Model w/Guitar, Purple shirt - What could've I done better?

I took these last weekend. What do you think I could have done better? I humbly ask for your feedback and advice...

Her face doesn't look particularly sharp in either... quite obvious from her teeth... but may be better in your full size, high quality image. I appreciate the normal advice is focus the eyes - and you may have done that - but I think in this case more DOF is called for. Pretty harsh light to work in, and from behind too which leaves much of the image quite flat, and bits blown. The Ibanez's soundboard is a bright but dull... indeed, bright and large enough to be dominant - one could ask which is the subject. If it is the guitar, then you might want it all in frame. Perhaps easier with a smaller instrument - say a shamisen, or flute ;-P. Seeing the label inside the guitar is distracting. I really like the flowing hairs on the inside of her right leg... well focused, maybe that's the subject...? More seriously, I think props make more sense if usage is credible... a strap so she can hold the thing properly, make it look like she might know how to play it, would have been nice.

I like the clothes, general look and pose in #2 - the left hand works well there - but her face looks smoothed and featureless in places... like along her nose where it appears to have been blown and edited. Wedding rings and sexy poses is an interestingly mixed message....

Cheers, Tony

bikoe2 wrote in post #7793799
I took these last weekend. What do you think I could have done better? I humbly ask for your feedback and advice...

better? get rid of the guitar

Yep, guitar hogs the shot in #1. Plus, giving people who don't know how to hold/use a guitar is never a good idea!

dave

bikoe2 wrote in post #7793799
I took these last weekend. What do you think I could have done better? I humbly ask for your feedback and advice...

and get rid of the purple shirt

tonydee wrote in post #7793929
Her face doesn't look particularly sharp in either... quite obvious from her teeth... but may be better in your full size, high quality image. I appreciate the normal advice is focus the eyes - and you may have done that - but I think in this case more DOF is called for. Pretty harsh light to work in, and from behind too which leaves much of the image quite flat, and bits blown. The Ibanez's soundboard is a bright but dull... indeed, bright and large enough to be dominant - one could ask which is the subject. If it is the guitar, then you might want it all in frame. Perhaps easier with a smaller instrument - say a shamisen, or flute ;-P. Seeing the label inside the guitar is distracting. I really like the flowing hairs on the inside of her right leg... well focused, maybe that's the subject...? More seriously, I think props make more sense if usage is credible... a strap so she can hold the thing properly, make it look like she might know how to play it, would have been nice.

I like the clothes, general look and pose in #2 - the left hand works well there - but her face looks smoothed and featureless in places... like along her nose where it appears to have been blown and edited. Wedding rings and sexy poses is an interestingly mixed message....

Cheers, Tony

Thank you so much for your input, it is well appriciated!! Next time I will aim for a smaller instrument, although that is her guitar. She is wearing clothes underneath but I wanted to imply nudity in this shot so I asked her to hold the guitar the way she's holding it on the picture.

Again, thanks Tony.

imtrashed wrote in post #7794669
better? get rid of the guitar

Lol.

bikoe2 wrote in post #7795820
...I wanted to imply nudity in this shot so I asked her to hold the guitar the way she's holding it on the picture.

Speaking of which, there appears to be the smallest reveal of clothing just under her armpit. Unfortunately, this detracts from the implication of nudity that you're going for.

In addition to the comments above, I find the reflection at the base of the guitar distracting. You could also try to clone out some (not all) of the reflected hair off her legs and arms. That's a personal thing... to each man, his own.

She has great eyes and lips... you could try to accentuate those more in post processing. Burn and sharped the eyes, make them bluer. Add a smidge more color to her lips.

Sisyphus wrote in post #7795938
Speaking of which, there appears to be the smallest reveal of clothing just under her armpit. Unfortunately, this detracts from the implication of nudity that you're going for.

At first I thought that too, but concluded it was actually the side of the guitar... part reflects her skin, another part a darker area behind her. Cheers, Tony

Whatever it is, you were both and I were distracted by it... I thought it was part of a black tube top.