The perfect kiss

Hey everyone,

Just looking for some feedback on this one. I really like it. Just curious if anyone else does or if their are opinions on how to improve it.

Thanks,
Travis

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I think you missed a spot - in her right half, upper lobe the actual lip goes a little higher than does the applied lipstick.

Seriously, this may be one of those rare occasions where colorization is accepted - there are so many on POTN who seem to be against it on principle. I can take it or leave it.

I have to question the perspective and composition a little. I have the feeling that I want to see a bit more - just to get my bearings as to what I'm looking at.
If given a choice as to more cheek, more chin or more nose, I think I would vote in favor of cheek and chin and keep the nose.

It's interesting and there is nothing to distract from your choice of subject material. The exposure seems appropriate, and the lips are certainly very sharp.

I guess my only suggestion is the cropping gives me a feeling of it being incorrect for the subject.

Robert,

Thanks for the comments. I know I missed that spot on the upper lip. I need to go back and fix it.

This basically was an attempt to save the original. I will post it and maybe you could crop it or give me pointers as to where you think that it should be cropped.

Thanks again,
Travis

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I really don't like this effect. The image look so fake.

Agreed.

Not only is this treatment trite and overdone, this is a pretty poor example of it is well. There are two big problems with a shot. The first is the fact the margin of the lipstick is ridiculously crisp. Second is the shading on the cheek does not follow through to the red lipstick.

Fix those two issues and you would at least have a passable example of selective coloring.

I don't feel quite that harsh about it. It's a good try in PP. I think I would tidy up the lipstick and soften the edges a bit and then slide back some on the opacity to make it somewhat paler.

This is where I would crop - the original does not give us as much to work with as I would like. Please note that you should re-crop from the original - not from this one. If you pass an image back and forth with several modifications and changes and saving in JPG, the image deteriorates rapidly.

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i'll admit I was waiting for somebody else to say it first.... It feels like bad 'pop art'...

sari

Well I'm sorry , but there's something about those lips that reminds me of an old B&W vampire movie. I'm sure the lips are going to part and reveal some creepy fangs....sorry again. On a brighter note...perhaps that the emotion you were trying to impart

It is possibly great. There are many paint artists who specialise in this - us photographers are too technical and do not appreciate - cubism, realism etc.

However its not for me but I am old fashioned. Keep it up

Thanks everyone for the replies and comments.

Robert, thanks for the re-crop. I think that I will give it a shot cropped as you have shown.

I can appreciate that not everyone likes the technique. Maybe this just holds a little more value for me than others because it is my wife. It was a candid shot I took on our deck last summer.

I actually have it printed and sitting on my nightstand next to the bed.

I think that I do need to blend the color - desaturated boundary a little better. I used a layer mask on the desaturated layer to reveal the color of the lips. Can I somehow feather this border or do I need to start all over?

Thanks again,
Travis

If I understand how you are doing it, I don't think you want to feather it - I think you want that same clean line of demarcation as you had in the original version. Re-doing it can't be too bad - remember, it's your wife - it's a labor of love!

Anyone seen Dolly Parton lately?

Same lip treatment. It just looks too crisp. I didn't care for it on her and I don't care for it here. Interesting attempt. I like the original photo. As Bob said, good exposure.

I had to try again. This time I cropped more like Robert suggested, but I left the shadow of the nose. I also didn't add any additional color to the lips. Hopefully the lines don't look as harsh. I couldn't figure out how to fade the edge any more than lowering the brush hardness to 0%.

Let me know if this is any better. Even if you don't agree with the colorized B&W.

Thanks,
Travis

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the re-do isn't as bad... I keep wanting to find some redeeming quality in it.. I just really dislike the whole concept.... does the wife like it? curious....

sari