# C+C on this shot



## jfrabat

As part of Sony's activities for Alpha camera owners here in Costa Rica, we were taken to an even hosted by SoHo Magazine, where 5 young ladies are contesting for a spot as a SoHo model.  On last Firday's event, they had a car there, and the poses the models were using were a bit cliche, so I asked one of them to just lean on the car to get thisshot, which I like very much:




I then did a bit of post, smoothing her face a bit (I have Portrait Professional, which is what I used), and then used PaintShop Pro to correct the colors a bit and darken the background like this:


So what do you guys think?  If you like it, please say WHY you like it.  If you do NOT like it, I can take it, but PLEASE tell me WHY you do not like it so that I can learn.. I have pretty thick skin, so dont worry about offending me; I want to get better, and the only way to do so is through criticism...

Felipe


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## Josh220

The first things that stand out to me above all else are the person in the background and her hairy arm. 

I would have waited for the person in the background to move out of the shot, or change your angle. 

As for her arm, I am surprised that a model wouldn't shave or wax it since she has very dark hair on lighter skin. It also looks extremely long without seeing the rest of the arm in the frame. Perhaps some processing on the arm would be beneficial.


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## jfrabat

Josh220 said:


> The first things that stand out to me above all else are the person in the background and her hairy arm.
> 
> I would have waited for the person in the background to move out of the shot, or change your angle.
> 
> As for her arm, I am surprised that a model wouldn't shave or wax it since she has very dark hair on lighter skin. It also looks extremely long without seeing the rest of the arm in the frame. Perhaps some processing on the arm would be beneficial.



Yeah, the hair threw me out too...  I did not even notice it until I got home and started processing the image.  I tried a couple of ways to get rid of it in post, but could not do it satisfactory (I just managed to make the whole arm look like a prosthesis!), so I just left it alone.  I guess since she is technically not a model (more like an ASPIRING model), she did not know or something, but she needs to take care of that if she's to go pro, I think.

The person on the background is one of the other models; I tried hiding her with a darker background in post.  There was very little room to maneuver, but I could probably have moved a bit more to hide her behind the model I shot...

Any comments on the composition itself or the post processing?  Anyway, thanks for the comments!


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## Austin Greene

THIS JUST IN! 

Sasquatch sighting in, er....where were you from again? 

Oh yeah, Costa Rica


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## brianroe

I tried to remove the hair. Here is what I got...

I also corrected the halo to the left of the arm. I tried to remove the girl in the background. I think you should clone some reflections to make it look real. I ran out of energy....


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## luvmyfamily

First thing that popped in my head was what a beautiful woman!  I will say I find the background a bit distracting SOHO.  Such a beautiful woman, do you have anymore of her? I love Brians edit


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## jfrabat

luvmyfamily said:
			
		

> First thing that popped in my head was what a beautiful woman!  I will say I find the background a bit distracting SOHO.  Such a beautiful woman, do you have anymore of her? I love Brians edit



She certainly was the most photogenic.  She has that innicentlook about her that makes her more attractive.  But I feel she needs more training on her posess.  The ones she used by herself where a bit odd...  But on a studio, with good make up and lighting, she could absolutly stunning.

I am thinking about cropping her out and putting in a flat background, as the very dark bacground does not help making her stand out because of her dark hair.


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## luvmyfamily

jfrabat said:


> luvmyfamily said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First thing that popped in my head was what a beautiful woman! I will say I find the background a bit distracting SOHO. Such a beautiful woman, do you have anymore of her? I love Brians edit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> She certainly was the most photogenic. She has that innicentlook about her that makes her more attractive. But I feel she needs more training on her posess. The ones she used by herself where a bit odd... But on a studio, with good make up and lighting, she could absolutly stunning.
> 
> I am thinking about cropping her out and putting in a flat background, as the very dark bacground does not help making her stand out because of her dark hair.
Click to expand...


Considering she was hosted by SOHO magazine, I can understand the background.  As far as her being a model, she may not be the best model for posing. So this raises a good question, when photographing a model, who's job is it to pose them?  The model or the photographer?  Maybe depending on how advanced of a model they are?  You are right though, she is absolutely stunning!  I really like the reflection of her.  On an off the wall note, I get emails from Victorias Secret when they run sales.  I absolutely could not believe some of the photography of the models with heads almost chopped off :0


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## johnny wobble

the hairy arm is the first thing I looked at after her face. and I don't really care for her reflection, it's distracting, keeps drawing my eye down there.


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## jfrabat

Tonight there is another event with the same 4 girls; any advise on how to take amazing shots is VERY welcome!


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## Granddad

Watch out for the points that have been made and try to avoid making the same mistakes if circumstances allow. Remember that if these are aspiring models they may be more nervous than you are; try to help them relax. As you shoot tell them that they are looking great etc etc, pile the compliments on thick, especially if it's true. Do NOT make bad sasquatch jokes. Fill your card. 

Good luck!


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## jfrabat

Thanks, granddad, I will take your advice...  Let's see how this goes.  I will also strobes, which are being brought this time; may help with the lighting and reflections!  There will also be a pro photographer to give us some pointers, so that should help as well!


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## STM

Her gorilla arms aside, I believe that horse has been beaten sufficiently into goo, The reflection off the background is distracting, as is the one on the car. Too much competing for your attention. Our eyes are drawn more to light areas than dark, so when you have those bright specular reflections against a dark background they stand out all that much more. Also, you nearly chopped the top of her head off. I am not sure if this is an uncropped image, but if not, leave a little more space above her head. I would also clone in that area on her forehead where her hair in front opened up a little, it's distracting. I toned down the background and the reflection on the car, cropping a good bit of it out of the image. 

I too have Portrait "Mannequin Maker" Professional and use it every once in a blue moon for problem complexions. I don't know how much you use it, but when it comes to smoothing, it is like _habañeros_, a little goes a long way. It is very easy to turn a woman into a _mannequin_ with it, which is not a flattering look at all. You didn't go way overboard like so many people do but looking at both large sized images, I would say it was not needed at all. Her skin does look a bit unnaturally smooth in the second one. I did knock the reflection down on her forehead jsut a bit though, her skin is a little shiny

Very quick and dirty:
View attachment 6751


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## jfrabat

OK, Round 2...

Last night they brought the 5 girls (there were five; I just posted one because that was the best shot) again...  This time, though, I tried shooting in a different location, so the background is not AS busy...  Please let me know your comments and critiques, as I know they are not perfect.  Remember, though, my goal is to learn, so please say WHAT you don like about these and HOW to improve them in the future (and, of course, you can also mention what works!).



This one is my favorite...




And here's one with our old friend...  I like the Fast and Furious look of this shot, even though it's probably not the BEST shot:


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## jfrabat

BUMP; no comments on the second shoot?


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## Rebekah5280

Ok, I'll take a stab..  (numbering the pictures would make this a little easier..)

#1 - the best out of the bunch.    Skin looks nice, exposure seem right on.  Smile looks natural.

#2 - over-exposed, and her skin is looking a little yellow. I'm all for bright shots!  

#3 -  Is not attractive.  I don't know whats going on with her eyes.. her skin is orangey and her hair is life-less.  

#4 - Ummmm...  not good at all.  I'm trying to critique the shot, not the models, but here, you just shouldn't have taken this shot.  Its not good.  The girl on the left is posing in-up style, the middle girl looks terrified, and the girl on the right just looks awkward..  If you were going to have the girls pose with the car, I would try to get the whole car in the picture, OR maybe have the door of the car open and place he models around the open door to make it more interesting..  Oh, and I would be sure to backlight pictures taken in the evening or on dark backgrounds.  Especially with dark-haired models, they kind of melt into the background otherwise.

Anyways, thats just my opinion.


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## Bogs

yeah i agree with the above.. they are beautiful models and are somewhat experienced but you still need to arrange them in the photo and tell them what you want to see. 

second, it looks like your flash was mounted on the camera and it was the only source of light. that makes the whole photo look like it's high res point-and-shoot sort of deal. ideally you would have a hair light behind the models, key light and also fill light...

and third, yeah i think models need to interact with the environment, namely the car, and that's why you would need to include more of the car in the frame. try playing with perspective and show a bit of the side and the front of the car...


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## jfrabat

Rebekah5280 said:


> Ok, I'll take a stab..  (numbering the pictures would make this a little easier..)
> 
> #1 - the best out of the bunch.    Skin looks nice, exposure seem right on.  Smile looks natural.
> 
> #2 - over-exposed, and her skin is looking a little yellow. I'm all for bright shots!
> 
> #3 -  Is not attractive.  I don't know whats going on with her eyes.. her skin is orangey and her hair is life-less.
> 
> #4 - Ummmm...  not good at all.  I'm trying to critique the shot, not the models, but here, you just shouldn't have taken this shot.  Its not good.  The girl on the left is posing in-up style, the middle girl looks terrified, and the girl on the right just looks awkward..  If you were going to have the girls pose with the car, I would try to get the whole car in the picture, OR maybe have the door of the car open and place he models around the open door to make it more interesting..  Oh, and I would be sure to backlight pictures taken in the evening or on dark backgrounds.  Especially with dark-haired models, they kind of melt into the background otherwise.
> 
> Anyways, thats just my opinion.



Thanks, Rebekah; this is the type of C+C I am looking for.  I don't mind if you do not like a photo as long as you tell me WHY so that I can learn.  Unfortunately, I was not in control of the models, as there were many photographers there (it as an event sponsored by Soho, Honda, and Sony, and those with Sony Alpha cameras were allowed to have some time with the models).  in the outside shot, the lighting was horrible (there were some potlights, and no real portable lights were setup because of a slight drizzle).  But now that you mentioned the posing, I have to say I agree...  My favorites are defenelty #1 and #2 (to me, the lightness makes it feel a bit dreamy).

I like your advice on the car; I should have asked one of them to sit in and have another lean in as if they were talking or something...  To be honest, i am not even sure if the car was unlocked, but it was worth a try.



Bogs said:


> yeah i agree with the above.. they are beautiful models and are somewhat experienced but you still need to arrange them in the photo and tell them what you want to see.
> 
> second, it looks like your flash was mounted on the camera and it was the only source of light. that makes the whole photo look like it's high res point-and-shoot sort of deal. ideally you would have a hair light behind the models, key light and also fill light...
> 
> and third, yeah i think models need to interact with the environment, namely the car, and that's why you would need to include more of the car in the frame. try playing with perspective and show a bit of the side and the front of the car...



Except for the first girl (first 2 pics; this is a true SoHo model, and was also Miss Hawaiian Tropic Costa Rica), the models are aspiring models, not pros, which is why it shows a bit on the photos...  But I agree that more car should have been included.  The problem was the spotlights were ruining that opportunity, so I tried to work with what I could.  Anyway, thanks for the comments!


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## Rebekah5280

You can get a "dreamy" look with proper exposure.  Its just processing a processing technique.


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## Rebekah5280

I quickly tweaked it to show what I meant about getting that dreamy look without having to over expose.


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## jfrabat

So what did you do to it?  (I want to learn, so I need not only the what, but the how as well)


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## 12sndsgood

the most recent shots are definatly less distracting then the first one.

and the last shot you cut her elbow off. would have been nicer if she had been standing closer to the other two.  Ive been using portrait professional as well and as said you really gotta go easy on it. with mine once it shows me the image it produces i usually end up taking the slider down further to keep it more natural looking. and you can go to youtube to find some skin smoothing tutorials. most are only 10 minutes long and after a few tries playing with it you can pick it up pretty quickly.

these


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## jfrabat

Just wanted to state that I did not use portrait professionalism on the second set...  Well, I think the last pic I did, but only on one girl.


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## Rebekah5280

OK, so I dis a slight gaussian (sp?) blur and masked out the eyes, and lips. I then I messed with the levels to make the darker colors darker (which also accentuated the highlights) and then boosted saturation a teeny bit. Then i masked out her chest and neck and removed some of the yellow so that her skin tones evened out a bit. 

I think thats what I did, or something pretty similar to that. I think I sharpened the eyes a bit, but the eyes were a little strange, no detail in the iris, I've never seen that before. So I think I removed the sharpening. Oh, and there are weird viens on her lower lip too that I was going to clean up, but somehow missed it before I saved and posted it here.. 

It seems like a lot, but really, it only took me about 2 minutes. 

I lost some of the shile in her hair though, which is great, so if I were to do again I would mask out the hair when I blurred.


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