Need serious help with a portrait...never done this before :)

flygning · May 12, 2008

Okay, so I want to do a really nice portrait of my Mom. We went and got glamor shots done for Mothers Day, which was a blast, but I think she would be more appreciative of a shot I took and edited. So, I had my camera in her face all day, and she *reallyreallyreally* does not like cameras, and it was really hot out, and we were drinking pretty much all day, so I didn't get much. Here is the best I could get under the circumstances:

And here is a super quick edit I did, just so I could throw it on my website to freak her out:

Now, I want to make her feel beautiful. Who doesn't want that for their Mom? I know there are ways to even up the skin tone, and bring out her eyes, and cover up some wrinkles and whatnot, but I don't really know any of those tricks. Any advice?

K8-90 · May 13, 2008

Nice idea! Do you have photoshop, or what program are you using?

flygning · May 13, 2008

I have photoshop cs3. I know basic features, but each time I post a picture I learn something new

DRoberts · May 13, 2008

Here are some hints that might help...

Preperation: Chose your location. If outdoors consider lighting early morning or late evening is best, in my opinion. If indoors a solid color background is best. Which ever, coordinate with your subject before the shot about color schemes. Have then wear a solid color of clothes that will compliment their tones as well as contrast with the background. (single colored clothes also works as a "slenderizer".)

Indoor Lighting: Soft lighting from above and off center to face. Creates a softer look. (a slightly turned face with this lighting can help hide blemishes and double chins easier)

Angles: When shooting live subjects, people or animals, center the focus on their eyes, and try to shoot from their eye level. However don't limit yourself to that with portraits. One popular technique is to shoot at an elevated level above the subject.

Settings: Of course slow ISO, 200 is good. Narrow ap setting if using back drop or background is esential for the type of shot it is. Wide ap setting to blur the background and put emphisis on your subject. You will need to adjust your shutter speed to the best effect with your lighting...will take a few test shots.

Files: RAW RAW RAW!!

PP - experiment with your lighting effects, unsharp mask and color curves.

Good luck!

Ajay · May 13, 2008

You need a better shot of her to work with. This one is not flattering to her in the least little bit. You aren't likely to get the kind of shot you're looking for this candidly. Best to try and convince her to let you take a couple posed shots of her outdoors somewhere that doesn't require the use of a flash. Pick a spot where you can go ahead and get your camera set up so that the whole thing can be over in a few minutes.

flygning · May 13, 2008

Thanks for the advice. Since she lives 3 hours away, I won't be able to get another shot of her, and believe me, of all the shots I have *ever* taken of her, this is really the most flattering. I'm not going for professional quality here, I'm just going for cleaned up skin and whatnot. It is mostly the photoshopping I need advice on, since I don't really know much there. Like I said, I just want to make her feel beautiful, and I know photoshop can do anything

Ajay · May 13, 2008

Check out this website and the skin tutorial. This is a method I have used before to some success.

http://www.christyschuler.com/retouching.html

platano · May 13, 2008

Ajay said:
Check out this website and the skin tutorial. This is a method I have used before to some success.

http://www.christyschuler.com/retouching.html

awesome tutorial.. learned a few things from it.. here is the picture after the touch up following the tutorial.. sorry it was a quick one.. but im sure if you put some time on it it will be way better.

kundalini · May 13, 2008

I had the hardest time to get my mother to look into the camera, much less to look natural. Well, it too about 20 minutes of shooting and then I told her a fart joke. This was the result.

Can't say enough about the virtues of toilet humor. :lol:

BTW, she is 72 years old. Not too bad in my eyes....... only because she was a young mother! Laugh if you get that.

I didn't want to take out the laugh lines. FFS, she's 72 years old.

flygning · May 14, 2008

Thanks for the link, ajay. I got partway through it and already the patch tool has made a world of difference. I'll finish up as soon as my computer gets out of the "repair shop" (my boyfriend tore it apart to figure out why the fan isn't working...eek) and I'll post the results.

Platano- good work. I managed to take more of the shine out, but I couldn't really get her forehead to look that good. Did you just use the patch tool there, or something else? Biggest problem with that tutorial, is the model she's working with looks like she has perfect skin already. I wish I were so lucky!

Your mother is cute, kundalini! One of these days (perhaps after I show her the final results of this little experiment) my mom might let me sit down and do a "true" portrait, but for now I'll have to make do with what I've got. I'll keep the fart joke trick in mind when I do

K8-90 · May 14, 2008

You may want to consider making it black and white. I find that the the problem that reoccurs in all these pics is mostly the redness in her face. Just a thought

There was a thread not too long ago that had some great tutorials on editing skin... I'll try and dig the link up...

K8-90 · May 14, 2008

... Found it!

http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120408

Just take a look, there are a few great ones in there

flygning · May 14, 2008

Thanks for digging that up! Whenever I use the search function here I get a lot of non-helpful results, so I'm glad others remember good threads to look for

As for the color, she's normally pretty red (she gets a lot of sun...and since we started drinking at like 11...well, you know). Pretty much all I can think of is to just make it a sort of even reddish,
since lightening her skin wouldn't look that great. I guess I could make her more tan...I'll play around with it some more.

Turns out the fan on my laptop isn't working because of a problem with my motherboard...yippee. I'll fire up photoshop again tomorrow, since I don't have the energy to fight with it tonight.