Portrait - Comments

[sravan]

<p>I have been trying to practice my portrait photography skills. Previous attempts have been only about lighting and now i wanted to move one step ahead to both lighting and proper post processing.<br>

All three have been post processed. Please let me know what i can improve on the lighting, stance, and the post processing.<br>

I didnt know if I need to show the un-processed versions. Let me know if I should to get better critique.<br>

I am going for a natural looking but clean look (Not portrait professional level of skin smoothening)<br>

<img src="http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-hJXQfL9/3/M/MG9137-Edit-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

Extra Large Version:<br>

http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-hJXQfL9/3/X3/MG9137-Edit-X3.jpg<br>

<img src="http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-2PbzsSD/3/M/MG9215-Edit-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

Extra Large Version:<br>

http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-2PbzsSD/3/X3/MG9215-Edit-X3.jpg<br>

<img src="http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-sQ7nmV7/1/M/MG9264-Edit-M.jpg" alt="" /><br>

Extra large version:<br>

http://www.arushistudios.com/Portraits/Sagarika/i-sQ7nmV7/1/X3/MG9264-Edit-X3.jpg</p>

[Alex]

<p>I think overall this images are nice. I like the posing (it does not look fake) and she seems very relaxed. The lighting is good, kind of flat for my taste but I think it shows your model well. I favor a bit more contrast, but that is me. I would recommend lighting the background independently from your subject, since it appears you were going for a white background. The first image is gray and the other two are close to each other but not the same. If you go for white background you should get white (not the easiest thing to do on full body shots)<br /> As for the post work you did a good job (there is always room to do better) but seems like you are heading on the right direction. The second image seems a bit too bright/over exposed on one side of her face and as for the cropping I would center her nose on the center.<br /> Congratulations on your efforts.<br /> I enclosed a copy of your first image with a lighter background. I think it does make a positive enhancement and on the second one I did a bit of cropping and brought down the highlights on the one side of her face (I hope you don't mind)<br /> Regards,<br /> Alex</p><div></div>

[Alex]

<p>This is the one with the white background and the other one was the one I brought down the highlights. I posted the backwards,</p>

<div></div>

[sravan]

<p>Since the dress was light colored, and the hair was nice. I think if i had a old masters back ground it would have been nice, but my black background is small and does not go on the floor. So used the white but then wanted some separation from the dress for the standing shots. So gelled the backgound a bit. which is causing the slight grey background.</p>

<p>Alex, can you tell how you got the hair in the white background picture you posted that nice? The stray hairs were hard and removing them realistically was very hard for me.</p>

[richardsperry]

Lightroom auto mask.

 

Makes quick work.

 

On Alex's 'white background' edit I would try to bring up the shadows in the periorbitals.

[Alex]

<p>I used PS CS5 to do the selection. Quick mask to select the bulk, and refine mask for the fine tuning. It didn't take more than 5 min if that.<br>

Alex</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>My main goal was to reduce the overly bright and "lumpy" appearance in the highlight regions of the girl's face that may have come from post processing already done by the OP. I also slightly brightened the areas around each of her eyes. (Note: I didn't want to steal Richard's great word, "periorbital", so I went with the working man's version of the term. :-) ).</p>

<p>However, my final step will undoubtedly be the most controversial. So, at the risk of starting the photography equivalent of a religious war, I will confess to doing a bit of face re-shaping. Don't worry, I think she's cute as a button the way she was, but since this is a photography website not her wedding album, I wanted to experiment with a technique I rarely get to apply.</p>

<p>So, as I run for cover, here's yet another version of the 2nd image by the OP. ;-)</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Whoops ... Firefox crashed as I was uploading my tweaked image, so here it is.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[tom_mann1]

<p>For easy comparison, here's the OP's version of the 2nd image, resized so it can appear in-line in this forum at the same size as my tweaked version.</p>

<p>Tom M</p><div></div>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Personally, I would start by adjusting the white balance - it's a bit off. Second, the catchlights at the left give the otherwise lovely girl a kinda sneaky look - as if she's considering looking sideways. I would add another ringlight (or other light) straight ahead (say, for example, behind the camera and high up) and use that to create the catchlights. As for the side softbox, I'd feather it.</p>

<p>For the background, I too would work with something else...maybe even increased my speed to darken it and add a background light with a gobo to make it more interesting...</p>

<p>Now, as far as postprocessing is concerned, your work was a bit sloppy. It resulted in patchy-looking skin and really weird colours...be more subtle, more light-footed...</p>

[michaelmowery]

<p>Your fill light looks like its a flash with no modifier or it is too far away. The lighting is a bit flat for the most part. The main light is too much to the side giving split lighting which is not to actractive on a full face. Bring it around the front a bit more to light the mask of the face and you can raise it up a bit to get a loop shadow under the nose.</p>