Photographer in the making!

[Ana M]

What do you think, do I have potential or should I retired lol
Can't say what I think it's wrong with this shot simply because I don't know. So I'm going to leave it at your discretion


Nikon D90
1/100s - F/6.3
Auto-focus
ISO 200
Manual mode
Natural light
105mm

[BigFuzzy]

Hi Ana,

I'll start with the things that I noticed on first glance.
The issue that jumped out at me immediately is the amount and obviousness of the post-processing work done on her face, particularly the eyes.

Her right (our left) eye looks particularly over processed. Not sure what technique or software you used, but I would suggest toning down what you do. It's so over worked that I can't even tell if the eyes are sharp or not. Overdoing it is a common thing with people just starting out learning how to do some post-processing, so, in the beginning, if it feels right, tone it down a bit anyway. I noticed the same thing in your first post with the multiple images just so you know.

The same applied to the skin smoothing, it feels very obvious to me. Again, i'd suggest doing it very lightly, especially in shots such as these where the "smooth skin" look doesn't really fit the feel of the image.

Also, The fact that you had her in direct sunlight (at least that's how it looks to me) caused some 'bright spots' from the sun on her forehead, cheek, nose and shoulder. This can be reduced in various ways. Get her in open shade (not sure it was possible here), wait for more clouds to diffuse light, get your own diffuser between her and direct sun, under expose just a bit more.. It's not so bad, but it is pretty noticeable (by me at least, i'm picky). Open shade is great because it diffuses the light and makes it so much softer and even.

The image as a whole feels very natural and she has a nice comfy connection with the camera, that's good. It feels a bit posey to me, but that's me being very picky. All in all, it's a nice portrait that could be made better witha couple of small things, particularly better (ie less) post processing.

[Bruce A]

I quite like the pose - it does seem rather natural and with the words below your pretty model it creates a certain irony. As for the pp I have to agree with Big Fuzzy, it needs some toning down. A nice shot that could be improved.

[NicoleScraps]

My first thought was that her whole face is not sharp, but after reading Big Fuzzy's comment, probably your processing could be to blame for that. Personally, I would love to see the unedited version.

[Ana M]

Oh wow, now that you guys mentioned it I can see it crearly. Great tips and much needed advice. I will def' try not to over process my images next time, thank you, thank you

[JFSanders]

Be cautious about shiny objects such as her watch creating hot spots. I think if you cropped out the rolled canvas at the top it would create a better composition for you. Big Fuzzy nailed the PP issues. Nice pose and great smile. Jim

[Ana M]

Originally Posted by JFSanders

Be cautious about shiny objects such as her watch creating hot spots. I think if you cropped out the rolled canvas at the top it would create a better composition for you. Big Fuzzy nailed the PP issues. Nice pose and great smile. Jim

Thank you sir, I will be more carefull next time