Spontaneous Portrait

[kdoc856]

Unplanned shot of my niece on Easter. Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

[Andrew76]

I like it! Her eyes are great! The pink in her sweater is a little eye-piercing, so if I had to make any suggestions, it may be to tone that channel back a little, provided it doesn't affect any skin tones too much. Or make an adjustment layer to target the sweater itself.

Very nice.

[Mike Buckley]

Great light and pose, Kevin. In addition to toning down the sweater a bit, I would do the same to her blue eyes. They look overly saturated, which is especially ironic considering that such beautiful eyes need no extra help from the photographer.

[Colin Southern]

Unplanned shot of my niece on Easter. Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

Here's what I would do ...

- Tone down the pink cardigan

- apply a vignette

- push the levels a little higher

- apply some output sharpening

[kdoc856]

Thanks, guys. Good suggestions all and will adjust forthwith.

Mike, those eyes are really that shocking- this only has a touch of clarity and localized sharpening added. But I will take a good look at the original as I had to lift the overall exposure a little and maybe it emphasized the eyes more than I realized. Thanks for taking a look and commenting.

[Brownbear]

Beautiful photo of a beautiful girl. I think the photo is perfect as is, but I also like the edit.

[kdoc856]

Thanks so much, Christina.

I've added my own edit hoping to successfully reflect the recommendations made earlier.

[Harpo]

The first images looked great, then I saw the edits! Wow! I have to admit I like the lighter exposure from Colin's as it brings out the skin tones better.

You're lucky you've got a beautiful niece to model for you for a long time!

[djg05478]

Very nice. The edits are perfect. Good timing on your part to click when you did. Her simple expression is great. I don't think its an issue that her arm is up, as its not out of the ordinary for a young girl to be playing with her hair. Well done.

[travis4567]

outstanding!!

[lumicks]

Awesome capture! Nice as it is!

[kdoc856]

Thanks much, Mike, Travis, Justin and Debbie.

Debbie, glad you agree the arm isn't a distraction. It helped to put her head and neck in a more natural position, rather than "posed". She was actually reaching behind to hold the flower in place. As you can see, she is not camera-shy.