First studio portrait C&C - Take II

C&C please! Bounce umbrella camera left, silver reflector camera right, hair light camera right behind subject.

the nose shadow should meet the corner of the mouth on a line... not across the whole mouth... the skin is still a bit hot on the left for my taste but it is much better than your previous submission...

Her forehead is just a little hot. Maybe the left light source was a little high as her eyes could use a touch more brightness....especial​ly her left. I might dodge the nose shadow a little too.

You are surely headed in the right direction. This one looks pretty good overall. I like the way the shadow on her left cheek accents her dimple.

I agree with the others; the corner of the left eye is pretty dark.

agree and a little blemish removal couldnt hurt

This is much better than your first shot. I dont have much to say about it that you dont already have to read in your other post and the link to Benji's tutorial. Here is a quick edit I made from your pic above. I missed a bit under her left eye but this was done hastily.

One of the things I edited that needs to be/can be done in camera is to stop blasting her hair with the hair light. The hair on top that is "white" with light shouldnt be, imho. Can you turn it down or move it further away? Also, are you shooting jpeg or raw?

JakAHearts wrote in post #14001986
One of the things I edited that needs to be/can be done in camera is to stop blasting her hair with the hair light. The hair on top that is "white" with light shouldnt be, imho. Can you turn it down or move it further away? Also, are you shooting jpeg or raw?

Great improvements. Thanks for doing some post processing. I am always shooting in RAW.

Here are more from tonight:

I think the first one is excellent with a little bit of lightening around the eyes. The last two I think are way better because of those catchlights in the eyes. Well done.

In terms of pose, I think 1 and 2 are the best.

Ok so out with the secret. How do you get this girl to model for you? My wife runs from the camera.

My wife likes it when I get to tinker with photography, so I tell her I need a subject.

JakAHearts wrote in post #14002498
Ok so out with the secret. How do you get this girl to model for you? My wife runs from the camera.

I probably should not be commenting because i know how difficult it is to get a wife to pose and mess around with lights. However, these last 2 are much better. The shadow is still too long from the nose to the mouth area.
In the edited shot above by Shane, I like the skin color tones better and the lighting. I think the lights are not diffused enough.....Lovely wife though!

1downfall wrote in post #14010280
I probably should not be commenting because i know how difficult it is to get a wife to pose and mess around with lights. However, these last 2 are much better. The shadow is still too long from the nose to the mouth area.
In the edited shot above by Shane, I like the skin color tones better and the lighting. I think the lights are not diffused enough.....Lovely wife though!

I am on the fence about whether or not I should pursue the use of softboxes. (cost mostly, after lumpros, stands, umbrellas, and did I mention a 5D MarkII in the past 3 months, my wife's graciousness may run out) Currently I have 43" umbrellas that I shoot thru and bounce. All of the above are bounce. (white satin)

Any tips on diffusing the light more?

i am by no means qualified~! however, u could use a much larger soft box that has an extra diffusion panel inside....like PCB Octabox etc. Set it close...like 4' or less....and the light is soft, warm and quite nice IMO.