So this is an image i shot this evening of my daughter. I have full intensions of upgrading to a better camera and lenses before i start taking clients but my question here is, is this a good look or am i way off the mark?
So this is an image i shot this evening of my daughter. I have full intensions of upgrading to a better camera and lenses before i start taking clients but my question here is, is this a good look or am i way off the mark?
I think that by darkening the bottom corners you're drawing MORE attention to the bright background in the upper half and distracting from your daughter's face. I like what you did with the tones in her face and hands, but that bright background is really too much for the rest of the image.
I'm not sure you could do an adequate job of burning it without the results being awkward, but it's worth a try. Or maybe dodge everything BUT that bright spot and see if you can get it all in the same ballpark.
Great feedback Phillip I will go back and re-edit with that in mind.
I'm assuming that you're posting this here because you're solely interested in feedback about the processing. If so, I like the direction you took, which seems to be a popular natural light look nowadays. I recommend cloning out flyaways / hair obscuring her face as long as the final product looks natural.
Posting this in the portraits group will allow you to reach a wider range of members and obtain feedback about posing and angles, which I think would improve the overall image. As a memory shot for your daughter though, definitely a beautiful thing man.
I'm also a landscape guy who is trying to up his portrait game and can relate to the challenges.
Thanks Robert I will give it a try
It's a beautiful, well-composed, contemplative portrait of your girl, Joseph. I wouldn't touch the stray hairs, personally - I think they generally add to these images, and do so in this case.
You like strong colours, but to me the skin tones in the edits are a little strong, taking away from the girl's delicacy, especially as she's sniffing flowers, not, say, doing athletics. I find the heavy vignetting at the bottom intrusive and distracting - it looks as if she's about to be completely enveloped in diesel smoke!
But you're not way off the mark at all!
And yes - post in the portraiture Group for the most informed critique.
Always appreciated Chris I see what your saying I was going for a Lisa Hallowell approach she’s on here if you wanna check out her work for an example
I reckon you could even go for a Joseph Cole approach - I believe he's the subject's father, and this often results in intimate, perceptive images that reflect the subject's soul.
Nothing much I can add to what Phillip, Robert, and Chris have already said Joe, but i did take a moment and just did a quick base version of my own to see if it helps any. This isn't a finished image and I may be a bit sloppy on the background but maybe go a bit easier on the vignettes, but allow the details to be there in the shadows. As for her, gently open up the exposure on her overall, then selectively bring up her hair, face and brighter areas of her dress. Maybe even open up those shadow areas to the left and right of her head just a bit too.
Even in this version I can see bringing down the exposure of the background right in front of her face would help.
Awesome thanks Joe every bit of input helps
This looks much more natural, so my eye is drawn to the subject, not the processing. The skin tones just look right.
Great edit Joe!
Thanks Alan