Inside the Mind of the American Girl: Psyche #2

The second in my psyche series. Actually, it's the 4th; I'm still

waiting to do #2 and #3, but this opportunity presented itself and I

took it. The image in the mirror was distorted in Adobe Photoshop.

Doug, is this the image representing the concept you said didn't quite work?

I think the vertical one conveys a sense of mystery better. It's also aesthetically more pleasant which I would attribute to the rendering of colors/tones and the nice blurring job.Then again the ratings of the two suggest differently so what do I know.

This picture, to me, communicates a more complex message which demands a higher level of execution to pull off. My immediate impressions are:

1. Maybe a bit of background blur as the other would help; maybe not, and;
2. Play with different reflection manipulations - it's the focal point for me, and;
3. the headroom feels a bit constricted but that's just me.

Those are just some feedback - I'd be happy just to be able to do such competent camera work and come up with these concepts..

Michael, Thanks. What didn't work, what I was thinking of when I wrote that, was mostly in regard to the lighting I wanted to use, and the posing/composition.  I failed at getting the electronic flash to do what I wanted, and so I switched to using available light after about 20 or 30 exposures.  By then, I was also disappointed with the horizontalness, which included the mirror, so I switched to the vertical format after a few shots, focusing on the figure alone.  In editing, the vertical images seemed the best, and I barely looked at any of the horizontals, mostly because the of the lighting problems.  After your comment regarding the possibilities of the horizontal, I went and looked at them closer, and decided that this one was actually ok.  I scrinted it quickly, taking about 30-45 minutes, as opposed to the couple hours on the verticals.  So, Yes, I will go back and soften the background and otherwise repair what a good photographer would have caught in camera.  You're right about the blurring. I need to make the distortions less negative.  I don't have any issue with the headroom, so will probably leave that as it is.

Michael, how's this: 

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=11756750

Not 100% finished, mind you. 

Thanks for the explanation, Doug.

With the other upload, I was able to rapidly switch screens and came with these observations:

1. The blurred version appears to demand more sharpness of the model which appears lacking.
2. Dare I say the mirror distortion on the new version makes her look fat?!
3. They both have strengths and weaknesses which I'm having trouble articulating at the moment, but definitely an image worth the effort to work on (in my view).
4. To me, the blur draws attention to the model making her the principle figure, as opposed to this one where I'm first drawn to her reflection.

Sorry if I'm being vague but much of this is personal preference anyway so my input is just some feedback without really understanding your goal; the message as suggested in the title, for instance.

Michael, in case  you haven't noticed, your feedback is all I've got!  :-P

Seriously, it's good to hear what you're seeing. 

I don't mind her being fat, that's part of the distortion many girls experience with their self-image.  I see what you mean about the blur requiring more sharpness from the model, but that may be because I was hasty.  I might need to use a different type of blur.  Maybe I blurred it too much?  My daughter suggested I keep the face in the mirror more realistic, pointing out that the face in the the above version had a negative feel to it. 

Okay, self-image distortion. But is it really negative? Don't we (photographers) do the same with our pictures, looking for imperfections and improving on it? I guess it can be for some women should it become obsessive, but I think the modern woman is more accepting of their imperfections (teens excluded) with a healthy dose of self-confidence.

I think a picture communicating this message with a beautiful model will likely promote this stereotype more, because for the most part only beautiful models are considered worthy of pretty pictures, and beautiful models are often more self-critical - just a thought not intended to spoil your concept.

I would concur with your daughter in her preference for a realistic face - worth a try. The background blurring is probably harder and more a judgement call.

I guess that leaves the mirror reflection which will pretty much make or break the acceptance of the picture. I imagine there are many options but probably only very few will work; making her ultra-thin comes to mind as a (cliche) possibility.

yes, I'm definitely not finished. By negative,  my daughter meant the distortions made her face look evil, even demonic, and she suggested I use different types of manipulations on her body than on her face. Blurring, for example, as opposed to all the twists and ballooning. 

Works great: Who has a sharp picture of themself?  Great transported. BR Joerg