Brei

I want to start this thread out by apologizing to Benji (from yesterday). Normally C&C doesn't get to me and I take it with a grain of salt... Although I do feel that interaction or discussion of one's artistic approach and methodology is helpful for all of those on the forum... Heated discussions should be left to private messages or email... Having said this I am submitting another picture (redone with Benji's C&C in mind). Let me know...

Both Color and a Satin B&W

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

I also attempt.
Has processed the skin and the color.

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nick821117 wrote in post #7500906
I also attempt.
Has processed the skin and the color.

HTTP response: 403 | MIME changed to 'text/html'

not bad but you took out some of her moles unless it's a glamour shoot I'm selective about removing such marks. It's like removing Cindy Crawford's mole.

mjvincent wrote in post #7501005
not bad but you took out some of her moles unless it's a glamour shoot I'm selective about removing such marks. It's like removing Cindy Crawford's mole.

Yes, you said rightly,
I have neglected these details.

:p:p:p From now on I will pay attention .

Mike,

Thanks for the apology, but you really didn't need to apologize.

The following comment is NOT directed at you Mike as I believe you want to learn how to be a better photographer. This has been on my mind for several weeks now.

I know most (but not all) of the new crop of image makers want to get better at their image making, they just don't want an old school guy like me telling them how to do it, which is too bad because in the last 27 years I have made every mistake a portrait photographer can make, most of them six or eight times, and I have been up until now been willing to offer my expertise. Whether I will continue, I'm not sure.

Last year there was a master photographer from PA offering critique here on POTN and his advice was always EXCELLENT, but he quit posting (I believe anyway) because he got so many ugly nasty remarks (or was out and out ignored) by newbie photographers who were dead sure they already knew everything there was to know about portrait photography, and they didn't want any negative critique from some old guy. Too bad as he really knew his stuff.

Mike, sorry about the rant, but I have been wanting to get this off my chest for quite some time.

Benji

Benji wrote in post #7501376
Mike,

Thanks for the apology, but you really didn't need to apologize.

The following comment is NOT directed at you Mike as I believe you want to learn how to be a better photographer. This has been on my mind for several weeks now.

I know most (but not all) of the new crop of image makers want to get better at their image making, they just don't want an old school guy like me telling them how to do it, which is too bad because in the last 27 years I have made every mistake a portrait photographer can make, most of them six or eight times, and I have been up until now been willing to offer my expertise. Whether I will continue, I'm not sure.

Last year there was a master photographer from PA offering critique here on POTN and his advice was always EXCELLENT, but he quit posting (I believe anyway) because he got so many ugly nasty remarks (or was out and out ignored) by newbie photographers who were dead sure they already knew everything there was to know about portrait photography, and they didn't want any negative critique from some old guy. Too bad as he really knew his stuff.

Mike, sorry about the rant, but I have been wanting to get this off my chest for quite some time.

Benji

Thank you for commenting, I think with any type of art, when a person is vested in his work then they are passionate about it... (hopefully anyway). I do respect your knowledge and background (didn't realize until I looked at your website) and also believe that people are always learning something new about the art of photography or at least they should be...

Well Mike now that all of that stuff is out of the way, would you like for me to critique the image? If not no problem.

Benji

Sure, although for some reason, when posting here from Flickr the images look a bit differnet (Jpg Compression)...

Mike,

The on camera flash has flat lit her, and flat lightng is usually not very flattering.

The 1-1-1 pose tends to be rather static, but with her head tilt it isn't too bad.

The brightest area in a portrait must be the face. In this image it is her chest.

There is a line on the left side of her neck that starts under her chin and runs down and across to our left. I'm not sure what it is. At first I thought it was a shadow from a light up high at camera right, but there is no other evidence that there was another light up there. An artifact from some Ps work perhaps?

Benji

Benji wrote in post #7503795
Mike,

The on camera flash has flat lit her, and flat lightng is usually not very flattering.

The 1-1-1 pose tends to be rather static, but with her head tilt it isn't too bad.

The brightest area in a portrait must be the face. In this image it is her chest.

There is a line on the left side of her neck that starts under her chin and runs down and across to our left. I'm not sure what it is. At first I thought it was a shadow from a light up high at camera right, but there is no other evidence that there was another light up there. An artifact from some Ps work perhaps?

Benji

The line that you see was an attempt to remove some harsh shadows using clone (at a low opacity to subdue the shadow).

Benji wrote in post #7501376
Whether I will continue, I'm not sure.

I for one hope you will

Benji wrote in post #7501376
Mike,

Thanks for the apology, but you really didn't need to apologize.

The following comment is NOT directed at you Mike as I believe you want to learn how to be a better photographer. This has been on my mind for several weeks now.

I know most (but not all) of the new crop of image makers want to get better at their image making, they just don't want an old school guy like me telling them how to do it, which is too bad because in the last 27 years I have made every mistake a portrait photographer can make, most of them six or eight times, and I have been up until now been willing to offer my expertise. Whether I will continue, I'm not sure.

Last year there was a master photographer from PA offering critique here on POTN and his advice was always EXCELLENT, but he quit posting (I believe anyway) because he got so many ugly nasty remarks (or was out and out ignored) by newbie photographers who were dead sure they already knew everything there was to know about portrait photography, and they didn't want any negative critique from some old guy. Too bad as he really knew his stuff.

Mike, sorry about the rant, but I have been wanting to get this off my chest for quite some time.

Benji

Benji, I always read your posts... I believe you have much to offer, and hope that you will continue to do so. I've learnt a lot by paying attention to what you say. btw, I've been trying to find a good book on posing. Do you know of any?
Mike, I agree with Benji's comments, though I didn't see some of those points until he highlighted them. She is an attractive girl, but something that bothers me slightly about the shot is the visibility of her contact lens in her left eye. I think I'd try and hide/obscure that. Despite all though, this is a pleasing image.

I like the feel of the b/w one, but prefer the colour. Personally, I think you should process it the way you did with the b/w, but leave the colour in. Also, in the colour version, the eyes look a bit blue.


Also, what is this 1-1-1 stuff about?

Oh wait, nevermind. I found it.

http://www.lumitouch.c​om/benstudiotutorial/i​ndex.html

But then again, Benji knew that already!


Oh, and an awesome set of tutorials, Benji! I just read through a few pages of it, and it's all gold! I'll be keeping a lot of this stuff in mind in the future!