Opinions please

[Alexandra]

Did a photo shoot for a friend yesterday... Some of the pics didnt come out quite good... Retouched one of them and i would like some feed-back on how natural the make-up looks, if the color balance looks right... Also i would appreciate some feedback on composition and posing as well... And anything else you might think of.

Im posting the original photo as well.

EXIF:
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed 1/25
ISO 100
No flash
Focus length 55mm.

Thank you very much for taking the time.

Alexandra

[PhotoPhix]

Originally Posted by Alexandra

Did a photo shoot for a friend yesterday... Some of the pics didnt come out quite good... Retouched one of them and i would like some feed-back on how natural the make-up looks, if the color balance looks right... Also i would appreciate some feedback on composition and posing as well... And anything else you might think of.

Im posting the original photo as well.

EXIF:
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed 1/25
ISO 100
No flash
Focus length 55mm.

Thank you very much for taking the time.

Alexandra

The photo is underexposed as well as abit soft. The composition is good other than you cut off the top of her head and what apears to be her left forearm should not be in the frame.

here is my take on the shot with a few minor tweaks.

Armando



Phixed

[toddybear]

Armando's post process is better IMO, your shot is way too much photoshopped.

[willbrawn]

I actually prefer your photoshop edit to Photofix's. Not really feeling his.

Your edit though, looks a little to fake. First thing her lips really stand out as being overbearing. And looks like her face lost the texture. Good effort though. Next time try and do a more flattery pose, like not having the lines in her neck and more or less of her arm showing.

[Alexandra]

I know the original was too soft. I left the camera for about two hours in the boot of my car in full sun and i think the lens had some condense that i didnt notice...

William, i agree about the lips... I reduced the opacity of the lips layer and looks much better now, thank you.

And Armando, you are spot on about her left forearm. Didnt think of it.

Is there any way i can get rid of the lines on her neck? I did try to clone them out but i didnt have much success...

This was my first attempt at creating make-up in photoshop.

Thank you so much all for your advice. The only way i can improve is by having unbiased feedback. Thats the reason for why i love this forum so much. So much to learn. I only started photography 4 monts ago and thanks to all of you i have already learned so much!

Alexandra

[Benji]

First of all the pose does not flatter her in any way. The front arm is brighter than her face so our eyes go there first instead of her face, then the back arm is so bright against the dark background that our eyes go there secondly. The extreme angle of her face forces her eyes into the corners of the sockets which is not flattering either.

Benji

[hotsoup]

Originally Posted by Benji

First of all the pose does not flatter her in any way. The front arm is brighter than her face so our eyes go there first instead of her face, then the back arm is so bright against the dark background that our eyes go there secondly. The extreme angle of her face forces her eyes into the corners of the sockets which is not flattering either.

Benji

And the neck is a bit crepy...

[daddyoproductions]

The makeup is not bad for a first try! A softer line on the lipstick, blend the shadow more and maybe just lighten up on the intesity a bit. Do the makeup each on separate layers so you can adjust the opacity individually. I usually paint blush on full bore and then reduce it to about 5 or 6%, but that's just one way to do it. If you are going for a glamour look, then I think softness is okay, but you want to try and sharpen the eyes a bit more. I think the other edit is too harsh for a portrait. However, I agree the pose might not be the best with the forearm and the neck wrinkles. You can clone them out (try the clone at 30% set to lighten and make a few passes), but if you posed her different that would save you lots of work. It's a learning experience

[Alexandra]

Thank you. I did do the make up on individual layers. I ended up reducing the opacity for the lipstick and looks my better. I will give it a try with cloning out the wrinkles from the neck as you suggested.

Once again, thank you.

Alexandra