I see she puts up with you like my wife does all the time, looking over the top of her glasses, and we all know what that means. I would liked to have seen some more light in her eyes. Nice capture.
sbeme wrote:
Classic expression.
Nice capture!
I like the conversion, toning.
Others have already addressed the lighting issue, better than I would have.
Scott
Thanks Scott,
The kids are already learning toward imprinting coffee mugs - does that count as being published?
Do you think that her eyes should have been in better focus ? It looks to me like you've focused on the glasses and that the eyes are a little too soft. I think they ought to be the focus point, especially as she is intended to be looking at us.
Some retouching is ok but don't over-do it or it becomes a photo of her younger sister By all means remove pimples and the like because on a good day they would not exist, but when it comes to removing wrinkles and such that are an actual part of how she is and who she is I think it might be better to make them less obvious without actually removing them completely. Ideally, though, you would also have a photo from her younger days on the other end of the same shelf.
Alan321 wrote:
Do you think that her eyes should have been in better focus ? It looks to me like you've focused on the glasses and that the eyes are a little too soft. I think they ought to be the focus point, especially as she is intended to be looking at us.
Some retouching is ok but don't over-do it or it becomes a photo of her younger sister By all means remove pimples and the like because on a good day they would not exist, but when it comes to removing wrinkles and such that are an actual part of how she is and who she is I think it might be better to make them less obvious without actually removing them completely. Ideally, though, you would also have a photo from her younger days on the other end of the same shelf.
By nature, I tend toward more reality versus vanity...which is why I seldom take any captures of certain family members (never quite up to snuff) - "But I look so old!". Well yes, and? (My wife is not one of those).
In this case, the mods were mine - as you suggest, a final version, should I ever get there, will fall between the two posted.
The re-touching dance is the tango where folks tell the photographer they don't retouching (because they think it's vain and maybe somehow dishonest). Then when they see their straight image they ask for retouching or, more annoyingly, just "don't like" the images until they are retouched. What they usually want is retouching done well enough isn't too obvious... and you might be surprised how many folks are willing to squint hard to not see the obvious.
Remember to ask for whom is the image intended to please. If the answer is the subject, be careful. The re-touching dance was as true back in the day when I made portraits for a living as it is now, although the actual demand was tempered then by the high cost of the analog painting retouching effort required. Human nature hasn't changed. People tell me all the time they don't want retouching and then nearly everyone later admits to wanting the works. In general, photographers seem to prefer the real whilst subjects prefer the flattering - something I learned the hard way when I started out in the portrait business. I re-learned it in recent years as people came to expect their portrait images to be 'shopped. My new standard, especially for women of a certain age, is, if they was me, how would I want the image re-touched. Notice a man of a certain age might not have similar expectations.
Personally, I'd like to photograph people in honestly if unflatteringly because the resulting images can say things about life and human nature I'd like to say. Unfortunately, kindness and subject dissatisfaction gets in the way of such a project.
AuntiPode wrote:
The re-touching dance is the tango where folks tell the photographer they don't retouching (because they think it's vain and maybe somehow dishonest). Then when they see their straight image they ask for retouching or, more annoyingly, just "don't like" the images until they are retouched. What they usually want is retouching done well enough isn't too obvious... and you might be surprised how many folks are willing to squint hard to not see the obvious.
Remember to ask for whom is the image intended to please. If the answer is the subject, be careful. The re-touching dance was as true back in the day when I made portraits for a living as it is now, although the actual demand was tempered then by the high cost of the analog painting retouching effort required. Human nature hasn't changed. People tell me all the time they don't want retouching and then nearly everyone later admits to wanting the works. In general, photographers seem to prefer the real whilst subjects prefer the flattering - something I learned the hard way when I started out in the portrait business. I re-learned it in recent years as people came to expect their portrait images to be 'shopped. My new standard, especially for women of a certain age, is, if they was me, how would I want the image re-touched. Notice a man of a certain age might not have similar expectations.
Personally, I'd like to photograph people in honestly if unflatteringly because the resulting images can say things about life and human nature I'd like to say. Unfortunately, kindness and subject dissatisfaction gets in the way of such a project....Show more →
Thanks - a cannot win situation & why bugs & flowers, landscapes, rusty cars, and rugby are more fulfilling
