Exercise - face

NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
edited April 12, 2008 in People
Is this nice to look at or not?

Hope I'm not testing your patience too much while I climb the learning curve :thumb



277246369_CXDQn-M.jpg
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Comments

  • CantfeelmyfingersCantfeelmyfingers Registered Users Posts: 531 Major grins
    edited April 9, 2008
    naw.. not floatin' my boat. perhaps if I knew what she was doing though?
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  • PaulcaoPaulcao Registered Users Posts: 202 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    There's two problems I find with the photo. The eyes closed isn't giving me anything. Also, the head tilted backwards is not flattering. You get a look up her nose. I think it would look better if the angle was more from above. Hope this helps.ne_nau.gif
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  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    Thanks for your comments, Cantfeelmyfngers and Paulcao.

    She's actually enjoying the winter sun on her face.

    It is up her nose, of course, but at least you can't see any boogies :D And it's a comparatively inoffensive nose, don't you think? Possibly even cute? If we don't sometimes take this perspective, and others that are "against the rules", we will always be showing people from a limited, artificial perspective. This could contribute to photography being self-conscious and censored. Yes?

    I was looking at this from a composition and processing perspective. Do you like the crop and the B&W-selective coloring? It also has a mood. Is it appealing?

    Neil
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  • PhilCollumPhilCollum Registered Users Posts: 111 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    I'm also not a fan of her eyes being closed. It doesn't look to me like she's facing upward toward the sun, but rather forward toward the camera. Which makes it seem to me that she simply blinked.

    I do like the pose and position of the head. Yes, it seems unusual but I think it sets a mood and can work in this instance.

    I don't like the selective color, even with the desturated lipstick. Given what you said about her enjoying the winter sun, I think the colored lipstick distracts from the mood you were trying to capture. When I think of winter sun, I actually think of cool colors and highlights. I also think of the warmth of the sun on her forehead and cheeks, not her lips. The red color of the lipstick doesn't seem to work with that mood.

    Perhaps try a desaturated image with cool tones?

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  • saurorasaurora Registered Users Posts: 4,320 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    Totally agree with Phil that the cool colors do not imply that she is enjoying the sunshine. A warmer processing could do that for you, (or even a more environmental shot), both of which could help explain to the viewer why she has her eyes closed. I found that the first time I viewed the shot without reading your summary, that my eyes were instantly drawn to just her lips due to two things: the selective coloring and that her eyes were closed, so there wasn't much else to draw me towards. In fact, each time I view it I am drawn towards her lips and somehow missing the whole picture. Hope this helps!
  • PaulcaoPaulcao Registered Users Posts: 202 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    She's actually enjoying the winter sun on her face.

    That makes a lot more sense now and I understand why she is tilted that way. As far as the nose goes-- that's just a personal taste thing with my portraits. However, It would be hard to tell that she is enjoying the sun by looking at just the photo by itself. It doesn't scream 'sunlight' if you know what I mean. I hope that makes sense.
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  • ~Jan~~Jan~ Registered Users Posts: 966 Major grins
    edited April 10, 2008
    I think the capture is nice, but I'm not crazy about the PP work.
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    saurora wrote:
    ...I found that the first time I viewed the shot without reading your summary, that my eyes were instantly drawn to just her lips due to two things: the selective coloring and that her eyes were closed, so there wasn't much else to draw me towards. In fact, each time I view it I am drawn towards her lips...

    Thanks, saurora!

    All I can suggest is don't resist! I think the lips are very drawable-to!

    The description I gave of the circumstances of the shot was just background. The purpose of the shot is those lips!

    There is a little color in the hair, and of course there needed to be some "flesh" in the lips. It does look a little cartoony now, I agree, after looking at it a few more times. So to get those lips out of grey and into a touch of life is a challenge still!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • 1pocket1pocket Registered Users Posts: 299 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    saurora wrote:
    Totally agree with Phil that the cool colors do not imply that she is enjoying the sunshine. A warmer processing could do that for you, (or even a more environmental shot), both of which could help explain to the viewer why she has her eyes closed. I found that the first time I viewed the shot without reading your summary, that my eyes were instantly drawn to just her lips due to two things: the selective coloring and that her eyes were closed, so there wasn't much else to draw me towards. In fact, each time I view it I am drawn towards her lips and somehow missing the whole picture. Hope this helps!
    <---what she said

    The cool tones of the pp apparently threw me off, too. A little context might have helped. Around here we now have fast-melting snow, with a lot of bare ground, early flowers and birds starting to appear (finally!). A glimpse of some background might have helped communicate something. Is the grey bacground sky? blue?

    Of course, you don't have to be telling the whole story in a pic -- a little mystery is fine :D But I vote for warmer, too...
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  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    PhilCollum wrote:
    I'm also not a fan of her eyes being closed. It doesn't look to me like she's facing upward toward the sun, but rather forward toward the camera. Which makes it seem to me that she simply blinked.

    I do like the pose and position of the head. Yes, it seems unusual but I think it sets a mood and can work in this instance.

    I don't like the selective color, even with the desturated lipstick. Given what you said about her enjoying the winter sun, I think the colored lipstick distracts from the mood you were trying to capture. When I think of winter sun, I actually think of cool colors and highlights. I also think of the warmth of the sun on her forehead and cheeks, not her lips. The red color of the lipstick doesn't seem to work with that mood.

    Perhaps try a desaturated image with cool tones?

    - Phil

    Thanks for your comments, Phil. The coloring is not working, I agree, and I'll have to try some more with it. I don't want to be totally naturalistic with it and I want it to be different from how it began as a shot in the afternoon sun.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    ~Jan~ wrote:
    I think the capture is nice, but I'm not crazy about the PP work.

    Glad you like that much, Jan. It's a start!

    Thanks for commenting!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    1pocket wrote:
    <---what she said

    The cool tones of the pp apparently threw me off, too. A little context might have helped. Around here we now have fast-melting snow, with a lot of bare ground, early flowers and birds starting to appear (finally!). A glimpse of some background might have helped communicate something. Is the grey bacground sky? blue?

    Of course, you don't have to be telling the whole story in a pic -- a little mystery is fine :D But I vote for warmer, too...

    Yeah, I'm trying to abstract it from what it was and then give it back as something else, a face with a little sensuality. There's a ways to go, it would seem!

    Thanks very much for your comments 1pocket!

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    I am really enjoying this photo. It has somehow a very peaceful & calming effect on me. I also think the PP work is interesting .... I like it thumb.gif
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  • evorywareevoryware Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2008
    she has an elegant look to her which helps. I don't like the way the lipstick color is coming through though especially if it's supposed to be the same color as the other "Exercise" post.
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  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 12, 2008
    Agnieszka wrote:
    I am really enjoying this photo. It has somehow a very peaceful & calming effect on me. I also think the PP work is interesting .... I like it thumb.gif

    Thanks for your encouragement, Agnieszka! I also like it for a certan effect on me ; ) But I am doing it for a friend who likes it even more than me! I also think the PP is going in the right direction for the effect I want, but there's still a ways to go with it. It has more impact at a larger size, but I will have to do some PP work on skin texture before it looks really beautiful enough.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited April 12, 2008
    evoryware wrote:
    she has an elegant look to her which helps. I don't like the way the lipstick color is coming through though especially if it's supposed to be the same color as the other "Exercise" post.

    Thanks for your comments, evoryware! What you say about the lipstick color echoes other comments and is convincing me I need to revisit it.

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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