Help choosing a photo - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 30mm M.Zuiko Digital ED F3.5 Macro

08/05/2010 06:13:06 PM · #1

Hey guys,

Rather than individual discussion this is more about discussing one photo and deciding which is best, or maybe just scrap them both haha.

Did a shoot today for a friend, but i shot two shots almost identical im just unsure which i should choose. These shots are straight out the camera, only thing i have done is shrunk them down and applied a little sharpening so the jpegs dont look fuzzy.

1.

What do you think about the shot, and which do you think, 1 or 2?

obscurity

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

08/05/2010 06:20:08 PM · #2

Now I'm no expert at any of this, but personally I like #1. I think the white looks better with her skin color and hair. But I'll take a print of each for myself ; )

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

08/05/2010 06:33:30 PM · #3

Thanks for the reply bud :) Aye i agree on the top, i have used the top alot earlier in the series.

david_c

Canon EOS-7D

08/05/2010 09:50:36 PM · #4

Both need work, but #1 less-so than #2. The model's head/face are horribly contorted in the second image since she's pulling down on her sweater...it appears that she has no neck, and the mock-turtle is not helping in the least.

The white balance appears odd, I might try some warming filters to get her skin out of the grey-blue colour that it is now. I'm guessing this was a natural-light shoot? That bit of sunlight behind her...why didn't you put her there? Looks almost like golden hour light...and you missed it! :-O

PGerst

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/05/2010 10:02:33 PM · #5

Hmm...not sure what you were going for here, and glad my wife isn't looking...heh heh.

Anyway, to choose between the two, I would go with the 2nd for many different reasons.

1) The first completely draws the attend away from the model's face because the clothing is too transparent. Most would be concentrating on the clothing.

2) The first is too static. Arms in the front makes her feel too closed. The smile is smaller, less exciting, and part of her hair covers her eyes. The shoulders are drawn forward, away from the viewer. In the second, the arms and shoulders are back, toward the viewer and allows for some interaction. The eyes are more forward and the smile really stands out, in a way that says "what are you looking at".

3) She was a more womanly figure in the 2nd than the first, as a result of her arms being drawn backward, exposing her front side.

4) The clothing in the 2nd photo has more texture and is more towards a neutral gray, which helps to contrast better with the surroundings.

JulietNN

Canon EOS-7D

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

08/05/2010 10:49:17 PM · #6

lol, I am gonna throw a mix into this.

I like #1 for the face only I think the face would have looked better with the body of #2 though.

JustCaree

Canon EOS-1000D Rebel XS

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

08/05/2010 11:01:53 PM · #7

Originally posted by JulietNN:

lol, I am gonna throw a mix into this.

I like #1 for the face only I think the face would have looked better with the body of #2 though.

My thoughts exactly!!! I just didnt want to upset anyone LOL

elsapo

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 50mm f1.2L

08/06/2010 01:04:59 AM · #8

I say #2, though I do agree that the photos would be much better if we could see more of her neck. In #1 the face looks out of focus to me

I think the color cast doesn't work for me here, maybe something a bit warmer because of her hair? I would definitely play around with editing, maybe some small amount of dodge/burn and a bit more contrast. Here is a quick edit (colors might be a bit off because it was edited on my laptop), hope you don't mind...

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/06/2010 10:25:31 AM · #9

Before

Changed the skin tones to be a bit warmer, removed bags under eyes, changed colour on the fern slightly a bit warmer (Similar to Elsapo's approach) reduced the red in the tree stumps to give more contrast between them and her hair.

A few other edits ;)

Blind_squirrel

Canon EOS-7D

08/06/2010 01:07:02 PM · #10

I like both of your photos, however her face does look uncomfortable in the second photo. I like the contrast of her fair skin and outfit against the colors of the forest.
I did spend more time on these than I should have.... But it was fun! She is an awesome model.
My Edit

Head Swap

Note... Laptop edit. Zero time spent on upload color/lighting correction.

Message edited by author 2010-08-06 13:07:33.