Looking

[GB1]

I've always been fascinated with crops of the human form, esp of the face just showing the mouth or eyes. Not sure this one special, but please C&C. I feel like it needs something.

G

[gahspidy]

I too enjoy close crops and isolated areas of the human form. The eye shots are always interesting as we seem to be able to make out mood and character from just the hint of a squint, or the raised cheeks from perhaps a slight smile. . .etc.

I think this works well, but am undecided yet as to what appears to be the whitening and slight cleanup of the eyes. i would say either let it ride all natural as in context of an eye study. If its intended to be more in line with a glamour shot then i would suggest cleaning up more around the iris and pupil and some lines under the eyes and still reducing the brightness of the white. It looks a bit over done compared to the exposure of the rest.

I do like the inclusion of the hair with the crop you have here as it brings us the shape of the cheek bone and a bit of hair color/texture as well.

Good work

[Coastal Flyer]

GB,
I'm not wild about the angle of this shot; off to one side. Do you have this same shot but straight on? Or, maybe just one eye at this range?

CF

[jetrim]

I like the idea here. I think I'd like to see more of the right eyebrow and less of the ear, but this shot has possibilities. I did a quick retouch to expand on Gary's comments...

Top - 4 layers

1. B/G
   • healing brush below both eyes, clogged pores, right eyebrow, pupils
   • saturate irises
   • burn whites of eyes
2. Layer 1
   • color blend fill, to even skin tones
3. Layer 2
   • duplicate skin areas - Gaussian Blur - opacity 50%
4. Layer 3
   • High Pass Sharpen - 30% - overlay blend mode - opacity 80%

Bottom shot
Took above and ran through color efx pro - midnite preset
Left blur @ 40%
boosted brighness to 80%
Adjusted shadow/highlight level both all the way to the right
masked eyes and hair w/ NiK dynamic tool (built in)


This comes out more as graphic art than photo finish, but personally I like the effect now and then. (it took longer to write this post than to do all the adjustments listed :lol

[PhilF]

these types of subject works depends on the crop..... and treatment.

crop is okay(common) ...could have been more different.

definitely needs PP for impact.

[GB1]

Gary - Thks for critiquing. I love eyes as a study, but I've seen more expressive ones than this picture shows. Not that her eyes are unattractive, but she just seems very cool and isn't communicating through them as other models might. Every model is different, of course.

I did run this one through Portrait Professional but it really didn't do much. What really happened is that I underexposed most of the images during this shoot by forgetting my light meter, then thinking that the images on my camera's display were fine... the studio was so dark it seemed that way. As a result, I needed to 'density' process most every one of them, and this somewhat affected their look, including her eyes here. Good advice on the cleanup -- I'm still learning where the line is.

CF - Hmm.. I see what you mean. The angle could be an issue, but.. it could be a strength, depending on the viewer's preferences. I find these side ways glances to be slightly more artistic, more contemplative. But I do have plenty more shots of her that I can do the same expt on -- I will post more soon.

Jet, you are a genius! They both look really good to me. The bottom one looks a little like a portrait you would see at Comic Con, but I mean that in a good way: maybe I should consider getting EFX pro? I am working on improving my PS skills btw, mostly being a Corel person.

I really kicked things around on the crop. This is just what I came up with. I know *exactly* what you mean about writing down the steps ... Sort of does something negative to me when I do that, but to convey information just gotta do it. I think art is mostly Black Magic and not intended to be explained

Phil - Thanks too. I did Post but not enough I suppose. I need you guys' inputs to know what is enough and too much!

Here's another artsy edit BTW

g