B&W Beauty

[snapdragon]

I have played with this photo before and so far this is as good as I seem to be able to get it . advice on how to improve this please . I can not retake the photo .ISO: 80
Exposure: 1/80 sec
Aperture: f/3.6
Focal Length: 17.5mm
Flash Used: No I hope this is ok , I am adding the org so that you can see what I had to work with .

[RexK_Cozumel]

I think what is bothering me about this photo is the fact that the shirt is so much brighter than the rest of the frame. The photo also lacks some depth because of the lack of detail in the hair.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by RexK_Cozumel

I think what is bothering me about this photo is the fact that the shirt is so much brighter than the rest of the frame. The photo also lacks some depth because of the lack of detail in the hair.

Thank you , I will tone the shirt down , funny the things we don't see when we look at something too much . I don't know if I can get any more detail in the hair my post work is not the best . any ideas as to how I might be able to get a bit at least ?

[wulf]

Can you put into words what you are hoping to achieve with the shot? What qualities are you trying to bring out or what defects are you trying to minimise? Having a target can help, even if you end up somewhere unexpected while trying to reach it.

Wulf

[krypticide]

You could try increasing the contrast to make the hair less busy and make her face stand out more.

[Mr Guy]

I'd also suggest toning down both the brightness and sharpness on her teeth, something about the BW version just seems "horsey" to me.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by wulf

Can you put into words what you are hoping to achieve with the shot? What qualities are you trying to bring out or what defects are you trying to minimise? Having a target can help, even if you end up somewhere unexpected while trying to reach it.

Wulf

I snaped this shot last summer , she is a one of the people who devotes their time to local events like this Piriate Fest . I was not happy with the color in the org and felt that B&W might be better ,but have had no luck with gettting it right . I was hoping to get this photo to the point that it could be used by the group but I am thinking not . sin she is such a pretty girl . Thanks for all of your replys .

[frankda4]

I like the sparkle in her eye on the B&W. The tight crop is good too.

Some times the best thing to do is not know what you are doing and just go crazy in photoshop, but always try something new, see if you can create a new technique.

[wulf]

I think it works well as an informal portrait - treating the wild hair as a positive rather than negative feature. I like the tighter crop as well, which avoids the distracting background.

Looking at the full sized version on Picasa, I think the biggest problem is that the depth of field was narrow and positioned on the right side of her mouth. You can see that some of the teeth and the hair in the same plane are very sharp but that drops off to softness before you get to the left side of the mouth (on the right of the frame).

One way round this, which would also fit to some extent with pirates fests being more about historical than modern day pirates, would be to make it look like an older photo. Experiment with techniques like sepia toning and also making the sharp bits a touch softer, like an old print. That might make the most of the portrait and, if nothing else, would be another fun set of skills to learn.

Wulf

[s2u.black]

I was thinking along the same lines as the Wulf man. Not necessarily this finish but something filmy and softer is always nice with B&W


I added a little film grain, colour burned in the layers pallette and another layer with soft light. Just an idea.