Which background?

Roy Mathers wrote in post #5515900
I don't mind at all Chris - what did you do (I mean what technique)?

I pretty much followed this tutorial. http://www.lunacore.co​m …op/tutorials/tu​t020_2.htm with a little bit of guesswork to boot!

Thanks Rasta - an interesting technique,

My take on it, editing some fly-aways (poorly.) and the skin smoothing para Chris' method, (which is my favorite)

This is a quick edit at nearly midnight. So don't take it too seriously.

Nicely done.

+1 for the black background as well.

I just want to know how you managed to get a portrait session with Ashley Judd?
This young lady bears a striking resemblence (IMO...)

First Susan George, now Ashley Judd - she will be pleased!

I also thought she looked like Susan George! (:rolleyes

TJ

Yep...I'm going to be the odd man out here again! I -like- that second shot. To me it's a very bold statement artistically and the lines lead the eye (albeit a bit abruptly) straight to the model. The one negative comment I have on the first shot is to watch those shadows around the models shoulders...especially her left shoulder. Just a little too much "glow" there. I also think the contrast between the sharpness of the model and the softness of the background is a little over-done. I don't think you'd loose any boldness here if you evened things out just a bit.

To me, the black in the first shot looks like an unfinished composition. It looks like something should be there and simply isn't. It doesn't look like a "black background" to me, it looks like the original background was removed for the process of creating the second shot...again, unfinished.

Just my $.02 worth,
Peace,
Jim

It's nice to have a different view Jim. When you say too much glow on the left shoulder, I presume you mean at the top of the shoulder, where the hair light is catching it? As a matter of interest the black background is as shot.

Looking at the model's left shoulder (right side of the picture), just above her shoulder in the background there's a bit of what I guess looks like a shadow...that's what I was referring to by "glow". Not actually on the model herself, but just above the skin on the shoulder. It's there on the model's right shoulder as well, but to me it's really evident above the left shoulder. You want a little of this to separate the model from the background, but here I think it's just a tad too much.


BTW...and please take this as the highly subjective comment that it's intended as...it still looks to me like she's watching her cat use the litter box off frame or something. I think with the head in the same position but her eyes actually looking at you...I think that would have worked better. She really looks like she was distracted by something in this shot.

Peace,
Jim

I'm sorry Jim, but I can't see what you're getting at re the shoulders. I'm surprise no-one else has mentioned it!

black one is best.

You're with the vast majority Richard