Jazz!

[Sid]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sid-williams/2091612677/" title="Genie by sid_123184, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2340/2091612677_6b9aca28c4.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Genie" /></a>

Camera: Nikon D2Xs
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 60 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0/6 EV

Taken for an album cover. She's a bluesy/Jazz singer/songwriter and she wanted something mysterious and dark.

[wulf]

It definitely doesn't say "jazz" to me - more of a bluesy / rocky vibe. It's definitely dark, with her eyes shaded like that, although the crumpled clothes detract from the air of mystery (probably because you have got it sharply focused). A bit of texturising or maybe some faux-vintage work might help there.

Also, I think it would be better if her right hand weren't obscured by the guitar strap - she could have rested it on the end of the horn, on top of the strap, rather than the top of the horn behind the strap.

Wulf

[Sid]

Yeah it does have a rock feel to it as well. As for the baggy clothes, that was her choice unfortunately, but I do like how the light played on the jeans. I See what you mean about the hand and yeah it definitely would of been better elsewhere. This wasn't the end of the design though and you hit the nail on the head with the grungy vectors and textures. I did all that after the fact when I was designing the cover art.

[Tafnap]

I think if the guitar was in front of her not in playing position but maybe just pointing down it could have hidden the wrinkled clothes. Also I did not know it was a guitar at first which can be both good and bad maybe if it was rotated a little to the left to see more of the face of the guitar?

I just thought of something I would love to see how the shot would look with her sitting on a stool in playing position and taking the picture from high above her looking down at the front of her hat and guitar. I would also make sure enough buttons were button on her shirt so not to take away the raw feel of the picture.

[Sid]

I see what you mean by having more of the guitar, probably would of been better. I don't know if the up high shot would of worked, mainly because of what you said; she actually cant button it up any further, shes a little too endowed in that area for that haha.

[Tafnap]

Looking at again and showing a couple people here at work, what about a back light real soft on her. This way it would light her up just enough to outline her more. Her hat face and right area is disappearing into the black. It may have pulled her out a little more. I know you wanted moody so I would have maybe tried a real soft back light just enough to pull her from the backgound.

Edit: To bad about the above shot the more I think about it the more I would like to see how that would have looked.

[Sid]

haha I'm glad your so into the shot :) Maybe one day I'll do another shoot with a smiler style and use the soft backlight idea.