Ok this is my first post. Here we go : ) I met this model through my wife because she wanted new looks for her portfolio. We discussed what exactly would that be and she told me a lifestyle portrait mixed with catalog look. Honestly, I did not know how to incorporate that look but I think it came through.
Tech Data:
Camera: Canon 5D MK III
Lens: Canon Prime Lens 85mm f/1.8 shot @ f/7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 100
Lighting: I used one Elinchrom ELB 400 flash. The main light was shot through a 41" umbrella that is one and a half feet above camera axis with the center of the umbrella pointed directly at the face about two to three feet away. Three white reflectors were set up at camera left, right and bottom all aiming at the model. I was thinking of a box shell instead of clam shell look. The model was positioned one to two inches from the white wall
Obstacles in the Shot:
The model was very nervous and she had a look where in every pose for several shots were stiff and her lips were very close and slightly pressed down. So I stopped for a moment and just talked to her about what was coming out of the camera and how she can be more comfortable and relaxed. Then I talked about her day and what she was up to without taking a shot. Once she opened up with her personality she felt more comfortable. And I was so sad because there were great looks I saw that I so wanted to press the shutter. But I would not want to be that jerk that lied to her and lose that trust I gained with the model. When the conversation was over, I resumed shooting with a bit of direction and this is the result. Folks here may have an issue with the posing of the back of the hand with the thumb exposed but I digress : )
Post Processing:
The original picture was modified slightly in Lightroom and edited majority in Photoshop. I used the liquify filter with face transform option to shorten the width of her face because I wanted to and I never used it before. Then several curves layers that focused on the hair, the skin tone, the scarf, the lips and the wall. Sharpen the eyes and lips. Again the more I use photoshop I'm learning something new.
What I would do different:
I choose the wrong clothes for the shot because the white shirt blended with the white wall so much that I had to photoshop darken the wall to seperate them. Also the bare mid-drift forced my eyes to look there instead of the the model's face. And if my eyes do that, then others as well. The fingernail color on her thumb and the bracelet is slightly distracting. I should have removed the bracelet and asked for neutral fingernail colors. But I gotta ask the folks here in the group. When is it or is it not at all okay to add color to the fingernails and jewelry to portraits? The hair was messy around the shoulders and if I was more observant that could of been cleaned up a bit
Thank You everyone here for hearing me out : )
You've given this a lot of thought. I think the white shirt could work on a white background as long as you've got a frontal lighting pattern the creates a shadow edge to offer a little separation. It looks like you have have over-exposed the shirt a little which may be why there was no separation. Moving her out from the background a bit might have been beneficial. There seems to be a red cast over the whole image but that could be my monitor or your stylistic choice. I'd clean up the stray hairs at the top of her head and the red thread on her sleeve but I think the "messy" hair on her shoulders is fine. You seem to have gotten a fairly natural pose from her. The thumb on the chin looks a little posed but not bad. You say she is a model but is nervous in front of a camera? Good job on the shot.
>> she told me a lifestyle portrait mixed with catalog look. Honestly, I did not know how to incorporate that look but I think it came through.
Yes: you got the right vibe and you're obviously thinking a lot about what you're doing.
>> white background
You could darken it by having the model and the light further away from the bg.
>> bracelet
Looks good. And the nails aren't a problem.
What hasn't worked are you've over-exposed. That's why the face has glare patches and the jumper lacks texture and separation from the white wall. And there's a red colour cast on the face. Maybe try putting a layer above the face, painting over the face with cyan, and very gently blending. Or maybe the face is over-saturated, in which case you can try various easily google local desatuaration techniques.
It's easy to miss things like these when you've got so many other things to worry about. It's also easy to fix problems like this when you're paying as much attention as you are.
I think you're reading too far into this... Crack a beer and relax bruv!!