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Lovely image 
Welcome back to the Critique Gallery! And it's a delightful image to come back with.
The most important thing - you got down low. That makes such a difference.
Prada behaved perfectly, you have a good model. I am not seeing how you set the camera - a scene mode or similar? - but the settings are quite sensible for a well-behaved sitter. 1/80 second is fast enough as she is sitting still, F5.8 was your largest available aperture, it has given good light-gathering and with careful, accurate focusing you have Prada's face and eye in focus but with the background nicely blurred.
Two points that I wanted to address - I think Prada was sitting under a chair? Straight legs would make an attractive frame, sloping legs out of focus are a bit of a distraction. I cropped tighter on the right, but on the left that would mean cutting into a paw, so I used the clone tool.
The window light is behind / above her, so the side of the face that we see is in partial shadow. It would help technically to use a sheet of white card to reflect a little light back onto the face, but it could be rather fiddly in such circumstances and Prada might want to play with the card... But what could have helped here would have been a small plus exposure compensation. I have added a bit of brightness and have made very gentle use of the dodge tool.
I have uploaded a modification based on the above - you will see that brightening actually seems to warm up the colour a bit. Then I cropped tighter on the right, to place Prada less centrally and give her more space to look into than appears behind her head.
Just suggestions for a very attractive image.
Moira
The most important thing - you got down low. That makes such a difference.
Prada behaved perfectly, you have a good model. I am not seeing how you set the camera - a scene mode or similar? - but the settings are quite sensible for a well-behaved sitter. 1/80 second is fast enough as she is sitting still, F5.8 was your largest available aperture, it has given good light-gathering and with careful, accurate focusing you have Prada's face and eye in focus but with the background nicely blurred.
Two points that I wanted to address - I think Prada was sitting under a chair? Straight legs would make an attractive frame, sloping legs out of focus are a bit of a distraction. I cropped tighter on the right, but on the left that would mean cutting into a paw, so I used the clone tool.
The window light is behind / above her, so the side of the face that we see is in partial shadow. It would help technically to use a sheet of white card to reflect a little light back onto the face, but it could be rather fiddly in such circumstances and Prada might want to play with the card... But what could have helped here would have been a small plus exposure compensation. I have added a bit of brightness and have made very gentle use of the dodge tool.
I have uploaded a modification based on the above - you will see that brightening actually seems to warm up the colour a bit. Then I cropped tighter on the right, to place Prada less centrally and give her more space to look into than appears behind her head.
Just suggestions for a very attractive image.
Moira
Its a nice image. I like how Orada has been shot under the chair/table, but the image does look better if tou crop out the legs?
All good feedback above. I would also add some exposure, address the colour tone (white balance), and in addition, lower the contrast quite a bit.
I have loaded a mod to show what I mean.
Regards
Wilie
All good feedback above. I would also add some exposure, address the colour tone (white balance), and in addition, lower the contrast quite a bit.
I have loaded a mod to show what I mean.
Regards
Wilie
Hello everyone
First of all thank you for your comments, it has been a pleasure to read them and to learn a little more of all of you.
What some people say (especially Moira) on the legs of the chair, I had already thought about that but I did not know how to make a cut without cutting Prada's legs and with this losing the essence of the pose she adopted.
On the other hand I would like to know what your opinion about the colors, should be cooler, or retain its warmth?
Thank you!
Diego
First of all thank you for your comments, it has been a pleasure to read them and to learn a little more of all of you.
What some people say (especially Moira) on the legs of the chair, I had already thought about that but I did not know how to make a cut without cutting Prada's legs and with this losing the essence of the pose she adopted.
On the other hand I would like to know what your opinion about the colors, should be cooler, or retain its warmth?
Thank you!
Diego
Welcome back to the Critique Gallery, Diego, it's been nearly a year since you uploaded here.
You chose a nice relaxed pose here, and focused well on Prada's eyes. You may not have given any consideration to the background, but although it has stong lines and contrasts, there's nothing there that is acting as a distraction from your subject.
Quote:I did not know how to make a cut without cutting Prada's legs
Using the clone tool to remove the chair leg from the left is the answer.
Quote:should be cooler, or retain its warmth?
I like the colour adjustment that Willie has made. It looks far more natural to me.
I have used Willie's modification to do my own.
I added canvas to the left side, so that Prada's paws aren't touching the edge of the left-hand frame, and making her look less squashed in the frame.
I also filled in the large white square in the background, and removed the black line emanating out of the dog's head, giving the image a cleaner look.
Pamela.
You chose a nice relaxed pose here, and focused well on Prada's eyes. You may not have given any consideration to the background, but although it has stong lines and contrasts, there's nothing there that is acting as a distraction from your subject.
Quote:I did not know how to make a cut without cutting Prada's legs
Using the clone tool to remove the chair leg from the left is the answer.
Quote:should be cooler, or retain its warmth?
I like the colour adjustment that Willie has made. It looks far more natural to me.
I have used Willie's modification to do my own.
I added canvas to the left side, so that Prada's paws aren't touching the edge of the left-hand frame, and making her look less squashed in the frame.
I also filled in the large white square in the background, and removed the black line emanating out of the dog's head
, giving the image a cleaner look.Pamela.
To get what I uploaded, I warmed the colour, reduced contrast, improved shadow detail, and increased exposure.
I owned that same camera at one time, and its output was always very similar to this, - quite contrasty, and a tendency to have a blue colour cast. Its most obvious in Pradas eye.
Regards
Willie
I owned that same camera at one time, and its output was always very similar to this, - quite contrasty, and a tendency to have a blue colour cast. Its most obvious in Pradas eye.
Regards
Willie
Can I add - to some extent, colour is a personal matter: there is a definite and definable technically correct colour for any given situation - but, as watching TV or films shows very quickly, it is very possible to create a particular emotional effect by making a picture warmer or colder...
Auto white balance often gives too cold a result - something I learned from Willie, though I should have noticed myself - however, when I first got a DSLR, I set it to daylight, and have continued to do so since, unless I particularly want a different result.
Auto white balance often gives too cold a result - something I learned from Willie, though I should have noticed myself - however, when I first got a DSLR, I set it to daylight, and have continued to do so since, unless I particularly want a different result.
