Reclining Nude

Mysterious, Amy.

It's an unusual treatment of the reclining nude, essentially showing only the torso from this perspective.  The darkness may have been done to add some mood or mystery or antiqueness, but for me it is too dark.  I strain to see the forms and textures, which are what this seems to be about, and which make it a great shot.

Good to see you back Amy!

Lovely sensual forms. The fact that the picture isn't explicit but only a glimpse caught in semi-darkness makes the picture more mysterious and inviting for me.

Thanks all for the feedback.

Mark, after reading your thoughts, I did go back to LR and bump the exposure a bit. Sadly the original just has  too much noise for it to work. The exposure is as shot, and I had to do  quite a bit of LR adjusting in the "Detail" section to get the noise minimized to this point. I do agree it is a bit dark (I think dark is good in this one, but maybe not quite so much).

Anyway, I very much appreciate all of your comments/critiques.

Amy

 

Amy.  Just got back from traveling and what a nice surprise.  I like the darkness.  Oddly, I think the bedspread/covers are really interesting (white, then black) and that the black sheet stands out from the dark background (cool effect).  It all leads to the nude form that seems almost painted.  I dig it.  All the best.  Dana...

It seems I'm in the minority concerning the low-key nature of your shot.  Perhaps darkness is what's needed here - it does simulate a low light scene, and as Marco and Jack said, there is mystery here.  Still, for me, I think I'd rather embrace some noise rather than so much darkness.

Dana mentioned that it almost looks like a painting, and I agree.  There is a softness in the very slight blur, and the forms look like they are out of a Renaissance painting, or something like Cabanel's Birth of Venus:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Alexandre_Cabanel_-_The_Birth_of_Venus_-_Google_Art_Project_2.jpg

I find myself a bit between what Mark said, and those who "defend" the low key for its mystery. Indeed, it is a mysterious shot, and intriguing for that. But I think it ultimately lacks a bit in contrast ('bite') to define those sensual shapes more, and to give it a bit more sense of direction. I would gladly trade noise for that, and/or work wit filters that simulate film grain (this image could easily suffer the look of distinct grain).

It's already a very strong image, no doubt, and usually I refrain from commenting on how to develop files but in this case, it would just nudge it that bit to greatness.

Thanks to you all for your input. You have sufficiently encouraged to me return to LR and see what I might accomplish regarding the light. Part of the reason for the painterly feel and the softness I'm sure has to do with the processing in my attempts to get rid of noise. It may take me a bit to work on this, there's sure to be some learning involved. I'll post a second version if I get something I like.

Amy

I like it exactly as it is.  In fact, it is rather awesome.  Get yourself an agent who will sell it at auction in New York.

 

--Lannie

This is the best of the three in my opinion. The third one sheds much of its mystery.

Lannie, thanks for your kind words. I am glad you like it.

Jack, thanks for the follow-up impression. "Mysterious" came up a couple of times. I hadn't myself thought so much about that aspect before reading critiques; thanks for pointing that out.

Amy