Beach Baby - advice :)

[jamborras]

Just wanted to see what c&c or edits I could receive on my photo from people who know more than me, any and all would be wonderful. Took this with my little point and shoot olympus xz-1 and edited a little while learning/practicing on pse.
Thanks!
j

p.s
with the lights in the background, I had added a mask, and it looks a little crazy now that I am seeing it this big!

 

[cgipson1]

Could be a cute shot... but it looks like the editing is odd. Those ovals near her butt... ????

Can you post the original?

 

[jamborras]

Thanks, yes that is what I noticed as soon as I posted

 

[cgipson1]

Yes! And while that yellow, blown out look is popular... I don't know if it is optimal here! Some of the problems are the face is dark (underexposed), you have really harsh light (belly / chest). The two are hard to reconcile!

I played with it and decreased the contrast between the highlights and the dark face, sharpened it a bit... and got this!


Then I played with some free actions I was testing... (I don't care for them.. but you might like them)

 

[jamborras]

Thanks! I guess I was trying to make up for the darkness by making it blown out? but definitely not appropriate, I agree
The background is annoying to me, but that is what the dof is for, i'm assuming. Which cannot be done well with this little camera. Thank you so much for showing me how it should look when done properly! Practice practice practice
Thanks again