What would you do on this photo?

[Graphirus]

Hello guys!

I'm writing this thread basically to get another perspective at how to approach the retouching of a photograph. Basically I have a photo of a beautiful lady standing next to a chair and next to a gray background... the problem: the "gray" backdrop is very dirty and there are visible spots of uneven tones and colors all over it...

In some way I like those irregularities on photo backgrounds as they don't look that much retouched, so one approach to getting the final image look would be just leaving everything as it is... anyway, I'm not sure if this looks professional and clean to other people related to the industry.

So, what do you guys would do on my shoes? Thanks a lot for your suggestions!

[Cupcake]

Add a gray mask to the picture and add any color,
also a texture if you want.

[Graphirus]

Thanks Cupcake )

I finally decided to include something of both worlds: some plain background and a bit of the noise and irregularities from the original photo.

[daygraphics]

I LOVE your original shot, and I like what Cupcake did with it. To be honest, I like what you did least of all, as it has hurt the fleshtones and eliminated the natural hue cast on the white shirt that would occur in a colored environment. It is also a little too dark for me - taking away those nice little irregularities in the original that you mentioned. Also don't like the Dark Blue against the Yellow shirt as they don't seem to compliment each other well. Just my opinion. Someone else may like it just fine!!!

[Graphirus]

Originally Posted by daygraphics

I LOVE your original shot, and I like what Cupcake did with it. To be honest, I like what you did least of all, as it has hurt the fleshtones and eliminated the natural hue cast on the white shirt that would occur in a colored environment. It is also a little too dark for me - taking away those nice little irregularities in the original that you mentioned. Also don't like the Dark Blue against the Yellow shirt as they don't seem to compliment each other well. Just my opinion. Someone else may like it just fine!!!

Dear Daygraphics, thanks a lot for your honest comment and I'm sorry to read you didn't like my final image ) Well, the truth is I cannot please everybody and when working on my photographs I always try to do something that pleases me in the first place. My style involves a lot of cross processing and tinting that gives me photographs an "unreal" look and I guess that is ok to a certain point. Sometimes I think I should aim to a more natural look, something that could boost sales and bookings for photo sessions, but I don't know... I feel kinda on a crossroads, that is the reason why I posted here what would you guys do with this photo.

Am I wrong trying to please myself on the first place instead of doing more "standard" stuff? I'd love to hear your comments )

[daygraphics]

No Graphius...
As I am sure are aware of and have heard many times, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you are going for a certain style and a look that is consistent in your work, then you may have, in fact, developed one that will become "your signature".
But it is more of an Artsy look to me, and one that you might want to consider making a collection of and showing in galleries, on-line portfolios and send off to agencies, etc.. to popularize your look. This type of work sometimes takes time to catch on or develop a following and subsequent demand. But if it does, the end result can be very rewarding, both self and financially.

If you are looking to more immediately increase your sales and boost your session bookings, I think you might want to consider toning down the "unreal" look and maybe lean a bit more towards the surreal, dreamlike look that is still not "standard", but unique enough to separate you from your competitors.

[digi365]

photography is about visual art. therefore you need to please the viewer not yourself, cross processing looks better when you do it in a out door image or using a different background, If you extract the model from the background. or add a gradient map to create a more dramatic background color that may looks better, just dropping my two cents.

[Graphirus]

Originally Posted by digi365

photography is about visual art. therefore you need to please the viewer not yourself, cross processing looks better when you do it in a out door image or using a different background, If you extract the model from the background. or add a gradient map to create a more dramatic background color that may looks better, just dropping my two cents.

Hello digi and thanks for your comment. To a certain point I do agree with you. As a photographer, artist, or whatever you wanna call me, my photography and the way I post process them is a mean of expressing myself, to show the way I see a subject, and as such I need to please myself in the first place.

Now, when talking about commercial photographs I fully agree that I should please the viewer and not me, be it my client who sat at my studio or the public who´s gonna see the photo on an ad.

Once again thanks for the comment and for adding fuel to the discussion )