Photo 3 from first nude shoot *if you are expecting super creativity don't look

[dkmoore]

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one in color that I liked. I end up shooting 99% in BW when shooting anything but family. But I do enjoy shooting color.

I received a lot of good advice so keep it coming!

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[farnz]

Another lovely picture, DK.

A couple of observations if I may?  

It looks like the picture needs rotating slightly so that the layers in the brickwork are horizontal otherwise the eye picks it up (because the bricklayers would have ensured the layers were horizontal with a spirit level and our brains know this).

If the model leans back against the stonework then the flesh from her buttocks will be squashed 'outwards' and make her appear 'hippy', which might not be what you, or she, want.  If you ask her to stand upright then this can be avoided and her posture will look better.

Her 'free' left hand is in a good position but it's a good idea to ask the model to bring her fingers down to a point with the thumb behind otherwise the hands can look too large and sometimes masculine.

Similarly with her feet, ask her to pose with one foot and knee behind the other, not side by side.  This makes the feet look smaller and more dainty and additionally it will hide some of the upper thigh and make her thighs appear more slender.  It should also give a more natural look to the pose.

Keep up the good work!

Pete.

[jaapv]

Agree with Pete. I'm sure  the model would appreciate a bit of Photoshop smoothing left of her breast. The light accentuates the folds, which were probably (partly) caused by the stonework. Also the skin is a bit blotchy red in places. I would correct that.

[dkmoore]

13 hours ago, farnz said:

Another lovely picture, DK.

A couple of observations if I may?  

It looks like the picture needs rotating slightly so that the layers in the brickwork are horizontal otherwise the eye picks it up (because the bricklayers would have ensured the layers were horizontal with a spirit level and our brains know this).

If the model leans back against the stonework then the flesh from her buttocks will be squashed 'outwards' and make her appear 'hippy', which might not be what you, or she, want.  If you ask her to stand upright then this can be avoided and her posture will look better.

Her 'free' left hand is in a good position but it's a good idea to ask the model to bring her fingers down to a point with the thumb behind otherwise the hands can look too large and sometimes masculine.

Similarly with her feet, ask her to pose with one foot and knee behind the other, not side by side.  This makes the feet look smaller and more dainty and additionally it will hide some of the upper thigh and make her thighs appear more slender.  It should also give a more natural look to the pose.

Keep up the good work!

Pete.

This is excellent feedback and directing the posing is definitely a BIG area of opportunity for me to learn. I appreciate the tips and I agree a couple of those tweaks would have really strengthened the image and I think the model may be happier as well. 

Thank you. 

[dkmoore]

13 hours ago, jaapv said:

Agree with Pete. I'm sure  the model would appreciate a bit of Photoshop smoothing left of her breast. The light accentuates the folds, which were probably (partly) caused by the stonework. Also the skin is a bit blotchy red in places. I would correct that.

I didn't even notice the red blotchiness and appreciate you pointing that out. I have to look back to see if it happened during upload and saving as Jpeg or if I just totally whiffed.

That definitely should be fixed!

[StS]

Very good portrait, I like the colours. Some very good conceptual ideas by Pete. It is a matter of philosophy, whether one would photoshop people to perfection, personally, I wouldn't mind leaving it as it is.

Stefan