# Boudoir touch up help!



## asheeants (Jun 2, 2013)

Hello all. I could use some help with this photo.  I'm trying to get rid of the creases in her midsection, also her left foot she has some red patches that are bugging me.  Could some one fix these and tell me how you did it?  I use Photoshop CS6. 
Thanks!
Ashley


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## cgipson1 (Jun 2, 2013)

Looks like the focus point was on the breasts, not the face. Looks soft. If you have Photoshop, use the healing tool on those wrinkles, a wash on the foot... they would be gone.


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## pixmedic (Jun 2, 2013)

is this a photo you are giving to someone as part of a boudoir session? are their other shots?
it seems more like a  random candid snapshot then an actual boudoir shot. 
the blown out window is a bit distracting, and the chair appears to be floating in an empty black void. 
As charlie said, missed focus as well. 

the model is beautiful. I would love to see her actually posed boudoir style.  I also think you should use an off camera flash or 3 to light her better.  She looks like she would be amazing posed and lit properly.  charlie did a great job on the midsection edit.


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## asheeants (Jun 2, 2013)

Yeah I was def off on the focus.  This is a friend of mine and she loved the shot in camera, so I wanted to do the best I could with it in photoshop.  Thanks for the help, this looks great!


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## asheeants (Jun 2, 2013)

Yes, this was a session I did for a friend. There are other shots, but she really liked this one so I didn't want to toss it before working with it.  She was a bit nervous at the beginning of the shoot so we started with some candid natural type shots to get her comfortable.  I have a thing for blown out backgrounds, but I can see now that it does take away from the photo.  As far as the chair, yeah we were shooting in a small hotel room. I was using my SB 900 on camera tilted slightly backwards at about 1/128 power with my 35 mm lens at  200 ISO, 1.8 & 1/250 I would love some more feedback on how I could have done this a lil better. Thanks for the response!


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## texkam (Jun 2, 2013)

> I would love some more feedback on how I could have done this a lil better.


Turn her around. Put the diffused window light on her instead of behind her.


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## pixmedic (Jun 2, 2013)

asheeants said:


> Yes, this was a session I did for a friend. There are other shots, but she really liked this one so I didn't want to toss it before working with it.  She was a bit nervous at the beginning of the shoot so we started with some candid natural type shots to get her comfortable.  I have a thing for blown out backgrounds, but I can see now that it does take away from the photo.  As far as the chair, yeah we were shooting in a small hotel room. I was using my SB 900 on camera tilted slightly backwards at about 1/128 power with my 35 mm lens at  200 ISO, 1.8 & 1/250 I would love some more feedback on how I could have done this a lil better. Thanks for the response!



I don't do any boudoir stuff, just formal style portraits. 
I can give you a few suggestions though. 
that lens a bit soft at f/1.8 so i would light enough to be able to stop the lens down to at least f/2.8-ish. your limited on space there, so not much choice for lenses. 
the D90 is fine up to iso 800 or so, so bump it if you need to. 
viewed at 100%, it appears that your focus was on her front knee. everything behind that crossed leg is soft or OOF. most likely due to a very shallow DOF at f/1.8, and is another reason to stop the lens down and make the face the focus point. 
don't use area focus for these kinds of shots. use single point and make it focus on the face. 
as for lighting, off camera diffused flash is best.  with a single flash, you can try bouncing the flash at a higher angle to diffuse the light better off the ceiling, or get a small soft-box, or larger bounce card.


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## tirediron (Jun 2, 2013)

Strange as this may sound, the thing that bothers me most about this image is the carpet; it looks like industrial carpet, office, hotel, etc, NOT what I expect to see in a boudoir shot, but, that aside...  I think what I would have gone for here is a balanced light approach, placed the speedlight about 15-20 degrees camera left and exposed so that the window was just a shade brighter (as in <1/3 stop); this would have [hopefully] allowed a little window detail in and eliminated the significant under-exposure on her face.  

You also want to work on the posing; this is NOT a boudoir pose; to me, she looks like she's sitting around with a group of friends listening to someone tell a story(or trying to figure out what that stain on the arm of the chair is).  That is, there's very little sexy or boudoir about this pose.  Remember, portraiture of all types is all about the eyes, and while there are some boudoir shots where we don't see eyes or face, when we do, we need to SEE them.  The eyes are what make the connection to the viewer.  Have her looking toward, not necessarily diretly at, but toward the camera, and strive for a more 'come hither' expression as opposed to a "You know what that silly kid today" one.

There' loads of potential here, and with a model like this, you NEED to exploit that to the maximum extent!  Go back for a re-shoot.


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## asheeants (Jun 3, 2013)

pixmedic said:


> asheeants said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, this was a session I did for a friend. There are other shots, but she really liked this one so I didn't want to toss it before working with it.  She was a bit nervous at the beginning of the shoot so we started with some candid natural type shots to get her comfortable.  I have a thing for blown out backgrounds, but I can see now that it does take away from the photo.  As far as the chair, yeah we were shooting in a small hotel room. I was using my SB 900 on camera tilted slightly backwards at about 1/128 power with my 35 mm lens at  200 ISO, 1.8 & 1/250 I would love some more feedback on how I could have done this a lil better. Thanks for the response!
> ...



Ok I will def give this a try.  I am going to be doing a practice boudoir session soon to test this out. Thanks!


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## asheeants (Jun 3, 2013)

tirediron said:


> Strange as this may sound, the thing that bothers me most about this image is the carpet; it looks like industrial carpet, office, hotel, etc, NOT what I expect to see in a boudoir shot, but, that aside...  I think what I would have gone for here is a balanced light approach, placed the speedlight about 15-20 degrees camera left and exposed so that the window was just a shade brighter (as in <1/3 stop); this would have [hopefully] allowed a little window detail in and eliminated the significant under-exposure on her face.
> 
> You also want to work on the posing; this is NOT a boudoir pose; to me, she looks like she's sitting around with a group of friends listening to someone tell a story(or trying to figure out what that stain on the arm of the chair is).  That is, there's very little sexy or boudoir about this pose.  Remember, portraiture of all types is all about the eyes, and while there are some boudoir shots where we don't see eyes or face, when we do, we need to SEE them.  The eyes are what make the connection to the viewer.  Have her looking toward, not necessarily diretly at, but toward the camera, and strive for a more 'come hither' expression as opposed to a "You know what that silly kid today" one.
> 
> There' loads of potential here, and with a model like this, you NEED to exploit that to the maximum extent!  Go back for a re-shoot.



Well you are spot on with the carpet, we were in a small hotel room. lol

Thanks for the tips, I will def put all this to work & post my next boudoir for C&C!


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## Deeger (Jun 3, 2013)

Is she aware that you posted a photo of her in her bra on the Internet? I would be extremely mad if I was her. She has your trust and tho seem disrespectful. Just my opinion. 


Lets say I know her and see her, 

"Hey, I saw a pic of you on a photo forum, your photog was posting asking for help to fix a picture


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## tirediron (Jun 3, 2013)

Deeger said:


> Is she aware that you posted a photo of her in her bra on the Internet? I would be extremely mad if I was her. She has your trust and tho seem disrespectful. Just my opinion.
> 
> 
> Lets say I know her and see her,
> ...


Or... we could assume that the photographer has done her due dilligence and has a signed contract stating conditions of use, etc!


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## amolitor (Jun 3, 2013)

I am not convinced that this needs the folds removed. This is a sweet casual shot, I would be tempted to let her look real.

De-emphasize the unflattering, emphasize the flattering, and embrace the softness with a touch of warm glow. This also has a layer with the reds removed to a large degree, then blended into the original as-needed to reduce red areas.


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## cgipson1 (Jun 3, 2013)

tirediron said:


> Deeger said:
> 
> 
> > Is she aware that you posted a photo of her in her bra on the Internet? I would be extremely mad if I was her. She has your trust and tho seem disrespectful. Just my opinion.
> ...



That bra is a lot less revealing than most bikinis...


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 3, 2013)

She looks like she's sitting around a hotel room in her underwear waiting for her nails to dry (and she is smiling - but her eyes are closed). Even if a release was signed I wonder with these type photos if it specifies this type of usage, or if the friend knows where the picture is being posted - and that it's very public.

I think boudoir portraits with friends posing would be better done just for practice and kept to yourself; to post for critique I think it'd be better to hire a model. Maybe some women would be flattered, but I think these boudoir style pictures of friends in their underwear posted online might lead to the end of some friendships and/or maybe the beginning of some lawsuits. 

Before editing there needs to be a well framed and properly exposed image to work with; this looks like there's a need for more practice and learning camera settings, lighting, etc.


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 3, 2013)

There's a difference between sitting on the beach in a bikini having your picture taken and sitting around your hotel room in your underwear being photographed - that gets into an expectation of privacy, especially when a photo's posted on a website where potentially hundreds of people could be seeing it.


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## cgipson1 (Jun 3, 2013)

vintagesnaps said:


> There's a difference between sitting on the beach in a bikini having your picture taken and sitting around your hotel room in your underwear being photographed - that gets into an expectation of privacy, especially when a photo's posted on a website where potentially hundreds of people could be seeing it.



And since we don't know whether the OP had the subjects permission or not, speculation is useless! What might bother some, might not be an issue for her... not everyone is uptight about such things!


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## Deeger (Jun 3, 2013)

cgipson1 said:


> And since we don't know whether the OP had the subjects permission or not, speculation is useless! What might bother some, might not be an issue for her... not everyone is uptight about such things!



I don't think any lady would appreciate a photo like this posted public. Not any lady in the right frame of mind anyway. This is a very private type photo. 

Click save. And bam anyone ha access to this photo to post anywhere. Not smart.


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## cgipson1 (Jun 3, 2013)

Deeger said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > And since we don't know whether the OP had the subjects permission or not, speculation is useless! What might bother some, might not be an issue for her... not everyone is uptight about such things!
> ...



RIGHT FRAME OF MIND?? Do you actually feel you can define what is a "Right frame of mind" for others?

Speculation!   http://www.thefreedictionary.com/speculation

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n)_n._*

1. **a. * Contemplation or consideration of a subject; meditation.



*b.  A conclusion, opinion, or theory reached by conjecture.*

*c.  Reasoning based on inconclusive evidence; conjecture or supposition.*


*
2. 
**a. * Engagement in risky business transactions on the chance of quick or considerable profit.
*b. * A commercial or financial transaction involving speculation.


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 3, 2013)

If the subject gave written permission then perhaps usage of the photo on a public message board would be covered (I think it would depend on the release form, if it covered usage in a portfolio, for publication, etc.).   

Charlie you seem to think it's fine but would you feel the same way if it was your daughter, wife, mother, etc.? - I'm not sure if people realize where photos might potentially end up but it's something to think about, how and where photos get posted (or how fast and far they might go viral).


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## cgipson1 (Jun 3, 2013)

vintagesnaps said:


> If the subject gave written permission then perhaps usage of the photo on a public message board would be covered (I think it would depend on the release form, if it covered usage in a portfolio, for publication, etc.).
> 
> Charlie you seem to think it's fine but would you feel the same way if it was your daughter, wife, mother, etc.? - I'm not sure if people realize where photos might potentially end up but it's something to think about, how and where photos get posted (or how fast and far they might go viral).



Again.. it is not up to me, or you... to make that decision! That is up to the subject, and hopefully the photographer is ethical enough to have either gotten a contract, or at least verbal consent from the subject to post these. I suspect the subject is of at least voting age ( a grown woman), and she can make her own decisions (assuming she is indeed aware of this). 

Even if she is not... that is between her and the photographer.... it is literally NONE of our business! I suspect these negative opinions are based on values that the subject may not share...


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## tirediron (Jun 3, 2013)

Okay, WTF people... there have been HUNDREDS of boudoire shots posted on TPF and not once do I recall anyone getting on their high horse about whether it was appropriate or not - is there something about this image that I'm missing?  As far as WE (as in the membership of TPF) are concerned, unless told otherwise by the only other interested party, that is, the subject, the photographer has the right to post the image for peer review and education.  
*
This line of discussion stops now!*


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## bianni (Jun 3, 2013)

Here is an edit.


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