Hey Amazing Talented People I need Serious help!

[Spythefool]

Hey Thanks if your reading your awesome!

Ok here's my problem(and excuse my not propper grammar)

I'm not a crazy photographer amazing I consider it a hobby but yet I stumbled with another photographer's pictures and i want to achieve the quality of his pictures which are amazing!

I Feel like my pictures when it comes to the editing come out fake!

Like i even just raised the sharpness in just one and didn't edit anything else and already i hated my picture. I understand i edit the skin and such at time but i know you can edit and still achieve a great picture so!

I feel like my pictures lack That Punch! That Umf! Like Here Take a Look!

-http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/...1499a5.jpg?v=0
and
-http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/...89eed1.jpg?v=0

I Like them but comparing the pictures to these!
-http://i40.tinypic.com/241mqok.jpg
-http://i39.tinypic.com/solbx1.jpg


Thats what i want to accomplish in my pictures!

If Anyone and I mean anyone could help me get that feeling into my pictures please tell me. If its steps to do when it comes to editing because i think my editing its novice. which i understand it might get better but i need to be pointed in the right direction. Because I don't want to lose faith in myself when it comes to this. Photography/editing is such a great thing and i wouldn't want to lose the spark!

Thanks

Eddie

[Spythefool]

Any posts of any improvements or tweaks would be awesome too =D

[Thomas Radley]

Brighten the eyes, especially the second image. Darken the right side of here face, and add more contrast. See what that does!

[pellepiano]

The main difference is the lighting, and yours are slightly overexposed to my eyes. Your images seem to have some softening on the skin, the other images are sharp even on the skin.

[Spythefool]

hey guys thanks so much for the replies so far!!!
-ThomasRadley= I tried doing it but the results weren't what i really wanted but i see what you mean =D!

-Pellepiano= So you think is the lighting!? and yeah i tried to soften the skin trying to go for the perfect skin and such but i keep getting to much of a blur feel for it!

is there any way to keep the picture sharp but still have that restoration in some spot with blemishes or such!?

because i know he edits almost all his shots which kills me!

here let me post of of my pictures i took to see if you guys can get anywhere close to the images i i want this one has no edit at all, which i usually start sharpening the picture!

-http://i42.tinypic.com/ouqgi0.jpg

understand that my friend has well he not so perfect face which i have to edit it but i hate the {FAKE} feeling so if any of you awesome people can get that effect of aliveness!

and still edit the inperfections, and if you guys would be able to show me the steps of how to achieve this or if theres a tutorial for such thing i would love you guys iof you could show me where it would be!

[Spythefool]

oh and thank you so much for ever replying you guys are trully awesome!

[pellepiano]

Its to small to edit as you dont see any skin detail at all. And the image is overexposed imo.

The images you link to use light that is coming from many directions. so the light is soft. You use light coming from the left and way to strong. So the images will be very different.

[igot2pman]

Originally Posted by pellepiano

Its to small to edit as you dont see any skin detail at all. And the image is overexposed imo.

If you want people to try, you need to give them at least 900px in the longest direction. Preferably a raw or full sized image.

But as for the look, you pictures don’t have enough DOF. Your best bet may be the second one; as i think the DOF reaches the chin. Now once you have the DOF right, you have to over sharpen the image but no halos. The rest is just a choice of saturation of desideration.

You also need to move the subject away from the wall as they are creating a shadow.

I also think a lot of the appeal to these images is the noses. There a big part of the picture. And the head on nature and over sharpening emphasizes them.

-Keven

[dennisonb]

Hey,

I saw this thread and thought I might pop in.

My advice? Just keep shooting and learning about photography. I won't be harsh on your friend that you're shooting, but she's not an interesting subject. (In this situation anyway) Both of the pictures you linked to are just more interesting pictures because the subject of the picture is more interesting. Emo boy with hoodie looking stoned, other dude wearing karate headband. Your lighting isn't the best, but even so- better lighting wouldn't help this picture.

Important thing about photography: What you choose to shoot, is more important then how you choose to shoot it. If no one's said that before, I swear I'm copyrighting that statement.

Seriously.

So cut to the chase- find a new subject, or find a way to make this subject interesting. Pull-out and don't shoot so tight. Get some space and thus atmosphere. It has nothing to do with editing or lighting. Some of the best photographers in the world no nothing about lighting and don't care to. They are famous because they know their subjects, and in the end that's just plain more important.

-dennison

www.dennisonbertram.com

[plantphoto]

Hi,
I think dennis has given some good advice here.
You should aim first to get the image as perfect as possible within camera by learning all you can about lighting,lenses perspective etc.Photoshop is an amazing tool and the possibilities with it are endless but it won't make a bad image good (not that these are all that bad).
Keep experimenting and pushing your photography and retouching and develop a look that's yours.
Cheers,
Simon

[pellepiano]

dennisonb ... you have some fantastic images on your website. Great stuff.

[grannysdc]

I am not gong to Dis your model because your shot is from a high angle.. way above the eyes and it makes her look elongated.. the other shots are at nose or mouth level with the models..

Your close up picture is shot with the lens wide open with no depth of field. which makes me curious as to what camera lens combination you are using?

As stated before the lighting is totally different.. that combined with the different shot angle would make it difficult to make your shots and the samples to come any way near close to each other.. SO, I concur with the idea that you should focus more on practicing cubed your Photography techniques rather than trying to fix things in post.

Get the shot right in camera first! If you want to emulate another photographer or a certain style.. study hard and keep on trying.. what will probably happen is you will shoot till you find yourself and your own style.. but the main thing is to keep on trying to improve your Photography PRIOR to trying to fix anything in Post production!

Can't make your pictures look like the example but with a little Free Transform, and some lens correction, a masked multiply layer to even and darken skin tones, a little cropping, some sharpening on the eyes, adding an Overlay layer and painting the lips black then adjusting opacity to darken the lipstick a bit and the image might POP a little..

Just noticed that the nose might be a bit big now... but what the hey.. tis not my picture and you can fix it!

[Spythefool]

hmm all good advices and don't worry about the harshness!
i just believe that all subjects can be put in a quality like those
and i just need to figure out what to do to achieve this

i can obviosly see that DOF could be better lighting deff and i'm really working at a tight spot! with barely any room

like i have achieve some type of realness to my pictures before but i want to achieve it for still portraits!

like i belive these pics of mine have kinda of a punch but i want the big bam!
-http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/...16ce1a.jpg?v=0

-http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/...cd8df9.jpg?v=0

-http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/...0a1ff4.jpg?v=0

but idk what i used to do before for thiese type of shots!



and hey everyone that has read and even given feedback!

you guys are great i really appriciated the help

you guys will never come out rude or harsh as long as you are just really aiming to help!

Eddie

[Spythefool]

i see what you mean =)

thank you so much for the example granny sdc!!!

[plantphoto]

Keep going Eddie part of the learning process is not getting it right and to keep learning from those mistakes you make
Simon

Automotive Photographer ~ HDR Imaging for Automotive Cgi Rendering
www.plantphoto.com
Training www.ProPhotoInsights.Net

[Spythefool]

hey guys idk if your still active with this threat but i did a few other shots of my mother =) and well i feel a little more content!

I'm kinda a noob when it comes to DOF and focus and light and such

so if you have a plce for a newbie like me to be able to get a real good foundations to what i need to need point me there

i have a canon rebel xs and this is my first legit camara!

in this picture i just messed with the sharpness/played with the colors such in hue/saturation and thats about it!

now i need to knopw how to edit skin without making it look too soft and fake making it loose that punch!!!

i think i might had over sharpened it

but you guys are the pros

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/...82fab4.jpg?v=0

[moonchild64]

Well, I am not one of the "amazingly talented" people here but I gave this picture a try anyways. I lifted her face up a bit, changed the lighting a little, and applied just a little blush and lipstick.

GFWeb.jpg