/401a1cb2db93aee11962bf24a74d24fa.jpg

Messed with the curves, de-saturated it after that, added contrast to the eyes, smoothed the skin (quick job) and then sharpened it a bit. I think the original has too much of an orange glow to it and a bit low on contrast. I am in no way great at photoshop though.

Wailin

kevc2 wrote: »

I gave it a whirl, http://static.dyp.im/ZecbdkpNL8/401a1cb2db93aee11962bf24a74d24fa.jpg

Messed with the curves, de-saturated it after that, added contrast to the eyes, smoothed the skin (quick job) and then sharpened it a bit. I think the original has too much of an orange glow to it and a bit low on contrast. I am in no way great at photoshop though.

Wow big improvement with this version, looks way more natural.

Zascar

Wow thanks that looks lovely! I'll pm you the raw file - thanks!

Myksyk

Might be worth seeing what it looks like cropped tight. I too find the headgear a bit distracting. I'd crop out her right 'ear' and photoshop out the other one. Mightn't work so close up but worth a look.

kevc2

Myksyk wrote: »

Might be worth seeing what it looks like cropped tight. I too find the headgear a bit distracting. I'd crop out her right 'ear' and photoshop out the other one. Mightn't work so close up but worth a look.

I don't find the headgear distracting, without it, it would just be another face pic. I think the headgear sets it apart from other photos.

Anyway here's the steps I used to edit the photo, I'm in no means an "expert" or anything so the instructions are meant to be taken as a guide, I done everything by eye, nothing scientific.

Settings I used in camera raw:

Temerature 5700
Vibrance +30
Exposure +.25
Clarity +25
Contrast +17

Then in photoshop:
Cleared blemishes using spot healing brush tool (in content-aware mode) and clone stamp set to "lighten" for any lines.

Masked the coloured part of the eyes, saturation and contrast up to 30%. (This normally brings out the eyes a good bit but didn't make such an impact with this image. When zoomed in it looks like you have over done it with these settings but zooming out it's a lot more subtle.)

Portraiture plugin to smooth skin, default settings at 80% opacity.
Curves: RGB slight S-Bend to increase overall contrast. Red channel - brought everything down slightly into the green. Green channel - slightly into the violet. Blue channel - tiny bit of blue to everything.

De-saturated the image a bit after that. Then applied the "smart sharpen" filter at default settings.

Last bit is that the background needs to be as black as possible, I didn't bother with that.

I hope that gives someone a little help.

gloobag

My own notes on this image would be:

• Exposure. It looks a little hot to me. There's too much contrast between the light a dark areas of the image. Some very harsh highlights on her cheek and nose. Use a handheld flash meter to be sure of your exposure if you have to.
  
• White balance looks to be a bit off, but this could be the result of what you did in editing. Custom white balance using a grey card is the best, but Flash setting will do in a pinch, when using lights.
  
• Light placement. Seems to be a bit too side lit judging by the shadow pattern on the face. Pretty much one entire half of the face appears much brighter than the other. It's not a flattering look for a girl. Bring it more around to the front or feather it with some reflected fill on the opposite side. Also, judging by the catchlights in the eyes, it looks like the light is very high up on the stand. There are lighting setups that sometimes require this (usually high fashion hard light looks), but this isn't one of them.
  
• Shooting position. You seem to be shooting up to the face. Again, this isn't a flattering look, especially when shooting so close.
  
• Composition. Too much negative space to the left of the frame. Negative space can be a great compositional tool, but here it adds nothing. This image would benefit from being shot in portrait orientation with a more central/symmetrical composition.
  
• Styling. The teddy bear head gear is terrible to be honest. This may not have been your doing, but as the photographer, you are essentially the director of the shoot. Don't be afraid to tell stylists, makeup artists or models that what they're doing isn't working. They'll thank you for it.

Keep plugging away at it. You'll learn something new every time you shoot. Even if the images don't turn out well every time, you'll still learn something from the experience.

B.

Zascar

Thanks Kev that's really helpful. I agree about the headgear, it makes it different and interesting. For example, this is another shot someone else took. I'm biased but I think mine is way nicer

Gloobag, just seeing your comments now thanks for that its useful. I literally had 3 minutes with the camera and she was striking random poses etc, so I'm happy to come out with this in fairness, but good to know for the future. I deffo overdid it on the white balance. I would also prefer more light on the other side of the face I will crop this square probably but I sort of like some black spare on one side. I@ll have another play and post something later

amdgilmore

gloobag wrote: »

[*]Composition. Too much negative space to the left of the frame. Negative space can be a great compositional tool, but here it adds nothing. This image would benefit from being shot in portrait orientation with a more central/symmetrical composition.

Agree with this. I don't generally like to comment on C&C, as I rarely feel like I'm qualified, but since somebody else has said it first...

It seems like you've lined up the centre line of her face directly on one the 'golden ratio' lines (I checked it with a compositional overlay and the line perfectly bisects her face) - and that's the problem. There are no points of interest on that line, unless you count her nose, which isn't traditionally the focal point of a portrait!

I suspect that's also what's led to the unnecessary 'white space' (or black space in this case) on the left of the frame.

So I guess I'm making two points:

• If adhering to a compositional guide like the golden ratio or the rule of thirds, it's the points of interest, like the eyes for example, that should be on the line (or preferably on the intersection of the lines).
  
• Putting the subject on the GR line is only part of the rule. You also have to think about balancing the frame with other points of interest. If you've got nothing in the background to provide balance it's usually better to ditch the basic rules and compose dead centre, as suggested above.

In general I don't think the GR lines or RoT are good rules to follow. They can make a photo look very mechanical. But if you're going to follow them... etc

ENET

Had a go myself.

FNn43Pg.jpg

Myksyk

OTT ... just for fun!

sumo12

Nice pic, just smoothen out her skin, especially her forehead. Brighten and enhance her eyes. Thats all for me, it's a nice shot. And she is stunning by the way!