Another attempt at a beauty shot

[cstewart1977]

Honestly, this young lady is much prettier in person. I feel like this portrait is a fail, but I really don't know what is wrong with it. The highlight on her right cheek is a glaring mistake, but it really couldn't be helped. This shot with her head not quite in the right position was the picture that had the expression I liked the most. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

[groovyone]

The lighting seems dull across the rest of her. There is not much definition below the neck, almost like just monotone space. I wonder if a tighter crop would help.

[RKDauph]

I agree a tighter crop might help the image. Is the white balance correct?

[stephenpinn]

To me, her shoulders are too square to the camera, I think if her left shoulder was moved to the camera that the flow of the picture

[Composure Photo & Video]

You've identified the glare on the cheek, which I believe is really throwing off the rest of the image. Tighter crop as well.

[cstewart1977]

I agree with you all about the crop. I was so in love with her clavicle that I wanted to show it off, but I guess it just doesn't work with the way I posed and lit her. Cropped like this, I wish I had a greater DOF.

[Ricco]

I agree with groove. The lighting, to me, just seems wrong.

Just out of curiosity, how many shots did you take?

[cstewart1977]

I took numerous shots. Far more than I normally take. Might have been 50. We tried hair up, hair down, jewelry on/off, looking into camera, looking off, shoulders square, shoulders turned etc. We have a ton of her laughing, while we were cracking jokes, but she doesn't like those, even though they're my favorites. Oh well:)

[ChrisTX]

She looks like she's made of wax.

[cstewart1977]

Yeah, you're right. This was a beginning attempt. I still need to sit down and really learn split-frequency editing and some really good D&B techniques for this sort of shot.

[Ricco]

I know the feeling,i need some time to sit down and learn GIMP until I can buy some decent editing software.

[carrbowl]

show us some more...just because she doesn't like them.... we might!! people are not always the best judge of their own photos...I am the perfect example!!

[Ricco]

Just be sure to watermark it across her forehead.

[cstewart1977]

I only touched up the first shot. Here are a couple of BTS shots. I really liked them, but I'm not using them in my port. I'd rather take new pictures of her in the near future than try to save imperfect work.

[ChrisTX]

Originally Posted by cstewart1977

I only touched up the first shot. Here are a couple of BTS shots. I really liked them, but I'm not using them in my port. I'd rather take new pictures of her in the near future than try to save imperfect work.

I sometimes get that yellow/orange waxy tint to the skin when I use the 'vivid' picture control for indoor female portraits. I think it has a lot to do with how the light reflects off the makeup. A different picture control usually fixes it for me.