Do you prefer the color or black and white version?

[mkothare]

CC welcome on pose, lighting, finishing

[Redneck]

Color, no doubt about it.

[arich]

Definitely the color, I think I would prefer it as a landscape over the portrait crop

[acscarrow]

Color

[jeffkohn]

Color for me as well.

[texkam]

The color one is yummy.

[tukaniray]

+1 again for the color.

-Ray-

[texxter]

CC welcome on pose, lighting, finishing

Color is my preference as well. Concerning lighting, I think it works well with the model. The back light is pretty faint, but I like the effect, probably more than if it were more dominant. Postprocessing is excellent, not overdone, looking quite natural. I would remove the small cut on her right index finger.

Two areas to think about - key and pose. Often times I photograph off key, like a model with a dark suit against a pure white background. In general, especially for portraits, like this headshot, I think a single key, high or low, works optimally. White on white would give a youthful mood, whereas dark-on-dark would make her look older and more femme fatal. White on black doesn't project a mood with the same clarity. Absolutely nothing wrong with white-on-black from a technical point of view, great execution, I am discussing the emotional appeal of the image only.

The pose is not my most favorite element in this image, probably just my personal preference. It would be cool if she was looking down as she was adjusting and bottoning her shirt collar - that would tell more of a story, for example, is she taking it off, of putting it on? Why? what is she feeling? Again, I tend to look for some emotional content that makes me want to connect with the subject. The way she's posing and looking keeps the viewer at a distance, IMHO.

If, on the other hand, this is not about her but about make-up and clothes, then the composition would need to be a little different to emphasize those elements. It's always a good thing to ask ourselves - what is this image about? It is obviously an image of a pretty woman, but what is it about? What is the story it conveys?

Excellent work, as always! Thanks for sharing!

[mmuhlenkamp]

I prefer the black and white to emphasize the contrast of the image, but the color is stellar as well. I'd like it more if she weren't quite so centered. Nice work, Milind!

[DigitalScape]

I prefer the color image, but the B&W image is also very good.

[bryanlindsey]

Color. If she was wearing a different toned shirt it would be killer in B&W.

[mkothare]

Andre, Andrew, Allen, Jeff, Mark, Raymond, Paco, Melissa, John, Bryan
Thanks for checking in and commenting.

Paco, appreciate the advice and for encouraging me to move from just lighting up a picture to defining an emotion or theme and bringing it out through lighting, composition, tone, etc. I do have in mind your comments on the fitness shoot, too, and working towards that goal. Thanks for continuing to keep me focused on that higher goal. May not be very soon, but I promise to post something keeping your good advice in mind.

Andrew, I'll try the landscape crop.

Melissa when you mention centered, are you suggesting that I could extend the background say on the right of the picture frame giving some space in the direction her face is pointing?

Bryan, when you say color other than white are you referring to more tones of grey?

I did one of her in a red suit



that translated in BW to



Is that a better candidate for a BW conversion?

[auddii]

Personally, I like the B&W on either of those photos. For the red suit, there is an odd bluish shadow behind her left ear. That disappears in the B&W, and the coat has a great texture that holds up well. Beautiful photos!

[bryanlindsey]

Yes. Color and tone are two different things. Your second example shows this perfectly.

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by auddii

Personally, I like the B&W on either of those photos. For the red suit, there is an odd bluish shadow behind her left ear. That disappears in the B&W, and the coat has a great texture that holds up well. Beautiful photos!

I agree. The texture is stands out in the B&W with no mixed lighting colors, but I also like the pop in the color. (second set just to clarify)