Need A Little Feedback On A Delicate Subject

[smoke665]

As you get older the challenges of dealing with "other" issues becomes greater. The skin gets looser, the wrinkles deeper, and the color uneven. I've been trying to learn how to deal with the issues of the under chin problems in older women.

The first clip is the original in shot number 1. I learned to late that I was so concerned with bringing light back into the shadows that I over emphasized the problem area, by having a speedlight to far to the right, and without a modifier.


Went into PS with the image, and through a combination of layers that utilized clone stamp, dodging and burning, and other methods I got to this. It's better, but the editing is still noticeable, an somewhat unnatural. 40 year old looking skin, doesn't look right on a 70 year old. Maybe with more work I could tweak it to where it would look ok.


Learning from my first mistake, I reshot this with the speedlight straight on, slightly above, and bouncing it off a white reflector. A silver reflector was low and in front just out of view. I learned that this setup had two advantages. One it diminished the intensity of the shadow lines in the wrinkles, and two it evened out and lightened overall color of the skin.



The problem area is still there but not quite as noticeable. I'm thinking on the next shot, the reflector needs to be flatter and possibly in the lap?? For editing I brought the image into PS again but in addition to the other techniques used above I used the "liquify" filter, to do a skin tuck and tighten, which I think looks better than the first attempt. It still maintains the age integrity and texture of the skin, but eliminates the problem area.



To summarize what I've learned. Lighting seniors with flat lighting is going to minimize the effects of age, by diminishing shadow lines in the wrinkles. Using a silver reflector, minimizes the skin color variations in seniors. Lastly the "Liquify" filter used judiciously is a whole lot quicker and cheaper than a plastic surgeon.

If there are other techniques both in lighting and processing I should be looking at, I'm open to try. Comments please???

 

[tirediron]

You've got the "real" techniques sorted, I take the easy way out for a lot of stuff, and use a PS plug-in called Portrait Professional. It works really well if you take control of it and make all of the adjustments yourself. If you let it do the thinking for you, the results are painful, but when you actually control it, it works very well.

 

[smoke665]

I take the easy way out for a lot of stuff, and use a PS plug-in called Portrait Professional.

Thanks John, I've bookmarked the site for further review. I was going to record an action once I settled on the common techniques I wanted to use, but at $39.95 for this, it might not be worth it. So many of the commercial products I've looked at seem to focus more on the young.

The effects of aging aren't something you really think about till you look in the mirror one day, and think WTF. Sun, wind, exposure, health problems, medications, genetics, all take their toll on the skin. For me and most men a little sagging skin and wrinkles are a sign of wisdom, but for most women, they're something they don't want to think about. Especially in front of a camera. The ones I've encountered don't want to look like a 30 year old, but they don't want to be reminded of the age either.

Footnote to the OP: In the reshoot, the subject was also instructed to raise the chin slightly and to push it forward slightly, which lifted and tightened the area.