people Soft Rock

This is a first for me, I managed to persuade my grand daughter to pose

for me. I used my Gibson SG as a prop, I thought it might make a

difference. But, I have no experience whatsoever of portraits so your

thoughts and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank You.

I'm starting to think that you are a top professional, posting on PN under an assumed name........?

Yet another "first timer", with outstanding qualities.

A great pose here and I like the processing you have done on her skin..... a porcelain effect. A very appealing image.

Had you used a "Les Paul" would you have called it Hard Rock?

Well done my friend......... you continue to show me that "old duffers" like us can still learn new things.

First class.

Best regards

Grayham said it all Alf. You did very well, and considering it is your first 'attempt' I wold say 'bravo!!!'.  You weren't kidding when you said you were in a band?? Gibson, one of my fav's. Nice work Alf!!!

Bravo on getting your granddaughter to pose. I have trouble getting my daughter and son to help me (gone to the well for too many photos, I suppose.

While I like the photo, the processing is so overdone it make the girl look like a mannequin. That might be what you were going for, but if not, I would go a little more natural.

Thank your for posting and allowing me to think about your photo. It helps me learn.

Excellent image. The porcelain look will grow on me - I am sure.

Well, you old dog you, with a new trick!  A really great pose, excellent b/w tones and what a cutie for a model...  Mike

Oh, I would clone the necklace clasp.

Really beautiful work, Alf!

Very beautiful!!

Alf, outstanding piece of  portrait, wonderful rendition with soft lighting, crisp sharp, nice tones and elegant attitude, really tasteful!       Best regards

I think the prop works well and often adds some interest to the portrait as it does here. one crit is that her skin looks a bit to smooth for my liking but that is a personal choice.Great lighting.

Alf,

  Wonderful b/w portrait with beautiful lighting & tones.  Take care, Patsy

Beautiful portrait Alf, the lighting, the pose, the tones, all great.  I am in the too smooth camp as well, I had though her wax at first, before I read your intro.  I am sure it will take you no time though to have this genera nailed down as well.  All the best...

-Dave

GRAYHAM

Sincere Thanks for your most generous compliments.  I think I have a way to go yet before I get it perfect, but its very gratifying to read you like the effect.  I wanted a ghostly like effect, but I think I may have gone a bit too far.  If it had been a "Les Paul" I might have called it "Heavy Rock" : - )

You are quite right, us old duffers can learn new things, problem is I forget the old ones equally as fast!

Cheers Grayham!

Alf

GAIL

I was a bit nervous about posting these, but they seem to have been received quite well.  I still have a lot to learn, but its a first step.  Yeah I was in a band, and oen of my claims to fame was that I played at the original "Cavern Club" in Liverpool.  No wonder it closed down : - )

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

M HAYWARD

 Sincere Thanks for your interest and thoughtful comments, much appreciated!  I can see your point regarding the processing, though I must emphasise that it wasn't excessively processed, but rather the one control that I did adjust in the RAW file, I did it too much. I wanted to create a pale ghostly figure, but realise that maybe I have overdone it. And I would take your advice for next time and process it a little more naturally.

Best Regards

Alf

TONY

I quite like the effect, but realise it's not to everyones taste, and in retrospect I think I might be less inclined to make it slightly more natural next time.

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

JACK

Thoughtful and almost poetic words, which seems to read that she has no personailty or wrinkles. Well from the image its a fair analogy or maybe I have interpreted it wrong, but I shall try harder next time!

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

MIKE 

Sincere Thanks for your interest and thoughtful comments, I asked her to just hold the guitar this way and then that and clicked away like I knew what I was doing : - )  Thankfully a few of them turned out ok. Yes you have a good point about the clasp, I should have cloned it out.

Best Regards

Alf

RUUD

Many Thanks for visit and kind words, much appreciated

Best Regards

Alf

ALBERTO

Thank you so much!

Best Regards

Alf

RICHARD

Many thanks for your thoughtful comments, very much appreciated! I think I have a few lessons to learn yet, but more about the processing than anything,

Best Regards

Alf

GEOFF

I hear what you are saying, it would seem that your view is shared by a few that have commented and I tak ethat view on board and will tweak it when I process the next one. I don't possess any lighting equipment as such, and so I used the window light, a subdued flash, and the light from a radiant heater.  I think it worked ok.

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

PATSY

Many thanks for your thoughts and kind comments, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

DAVE

Thanks you so much for your thoughtful imput, it really is appreciated! I take on board your view relating to the skin textures, it's something I will attempt to address next time. But I think thats the beauty of photography, it's like a bottomless pit of knowledge, always something new to learn.

Best Regards

Alf

Beautifully executed!  My compliments to your granddaughter for being such a good model too.

Kind regards

Engela Vermeulen

It's a good idea for a pose , but it seems to me that the guitar is taking dominence . I'm sorry but I don't like the too smooth skin , it gives your grandaughter a plastic doll look . I know you can do a lot better ! Bill

Many thanks for your kind comments, she was a better model than I a photographer, but its all experience.

Best Regards

Alf

BILL

Thank you for your honest appraisal, much appreciated. I think you could be right with the guitar being in front of the model it perhaps does try and steal the show a bit. As for the "too smooth skin" I wanted to create a pale ghostly look, but I think I went too far.  I will try again.

Kind Regards

Alf

Hi Alf, I prefer this one to the other portrait. At first the processing on the skin bothered me but after looking at it I enjoy the effect. Almost as if she were cut from marble.

I think the lighting on her face is more even in this photo compared to the other. In the other shot the left hand side of her face is a bit washed out between the processing and the lighting where as in this one both sides are very even.

For me the strength in this portrait is all that contrast you chose to show. Low key tones against her fair skin, the lipstick and eyeshadow/eyes contrasting with her skin, the highlights captured on the black guitar catching against the surrounding blacks as well as the pearl near the frets.

What kind of lighting did you use for this?

A nice looking portrait.

Hi Alf. This was an unexpected surprise! A different style of Alf Bailey photography. If you look at it from a artistic way then image matches title perfectly. Portrait purists will probably say face too smooth and need more definition. Most impressive is way you have captured her hand - hands are difficult to photograph well! Overall strong image and composition! Best wishes. Sarah

Many thanks for your thoughtful comments, very much appreciated.  The effect is one that I had in mind before I started shooting, and although it isn't probably technically correct, it is an effect that I enjoyed creating.  The more even light distribution I would say was probably due to the angle of her head in this shot.  The lighting was, flash (with flash - value compensation) window light, and radiant heater. Although I am informed that the latter two will not have registered enough to have influenced the image. The contrasting tones you mention, lipstick, eye shadow and eyes, all contribute to that ghostly look that I have mentioned, and it's most gratifying to read that you have picked these features out.

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

SARAH

This is a first attempt at portraiture of any kind for me. You are right about the purists, from that viewpoint there is a lot wrong with the images. But I set out to create a certain look and a certain style and I feel I have in part succeeded. No doubt there is lots of room for improvement, and I take on board all information and advice that has been supplied. I'm really glad you mentioned the hand, I really liked that aspect too, it looked so graceful and artistic : - )

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

Looking at your granddaughter - I think I may have made a link!

Your treatment leaves your model looking like an inflatable plastic doll, if this was your intention ... well done. If not then it needs some work. The skin tone is  ashen grey and the total lack of detail in the face, from mucking about with the clarity slider I'm guessing, renders an unnatural look somewhere between a corpse and a doll.

A Link? .......Further enlightenment might be necessary here I'm afraid.

BR

Alf

GORDON

Many Thanks for your interest and expert opinion, very much appreciated!

"Plastic Doll & Corpse" ............Well not quite, but you were on the right lines. The "Goth" look was what I was aiming for and of course this isn't mean't to be at all natural.  You were acccurate in your assumption of my "Mucking about with the Clarity Slider" This was perhaps one of three adjustments* I made to the photograph, the others being Selective Sharpness and B & W channels adjustments. Not to everyones tastes Gordon, but your observations are confirmation that my intentions succeeded.

Best Regards

Alf

Alf,

Thanks for the follow up. I had read your original comment accompanying this and the other uploaded and had not been able to decipher your intentions.  Now knowing that you were going for Goth I can make a few more specific observations. My observations are not about my tastes, rather they are my opinions specifically as regards how well you achieved your goals.

For a Goth look I think it would be helpful to raise the tone of her skin to something closer to white as the grey works against the Goth look.  While I understand the plastic look as it related to the pancake make up  of Goth, I find the overall scene too clean and nice for the style you are aiming for. Perhaps experimenting with selectively grunging up the look of the Gibson, upping the clarity or whatever methods you usually use to enhance detail. Maybe some grain or noise. The solid blacks and the eye contact look good. Your model knows the look.

Thank you very much for your continued help and advice, much appreciated!

I can see I should have been more specific about my original intentions. But I didn't want to give too much away and plant pre-conceived ideas in peoples minds before viewing.  I think you are right about the shade of grey / white adjustment, an even paler look would probably look more effective and imitate the "Goth" look better. I can understand too your view relating to the image looking too clean and nice.  I think that particular problem arises from the fact that the model is my granddaughter and the family repercussions that would ensue of her not looking clean and nice : - ) Hardly a photographic problem, but relevant nonetheless. "Grunging up the look of the Gibson"  Sacrilege!  But yes I do get your point. The idea of noise is something to consider though,  though I have to admit its something I usually go to great lengths to avoid.  I will reiterate though, that this was my first attempt at portrait photography of any kind.  (Except my dog) and I have much to learn. Thank you once again for your pointers and idea's much appreciated! 

Regards

Alf