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Digging in the Dirt
Digging in the Dirt
dahkota


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Self Portrait IV (Advanced Editing IV*)
Camera: Canon EOS-300D Rebel
Lens: Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon
Location: home
Date: May 18, 2006
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/2
Galleries: Portraiture
Date Uploaded: May 18, 2006

I hate self portraits. No, I really HATE self portraits. Mercilessly edited to improve my appearance. :) My eyes are entirely too big for my head.

__________________________________________

Thanks everyone! An amazing unexpected response.

For those interested, I didn't use glow nor desat. I used layer masks.
duplicate layer - screen - gaussian blur - completely mask out hair, eyes, partial mask of face
duplicate layer - multiply - gaussian blur - completely mask out face, partially mask out everything else
duplicate layer - multiply - touch up mask

I use masking to do my dodging and burning it works infinitely better for me as the colors are not as corrupted.

Yeah, I over did it. But when you are looking at your own face for so long, it gets kinda boring... :)

BTW - the title is a Peter Gabriel Song...

Statistics
Place: 12 out of 236
Avg (all users): 6.9233
Avg (commenters): 8.0000
Avg (participants): 6.6934
Avg (non-participants): 7.1333
Views since voting: 3583
Views during voting: 526
Votes: 287
Comments: 65
Favorites: 15 (view)


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AuthorThread
06/05/2012 08:00:44 AM
You have a lovely face, I like the processing on this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/30/2009 09:02:24 PM
Beautiful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/28/2008 01:34:41 PM
I'm not sure if anyone has ever told you this, but you resemble Sally Mann a bit when she was younger. Very pretty both of you. And both good artists as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/12/2007 11:20:35 PM
Well you did an excellent job with that shot, but you're only kidding yourself. You're beautiful and your eyes are perfect.
Now this lass may have eyes too big for her head...
There are more pics of her, but you'll have to go looking yourself. I find them mildly traumatizing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/18/2007 06:57:41 AM
I've come back to this shot. I'm really liking this one even more. I think it's a beautiful self portrait. Excellent work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2006 05:12:50 PM
Wow! I hadn't seen this before now. Great shot! Congrats on your new personal 2nd best. :)

Message edited by author 2006-12-11 17:13:27.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/02/2006 11:43:19 PM
You say you have no beautiful model friends..with a face like this who needs em! This is spectacular!!!!!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/06/2006 01:59:18 PM
The processing is absolutly perfect. I gave this a 9 in voting, and I wish I had bumped it up to a 10. It's absolutly beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/01/2006 11:41:01 PM
Very nice with a lovely and tender haunting feel. Congratulations on your top 20 finish.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/26/2006 08:22:07 AM
Wow, Courtenay! This is beautiful, and so are you :)

Congratulations. What a strong finish!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/26/2006 01:38:56 AM
Courtenay - WOW! Congratulations on your 12th place finish in a VERY competitive field. Excellent work - absolutely beautiful image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/26/2006 12:53:14 AM
Oh Heaven's, Courtenay. So you hate self portraits? You never need do another.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/25/2006 11:02:56 PM
this photo is amazing, very mystical feel, amazing colors in the eyes and perfect lighting. 10 from me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 10:01:07 PM
Great shot. Beautiful colors and the softness works great without losing any of the detail. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 09:48:48 PM
A bit overdone on the processing for my taste, but expressive and well-composed. Pity we don't see this beautiful subject more often. ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 06:02:26 PM
Simply lovely. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 01:37:48 PM
Beautiful portrait. Great lighting on eyes and hair.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 01:02:11 PM
Really nice - like a renaissance painting.7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 12:20:31 PM
Low angle may contribute the chin to verge to slightly prominent, but colour edit, crop, & placement seem to balance that marginal effect. Beautiful soft glowing auburn aura.... offset with blue.... this shows you smart & attractive.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/25/2006 08:05:03 AM
This is a nice self portrait. The lighting and tones work really well. The titles got me mystified though? Great work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/24/2006 12:46:43 PM
great expressiveness from your "model". beautifully lit. and its only helped by that tight crop. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/23/2006 10:42:13 AM
love the coloring that you did here!!! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 03:56:03 PM
amazing photo ... very well done ...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 01:03:32 PM
I really like that the highlights in the hair & eyes stand out, nice shot! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 12:54:01 PM
See...I told you I had a hot wife. looks like the people agree. I won't vote on your entries but I still say your a 10,and the most beautifull picture in this challange.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 12:31:23 PM
This is beautifully done and the title is cool too. Excellent lighting. I like the lightness of the face against the beautiful color of the hair. Your eye color is great too without being overdone/fake looking. Good luck!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 09:11:19 AM
This is such a timeless portrait. Wonderful lighting and the coloring is top notch, puts the emphasis where it should be on the beautiful eyes and fiery hair. Very nice use of shadow and light. ** Back for a final pass and a little bump. It's just so luminous and I love the title although now that songs been stuck in my head for the last couple of days. :-) ** 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/22/2006 08:56:40 AM
I like the soft and somewhat burnt effect here. Good job with the composition as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 10:34:45 PM
Vert soft, very nice. I like the way your face seems to come out of the dark back ground, well balanced with good definition
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 07:30:56 PM
Love the red hair! Nice tones. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 05:09:40 PM
lovely red hair.. only thing i see wrong is the colour in your face is to smooth for me and maybe even overlit at spots.. so i say 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 09:51:09 AM
Wonderful feeling to it! Nice! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 03:01:23 AM
soft but effective
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 04:09:33 PM
I really like the light and tones. The title reminds me of a great Peter Gabriel song that I like, the text of the song fits the mood of the photo. Good work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 11:40:35 AM
You remind of some celebrity. I really like this portrait. Very telling, great color tones. 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 09:55:26 AM
This image is hanuting.
Your lighting is perfection. Definately one of my favorit in the challenge. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 09:25:32 AM
I really like the upward glance. Beautiful eyes and red hair!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 04:51:52 AM
Beautiful - I love how your hair fades into darkness on the left; very ethereal. Colors are amazing too - one of the best in the challenge for me. 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 01:30:14 AM
beautiful eyes and hair .. nice lighting .. like it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:55:44 PM
I would totally kill for your hair.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:33:29 PM
I really like this. It has great light and good selective coloring. It really shows off your beautiful red hair and greenish blues eyes. WEll done. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 07:06:39 PM
I like the mood that this evokes. Nice use of colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 06:37:18 PM
Wonderful light and tones in the hair. It's a simple but elegant composition; not especially ambitious, but sometimes that's the point. Brilliant title! The skin has a glow that I assume is intentional (well of course it's intentional, you numbnut), and that I wonder about ... I wonder if you needed it? But that aside, it's a very fine portrait. 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 05:56:39 PM
I think there's a little too much glow, but love the expression and you have beautiful eyes! 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 03:31:41 PM
This is beautiful. I love the expression on your face and your red hair and green eyes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 02:55:37 PM
Uha.. great colors and over all a nice picture :o)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 02:51:02 PM
This is awesome, the color tones are incredible. Excellent!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 12:51:47 PM
Beautiful, but then I have a thing for redheads. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 12:39:22 PM
Wow, gorgeous... prefect saturation and an excellent frame. Lighting is soft and wonderful. Great portrait.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 12:07:09 PM
blue eyes stand out. 8 from me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:57:19 AM
Oooo this is very pretty Id give it a 10 if I were a member >.<.. Yay Im a member now so 10
I love the colors and the softness to the face
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:56:28 AM
fantastic...love the edit and the stunning eyes
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:47:16 AM
awesome desaturation. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:46:02 AM
Great job with the lighting and the pose you've selected. Good luck in the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 10:31:12 AM
Courtenay, this is WONDERFUL! Absolutely beautiful job. Love the tones and close composition - all the hair. Just great. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 09:34:43 AM
This is gorgeous and superb editing. The composition and combination of softness and color tones just kicks this image away. (10).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 08:26:30 AM
Nice soft image, like it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 03:50:07 AM
beautiful, the photo and you:-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 03:28:15 AM
How about "The light from above"? Very nice. Beautiful eyes and an overall wonderful portrait.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 02:51:19 AM
Some voters may think this is overdone but the way you edited this is what's make the picture. Great job! 10 from me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 01:25:16 AM
One of my favorites in the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 01:14:29 AM
Who is this raven beauty? Nicely done portrait.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 01:02:57 AM
Oh this is lovely. Dreamy and soft. Your post editing rocks. Great image!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 12:45:16 AM
The muted tones of this are wonderful! And your eyes and hair are beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 12:37:03 AM
Dakota, very nice job. I am not giving a bloated critique. Top ten.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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