Hi

I was wondering what anyone thought of this image i shot. I have done some mild retouching, but more dodging and burning. The more subtle the better i think. Comments most welcome.

Regards

Tube

Cell: +44 (0) 7818435582

Hi Tube,
I think you did a very good job, but its hard to tell what you did without the before shot. But i like it very much.
Wayne

Not a bad retouch. Could be a little more "high key" I think. From her pose, she looks like she has had it with a hot summer day. I quite agree. :)

This is the first time I've ever actually critiqued anyone's stuff on RP. I'm getting my feet wet and I hope I don't sound offensive. I certainly don't mean it that way. I will now be compelled to put some of my work out here so you'll get a chance give mine a critical eye soon.
Anyway, here goes.

This is good photograph, I find the style appealing; it creates interest and invites a closer look. The model is well separated from a perfectly lit background. Retouch looks good, I can't detect anything. If you knocked her out from a different background it's first class.
You might consider doing something with the reflection in the glasses... your softbox is showing, looks like an on camera Lumiquest.

Lighting seems a little overpowered and is centered on the subject, could be that's what you were going for though. I don't think it's bad, I just like it less direct than that. The slightly short focal length emphasizes the effect by moving you so close that the light fall off is pretty extreme; 2-1/2 maybe 3-1/2 stops from the supersternal area to the inside of her elbows.

If you can move your light off camera, pull it back from the subject and the exposure will even out from near to far; you don't want it flat but you want to avoid losing highlight or shadow detail. Consider putting the light to one side and filling the shadows on the opposite side with a reflector... try changing the distance and angle of the reflector. When a model's skin is that good, you can get some beautiful effects with shadows and unbalanced lighting.

Glasses are a pain until you figure out where to put your lights so they either fill the lenses completely (big shoot through panel or a sheet) or don't show at all. You have to train yourself to check the reflection constantly when you or the model are moving much. With uncovered eyes, use an umbrella and keep it distant for a sparkling, round highlight.

One last thing, try a short telephoto lens. You can back off to a comfortable distance and minimize the risk of distorting a subject's features.

I am no expert on fashion or glamour photography, I shoot products and artwork mostly, but I shoot my partner/girlfrieind/wife relentlessly... I just found out a few days ago I'm averaging about 4800 shots of her a year, half of it in the studio... and that doesn't include shots with our kids. She tolerates me with pretty good humor and I learn about things like reflections in glasses and figure lighting.

Again, I hope what I've written is taken as an offering of what I've learned over time and nothing more. I like your photograph or I guess wouldn't comment on it at all.

Chip

This is one of the nicest original pictures I've ever seen on this site. The only thing I'd reconsider is the crop. Her hair shouldn't be missing on top. Plenty of white space above her head gives the picture more freedom. Check out the ads at the cosmetic counters in malls or in photos in good fashion magazines for lots of tips.

Great job, keep it up!

Mig