Bad: selective colour? Why that is the amateurish giveaway that screams GWC without any appreciation for portraiture. Study Avedon, aim for simplicity.
The overall tones are flat, there is no life from the technique that will save this.
The models smile looks painfully forced and extremely un-natural. Regardless of whatever else is going on in that image... it's just something ridiculous that I couldn't get past...
Neil Snape wrote: The good: I like the background bokeh.
Medium: The girl is approachable, sweet.
Bad: selective colour? Why that is the amateurish giveaway that screams GWC without any appreciation for portraiture. Study Avedon, aim for simplicity.
The overall tones are flat, there is no life from the technique that will save this.
Yeah, but if this response is too high-level for you, from a duffer's point of view:
The selective saturation idea will get you nowhere.
Even I can tell the pic is flat. Work on lighting first. Just say no to the selective saturation tricks.
Sandra Vixen
Posts: 463
Los Angeles, California, US
I would probably just keep it as a face shot, it would look fine.
It's not great but not bad either, it's just okay.
My complaint would be that it's rather contrasty, however the lighting was kind of head on instead of from an angle so it doesn't create depth or gradients. Yet it's not an "in your face" head on kind of pose either, so I think the lighting is the problem.
And it should just be a head shot, crop out the chest, but that's my opinion.
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