The main thing I notice is the lighting;
The 'Kim' shot uses an overhead beauty dish - well just to one side of centre actually,
whilst your lighting from the other side, and more like 45/45 degrees(Rembrandt).
It isn't so much the sharpness of the model's eyes, as much as 'Kim' is using her eyes differently. and Kim's mouth is slightly open - small but significant adjustments your model can make for the next shoot.
I would probably crop this differently - either just above or through the hair, and just below the arms or through the arms - if you know what I mean?
Also use a curves layer mask to see if you can bring out any more detail from the dark hair(cam left of face).
Nonetheless Stuart, a great portrait with great eye contact, nice model, and nicely lit.

I really like this. Great use of light, which feathers off so softly, it works well for me.
Love the bright catchlights too.
I might have tried using a piece of white card(or similar)reflector high on camera right, just to lessen the shadow area below the eye/above cheekbone.

This is excellent Nick.
I have often considered membership, just to enable me to upload the individual images that I use for my comp's - which are generally the same - bg, sky and subject, and sometimes with a few flying birds thrown in Paree has often in the past done similar with her comp's, using the variants facility.

I wouldn't say it is that difficult to get willing models to participate in such projects - all the models I've met through 1 year at/on modelmayhem, are actually more interested in projects such as this, as opposed to run-of-the-mill shoots. I then share my choice of the usable shots with those involved(model/mua etc), using a fileshare site like dropbox.

The one thing I have learned is to remember to take all your resource shots, including that of your subject, from the same angle, with an eye on light direction, but these are things I imagine you might have already considered.
I have also found that if I'm photographing models in a studio situation, with a view to using the shots for comp's, a grey bg works best, as it works as the best contrast for most hair colours(blond to black), and produces no colour cast, that can be caused when using green, blue, (and also black or white) bg's.
Look forward to seeing your future projects.

Thanks Paul
My suggestion to you would be to buy a manequin from ebay, that will enable you to experiment with lighting set-ups. It's a lot cheaper than using models/mua's etc while your playing. Then, once you have a couple of light set-ups that you like, go to the studio, use a model with some experience with posing - pay if necessary, and use the mua - you'll get some great results.
Best of luck

A nice portrait shot Lesley - I also enjoy off-camera flash work, and like you, enjoy the attention that the model I'm shooting, and I get from passers by who are wondering if it's a celebrity being photographed.
I'm assuming you had the flash gun mounted on a stand? If you have the available resources, it would be worth investing in a brolly - either a white shoot-through type of a white or silver reflective type which has a black outer. This will enlarge the light source, which will lessen the highlight caused by bare flash light. Lastolite dobrollies I mentioned, and an adaptor for your stand that allows a flash gun and a brolly to be mounted together. You will attract more attention using a brolly
Looking at the shadows and highlights in your image, try bringing the light source closer to where you're shooting from - say 30-45 degrees round from your position. This, especially with the brolly, will light your subject face very nicely, and will also lessen shadows you have down your subject's arm. It will also create catch-lights in your subjects eyes which looks very attractive.
Hope this info is in someway useful...

Before I started doing any portrait/model photography, I was approached by a friend who knew I could use photoshop, asking me to retouch some images for her. I found a technique on youtube that used layers of gaussian blur and median noise to obliterate any skin texture, which could then have the layer opacity adjusted to show more or less 'smoothing' .
As a newly found technique I found this a lot of fun, and then discovered Port.Prof, which again found to be a great tool, especially given how well priced it is. Again, it can be used as a layer over the original, and either adjusted via opacity, or hidden and painted in where required, and used very subtly, it can produce some okay results.
It was over on modelmayhem that I started finding some very interesting forum discussions on retouching, that look to maintain skin texture, even for the glossiest of magazines.

A good retouch video
I discovered Natalia Taffarel on MM, and she has some great videos on youtube, showing in great depth how to retouch at a very high level.

That said, it is very labour intensive, but it has made me appreciate that done properly, retains a natural skin look and can make a good image look fantastic.
What I have found is that when a model from MM finds out you can retouch/ make their skin look better, however it's done, it's more than likely they will want some work done ... if possible

So, to the question, I think it(skin treatment/retouching) looks great when it's done properly. I prefer to do as little as possible on my work, so I like to work with models that have good skin, but also that aren't concerned about having that kind of work done on images of them. It leaves me to play with the images more creatively.

I like this as a composition.
I think also that the decorative work is nicely illuminated, whilst the area that the mua is working on has the light feathering off, leaving the mua in low light as requested, while still being in the picture.
As an ullustrative shot, it work well.
I might try/experiment setting the key light directly over and in front of the subject as a beauty dish might be positioned, creating a more even facial light, and get the subject to hold a relector below in order to minimise any strong shadows below the chin and lighten the shadow on the lower cheeks which occurs with this light set-up.
This should also keep the mua in fairly low light.
I'm unsure about the bg, but that's a personal thing - if it's part of your design and the mua likes it, go with it.

You've captured a lovely look from the model, and she's nicely lit too.
Personally, I would crop out the rusty area to the left of, and including the cracked part, which would still give you the rough texture and rust colour from what was left.
This would also enlarge the subject within the composition.
This is just my point of view, but thought it might be worth mentioning.
Either way, the model steals the picture, so good job well done

Hi Fran - I like this, and the use of the rear gelled light. The image has an oriental feel about it.
I've done a mod which addresses 2 ideas I had whilst looking at the image;
It's worth experimenting with white balance depending on the colours and tones you have in your image - with the pink dress and rear light, I've simulated a cool white balance of 4000 ish, turning the grey bg to a soft blue which complements the pink tones. A personal choice, yes, but worth considering and experimenting with.
I think it would enhance the image if the rear gelled light were to create more of a rim light to the subject, and whilst it does this partially, could be more even and widespread. It may mean using another gelled light(s) behind the subject and camera right and/or left. I use speedlites for this and they work quite effectively. If you're metering, these need to be set closest to your target aperture for them to show up, with your key light being 1/2 - 2/3 stop lower powered. I then tweak the subject in PostP to get the overall balance right. The rim lighting would also give more depth to the image.
HTH

Lovely portrait mapper - that yellow/green toning was my distraction moreso than any retouch work.
I just had a quick play with a selective colour layer in ps, and using the yellow option, set cyan to -30, magenta to +40, yellow to -25, and black to -25, you will get something with a lot less noticeable yellow.
More tweaking will probably yield something better...
Hope this helps.

Hi Micheal, you've captured a beautiful warm glow in the skin tones camera left, which I think would work well with a tad more shadow on the near side of the subjects face - a personal choice maybe.
I also think that this would look a lot better for me with a plain darkish bg that also echoed the glow in the subjects skin

Lovely portrait, and as has been mentioned, you've got the connection with her eyes.
I would have thought that F8 should be fine for head shots, but F10 looks just fine
I like your composition also, even though the subject is looking straightforward - the offset works.
The eyes need to be sharp which aids the connection, and I think they were a tad on the soft side, hence I did some light localised sharpening, both to the irises and lashes.
Brunettes with brown eyes and pale skin are quite challenging in getting the balance right in terms of exposure, and although the skin tones could have taken a bit more light, it's quite possible that the eyes would have still been on the under-exposed side, meaning some post-production to make the irises/eye-whites bright.
You can do this at the RAW stage, where you convert one RAW image for skin-tones, and convert one RAW image for correctly exposed eyes. You then blend the 2 in PS for correctly exposed skin and eyes. Worth it for a good image.
Final thought would be a hair-light camera right just to add some separation from the dark bg.

Hi Ray - great shot - I like the exposure as it is, and though the bg is slightly distacting, I have done a mod with a plain gradient bg.
I have also extended the canvas to the right, space to look into and all that.

Caught my eye at thumb size, and I like the image.
It's a shame that the sky is quite bland looking, as a darker moodier sky would set the rest of the image off better (IMO).

You see Sylvia, it's good to get out of your comfort zone now and then : )
This is a wonderful portrait, with nice even lighting and such a great capture of innocence and unknowing.
Maybe for composition's sake crop away a bit on the left of the frame to take the subject off centre.
You'll be using a flash gun next ; )

Those shadows are light and subtle Jon, and give her face some depth, and you've captured a great look here.
I reckon that a snooted hair light from camera right, would enhance the shot though, by creating some depth between the white bg and her hair. Just a thought, and a great series you've got going here Jon.

A good first attempt Buffy, and more importantly, well done for getting out of your comfort zone
Something worth trying, now you have this image, is to place it as a layer on top of the original, and then adjust the transparency of the layer, so that the original starts showing through. You can then start accentuating parts of the original, together with parts of the painted look.

Without knowing your objective in lighting this shot, and given that it appears that you're working with 1 stobe, I would be inclined to use a reflector - camera right, which can be as simple as a piece of white A4 card. Once you have worked out where to place the reflector so that you are getting a more even lighting, ask you wife very nicely, to hold the reflector with a (out of frame) hand, whilst you take the shot.

Vote given for getting out of comfort zone...

This is a nicely composed shot Carole, well focused, showing the fine whiskers.
A tip to use when possible, is to try to get a subject like this(cat ot dog etc), into a place where the background is distant, as it will not leave anything in the image to distract from the subject.
Hope this helps, and keep snappin' : )

I like the shot, although I think it would benefit from a snooted hair light from behind and to the left(in frame) of the model, as this would give more depth and separation within the image.