New Hair

divamum

C&C always welcome (yes please!)

First day back, and I was enlisted to help my 12-year old with a project she's had in mind for some time now: she wanted to go BRIGHT red. I drew the line at a bleach-and-dye project, but after quite a few months of pleading on her part, I finally agreed to let her use a semi-permanent dye over her natural colour, and gave her a new cut to go with it. We actually had a fun girly "spa" day here at home, and the results weren't too bad for a pair of novices!

Of course, my "price" was that she had to let me take pictures 7d + 135L (except for the B&W, which was the 50 1.4) - available light + reflector.

1 This series was shot out towards the street in front of the house, and the bg is the tarmac itself! Gotta love the 135L - that bokeh can make anything look pretty (and having now discovered how well this works, I have another option for the natural light headshot shoots here at the house - SCORE!). Playing with processing - might be a tad overdone, but kind of fun.



2. Not sure if I prefer the warmer tones in the one above, or this slightly cooler look.



3. Sitting on the porch steps (about 120 degrees around from the other two, so light is now coming from behind and camera right, reflected back up onto her face)

sweet caroline

I love that first shot! I just got my 85 1.4, and I'm in heaven with the bokeh. Shoot, now I can't remember if I ever posted the pics of my child with her temporary blue dyed hair. We did bleach a few strands. The blue over the bleached was sort of turquoise, and the streaks over her natural hair were a deep blue. She's actually thinking about going a red before she starts school.

kidzmom

OOOOH these are fun Diva! She looks SO beautiful with her new do! I especially love 1 and 3. Three is just that heartmelting pose, coupled with her cute smile and those great catchlights. LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing!! ETA that backdrop looks so professional! Nice!

divamum

Thanks Caroline! The trouble with good glass is that it just makes you want more good glass.... Seriously - if ALL of my lenses could do what the 135L does, it would be incredible! Sadly... I think I remember your daughter's blue hair - was it about a year ago, just before schooltime? I got the recco for Manic Panic as a pretty foolproof way to go from the wig/mua at my gig, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it. I've never dyed my hair (it's so dark to begin with I've always assumed it was pointless without bleach, which I refuse to do) so this was a first for me too. Having seen what nice, subtle red highlights it gave her, though, I may try it myself one of these days!

Thanks Kelly. Yeah, I love the light in that last one, even though she was juussssttt on the edge of being super-silly by then and we didn't get so many good expressions (she's just about to give daddy - who, bless him, was holding the reflector - a giggle in this one but I sneaked in just before her face went....

What I am realising is that all my shots look like useable headshots. I really need to start branching out stylewise, don't I?!

jeffreaux2

I like the pp is 2 and 3 best, but 3 ia my favorite. Only nit on 3 is to ease up on the vignette or boost the shadows a tad to get some detail in her hair at camera right.

sweet caroline

The blue is new this summer. I think you are remembering her in a shirt she made with blue dye. I'll post a few later.

And, yes, now I want more great glass. I feel your pain!

divamum

Tx Jeff - yes, I did plug up those shadows a bit when I converted; can get some detail out of there I think.

Yup, Caroline, good glass is just... seductive. I'm starting to covet a really good mid-range zoom now as well as the legendary 85L 1.2; I love my Tamron and the 85 1.8 is no slouch, but having seen what the 7d does when combined with L quality glass... well, it's hard not to lust! Need to build up the piggy bank again first though.....................

Qarik

*sigh* she is all grown up..looks like ayoung lady now! beautiful stuff.

Icebear

Very sweet (though maybe she wasn't going for sweet.) I prefer the first color version, because the hair looks rich red. In the second, I think it has a bit of a brassy magenta cast. Skin tones are really nice on both IMO. Beautiful young lady. Mine are now 36 and 34! The young one, who has beautiful light brown hair, while in college went through black, maroon, green, platinum, and shaved (thought her mom would curl up and die). Never blue though. Maybe I can get her to pose so I can post a shot of her upper arm sleeve (mom's coronary.)

divamum

Thanks Qarik and Icebear!

And just to prove there's still a kid lurking underneath the new sophistication .... (daddy, holding the reflector, was being silly out of shot.... )

Mitchell

I really like #1. Very sophisticated look and nicely shot. Well done!!

Agnieszka

These are really pretty, I love them all, but I like the look in #2 the best. What a beautiful daughter you have! She looks like a movie star

indiegirl

Very sweet. I have three girls and I am trying to WILL them not to grow up. It's not working.

divamum

Thanks, Mitchell, Angie and Indiegirl! Yeah, we've definitely moved from tween to almost-teen in the past year (I refuse to call her a "teenager" until I have to. Refuse. Refuse. Refuse :giggle). She's a great kid though - if we were only going to have one, we definitely wound up with the right one

adbsgicom

Gorgeous. Love the second one most, but they're all keepers.
Agree on not calling them teenagers until we have to... no need for that phase to start any sooner than necessary....

Doorbie

divamum wrote: »

Thanks Qarik and Icebear!

And just to prove there's still a kid lurking underneath the new sophistication .... (daddy, holding the reflector, was being silly out of shot.... )

lol, this one seems to be more funny

Scott_Quier

She's looking cute (in the funny one) and gorgeous in the others. I see so much "fun" in your future!

My favorite, I think, is the third one - I think I see more personality there and that's what I like to see in portraits.

Oh, and the driveway/street/whatever is really working for a backdrop in the first two.

Very well done!

divamum

Thanks Andrew, Doorbie and Scott (and Scott - good to "see" you around here!!). Yeah, Andrew, I think you have this just around the corner judging by that gorgeous shot you posted in the "Shallow" challenge thread ... fasten your seatbelt!

Elaine

SO pretty! I'm loving #2 best, but with the hair color of #1. The cut is so grown up. Glad to see she can still turn on the silly! (My son turns 9 today. He's not so little boy any more either.)