Senior Portraits, Need Help!!

[Crimsonandwhite]

Thanks for the advice Uni! What method do you guys use for eye bags? I have been using the heal brush and trying to do as little as possible.

I also use the patch tool for acne and anything else that needs to be taken off. And blending it always does the trick.

 

[holga girl]

Acne - I always remove. Moles or anything more permanent I never remove. But, I might mention something during the proofing session that I could remove it if she wanted it removed.

To me, it would seem odd if it were removed in some photos and not in others. So whatever you do, be consistant.

same here, i remove acne, scrapes etc. but anything like moles, scars etc. i leave in.

also, when it is a child, and i have removed a scrape/sore i let the parents know. in one case, the parents liked the scrape on his knee because he had earned it climbing a tree. they wanted it in the photo so they could remember that time later.

 

[SpeedTrap]

What method do you guys use for eye bags?

I thend to create a new layer and use the clone stamp at about 15%, the trick is to change your clone source a few time to keep it even and natural looking. you willl need to do a few passes, but it keeps some of the detail under but covers the dark bags under the eyes.

 

[Alpha]

The healing brush is normally perfectly fine. You may just be using it incorrectly. Make sure to sample from a textured area whenever possible, and avoid sampling the same area multiple times. Also, set the brush opacity to 0%. The clone stamp is generally not necessary unless there are macro patterns in need of preserving, eg. large pores and other textures.

The real art in skin retouching is appreciating and minding physiology while editing.

 

[Universal Polymath]

Thanks for the advice Uni! What method do you guys use for eye bags?

I use the patch tool for that too, but then fade the effect down a bit (usually to around 50%). Again, it's about minimizing them, without removing them completely. When you completely wipe out the shadows under the eyes, the face suddenly loses depth and looks very flat.

 

[MarcusM]

Agreed with above posters, I would keep the mole unless specifically asked to remove it. I would also not show her any of the above edits that you posted.

No offense but they do not look professional at all. They really look way too processed and give her face a splotchy, unnatural look.

Also, just a suggestion, you may want to adjust your WB. There looks like a heavy blue cast in her shirt.

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

Ok taking what you guys said into consideration. I watched my shadows around the eyes and tried to keep her looking as natural as possible and only added a touch of blur to the skin to reduce the pores. Can you tell a difference? After listening to you guys I noticed the shadows and skin tones around the eyes and tried to carry them into the brushing areas....

 

[manderb1]

Ok, my techinque is way off! Can someone please help and give me maybe a step by step of how to better edit them? The way I learned must not be right at all. The edits you guys are posting do look WAY better than what I have done. Thanks in advance, you all have been so very helpful!

 

[Alpha]

Here's a general editing workflow. I can't really explain succinctly how to retouch the face simply by typing, so I'll just say healing brush @ 0% opacity and watch out for splotchiness.

 

[LuckyStarPhotography]

This may be a mute point now, but other than acne, scratches, or dirt I don't remove anything from the skin. I have gotten myself in trouble twice. Once for removing a back tattoo on a bride. I only did it on one shot & mostly for practice, I didn't intend for her to see it but I forgot to take it out of the ones I showed her. She wasn't happy. Another was on a whole batch of senior pictures I did. I took out a mole on a girls arm and she was not happy. Thankfully I had all the originals still, but I think she still felt a bit disgruntled by it. I wouldn't even show the ones with the mole removed. Unless she asks you to remove it; leave it. IMHO

 

[Alpha]

This may be a mute point now, but other than acne, scratches, or dirt I don't remove anything from the skin.

Unless you're shooting classical portraiture or have someone who specifically requests no retouch, this makes little sense. Who wants bags under their eyes in the senior portrait?

Moles and tattoos of course, should stay unless the model or client asks for them to be removed.

 

[skieur]

This may be a mute point now, but other than acne, scratches, or dirt I don't remove anything from the skin. I have gotten myself in trouble twice. Once for removing a back tattoo on a bride. I only did it on one shot & mostly for practice, I didn't intend for her to see it but I forgot to take it out of the ones I showed her. She wasn't happy. Another was on a whole batch of senior pictures I did. I took out a mole on a girls arm and she was not happy. Thankfully I had all the originals still, but I think she still felt a bit disgruntled by it. I wouldn't even show the ones with the mole removed. Unless she asks you to remove it; leave it. IMHO

If in doubt, compromise by keeping the mole, but de-emphasizing it through touch-up, making it less noticeable.

skieur

 

[LuckyStarPhotography]

Unless you're shooting classical portraiture or have someone who specifically requests no retouch, this makes little sense. Who wants bags under their eyes in the senior portrait?

Moles and tattoos of course, should stay unless the model or client asks for them to be removed.

Yes, or course eye bags too. Or nose hairs, razor nicks, or anything other blemish type flaw.:meh:

 

[manderb1]

Thanks for all the advice. I left the mole on her face. She LOVED the images, and she booked another session for us to do downtown. I thank all you for the help!!

 

[bellacat]

looks like you already got some great advice and i'm glad she loved the photos

I recently had a session with 3 sisters. The youngest had horrible acne but i didn't want her to feel self conscience about it. I asked all the sisters in general if they wanted retouching and they said only minimal. I opted to show a sample photo where i took out the acne on the youngest and she loved it. I left moles and such to keep things natural though.

good luck on your down town session I look forward to seeing those