Honest opinions and Mentoring

[Marija]

This shot was taken indoor without flash and in not so good light conditions. I was trying to capture some feelings on her face and in eyes but every time I picked my camera she froze or moved. So it was hard to take this photo...
The problem is editing. I'm not sure that I did good job. Yes I did, compared to the original, but I did so much versions that I can't tell anymore if I like it or not. I tried BW also but in this case I think it's not a good idea.
Just a note - uncalibrated monitor may be an issue. Is it?
Could you honestly tell me if there's something wrong? Is this picture telling you how sad this woman is? Different cropping maybe? Different editing? What would you do differently?






Camera: Olympus E-520
Exposure: 0.167 sec (1/6)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 42 mm
ISO Speed: 400

[autofocus]

Overall, I think you did a pretty good job...On my screen, she looks a little pale, and I would suggest warming up her skin tones a bit. However, that's what I'm seeing on an uncalibrated laptop

Vinnie

[karen_s]

First off, lovely portrait. I can tell she has lived a life.

Second, I am impressed that you got a sharp picture at 1/6! If you did that handheld I will bow to you ;-)

Third, as for critique, I'll start with the sharpness. It may be Flickr's extra sharpening but it looks a tad too sharp for a portrait. You don't want to lose the details and the character of her face, but sometimes the extra sharpness can be a bit unflattering. I would concentrate the sharpness on the eyes rather than the entire image. The color looks a bit off on my screen, but as you know that can vary from screen to screen. She looks to have a green cast with a white balance (WB) to the colder blue side. I'd suggest maybe warming the WB towards the yellow end, just enough to bring a bit of warmth to her face. As for the green cast, I use lightroom and it has a slider called "Tint". The slider goes form green to a magenta and I would slide it just a tad to the magenta side. I think you can achieve the same result in Photoshop and probably some other software, Lightroom is just what I use and am familiar with.

I really like the shot. A few tweaks and you really have something special.

[Marija]

Thank you for replaying!

Originally Posted by karen_s

I am impressed that you got a sharp picture at 1/6! If you did that handheld I will bow to you ;-)

OMG Thanks!!! It was handheld and I didn't know that is a such problem. This was a confidence boost

Originally Posted by karen_s

Third, as for critique, I'll start with the sharpness. It may be Flickr's extra sharpening but it looks a tad too sharp for a portrait.

I didn't know that either. I compared the one in my computer and the one on Flickr so Yes it is Flickr.

Originally Posted by auto-focus

On my screen, she looks a little pale, and I would suggest warming up her skin tones a bit.

Originally Posted by karen_s

color looks a bit off on my screen, but as you know that can vary from screen to screen. She looks to have a green cast with a white balance (WB) to the colder blue side. I'd suggest maybe warming the WB towards the yellow end, just enough to bring a bit of warmth to her face. As for the green cast, I use lightroom and it has a slider called "Tint". The slider goes form green to a magenta and I would slide it just a tad to the magenta side. I think you can achieve the same result in Photoshop and probably some other software, Lightroom is just what I use and am familiar with.

This was a big issue for me. If I give her a warmer tone (tried on various ways) when I save the photo it will come out reddish and unnatural. But...I'll try again .
Thanks again!

[autofocus]

you can use one of the warming filters in Photoshop and adjust the sliders to your liking

[LoveDSLR]

My two cents.

I look for character and emphasis on her eyes.

[Marija]

Thank you guys for you suggestion and advices!
After reading what you've suggested I cropped it and gave her a bit warmer look.
I want this photo to be as realistic as possible, but again when I posted it on Flickr she seems to be more pale then on the photo in my computer.
Now, the photo looks like

[karen_s]

If your colors are shifting from one place to another, it may be the 'color space'. Editing software sometimes has a different color space than browsers, and even browsers differ from one to the next. I wish I were an expert in this and could give you a definitive answer to the issue but I'm afraid I am not that smart :-) Anyway, you might pose the question a different thread, search the threads (I think I saw something on this issue not long ago) or Google 'color space' and the software you are using.

I think it's a simple fix.

And she is looking better!

[Marija]

Thanks karen,a lot, you've told me really helpful things!

[audrey-g]

marija, that's a beautiful portrait. but i can't see the original picture you posted. in the edited one, she still looks a bit green. in the picture with the segments on, the colour looks better.
i think the crop looks good.