Please criticise my photos :)

tracknut wrote in post #13075736
I would recommend some reading and thinking about your perception of photoshop (or whatever the tool might be). It's going to put you many steps behind everyone else doing any kind of serious photography if you maintain that position. While you're certainly entitled to it, you will be in a very small minority.

Dave

Thanks Dave and all you others for your opinions. After being off work due to a hand injury, I've had time to watch a ton of youtube videos on photo editing. I'm now using lightroom 3.5 with the portraiture plug-in.

So do you lot reckon that the following pics are any better or good? Thanks in advance.

Raymond XX4 wrote in post #13072250
I must admit though that I don't like using photoshop because I try to capture the realty and not fantasy.

How do you jump from reality to fantasy using photoshop? If you are going to shoot digital, you need to learn to "develop" or "process" your images with some editing tool.

Gatorboy wrote in post #13488288
How do you jump from reality to fantasy using photoshop? If you are going to shoot digital, you need to learn to "develop" or "process" your images with some editing tool.

Hi Dave,
Yes you are correct . I'm now using lightroom with the portraiture plug-in at the moment for the portraits and lightroom only for other work. I have been using canon's DPP software in the past, but I'm finding that lightroom gives me a lot more freedom. I'm still personly against smoothing the faces with software, but that's what's the paying customer wants (to look gorgeous) and that's what they will have. But on the other hand I do enjoy making them up and seeing the end results.

I can notice there is a slight improvement in my work since using LR and it's plug-ins, but I'm just asking for some advice for those who have been shooting professional for their opinions about my images - Such as do you reckon I've gone over the top with the skin smoothing and taking the model down the night market where there is more choices of backgrounds than in my studio? etc

Thanks
Raymond