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Laurena

Matt Halstead

New member
Hi guys,

Here is the result of a recent studio shoot. The model was lit with a large softbox camera left (key) and beauty dish (fill) camera right.

Processed in Photoshop to create a slight painterly look which I enjoy.

The two headshots are crops from the finalised image.

Cheers,

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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi guys,

Here is the result of a recent studio shoot. The model was lit with a large softbox camera left (key) and beauty dish (fill) camera right.

15945777971_6c6702ba84_c.jpg

Hi Matt,

What a lovely and well-attired lady, with a pose that takes us back through centuries of fine portrait paintings!

I have always enjoyed your portraits, albeit a style that has been sometimes rather gritty, but always impressive. Here you work in a much more gentle realm of beauty, but there's a lingering distant connection to your previous ability to put an underlying drama into the fabric of your work.

Where on earth did she get the clothes? The skirt is surprisingly short to go with that vintage-looking top? Was it from some ice skating pantomime or such more modern show, or the model just did a mix and match for your shoot? Anyway, the combo works well! It's a super element which puts her on a stage with all the portraits that went before her of fine young women, patient enough to sit for an artist!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
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Magnificent! She has an engaging presence. I like this work very much and it's so worth lingering here with here. What does Laurena do?

Making the setting of the studio have dim available lighting has opened her pupils. a clever idea!

Your two-source lighting delivers a gentle roll-off of shadows and a rendering of a dimensional human form that's simply delightful. The skin is particularly well rendered and there's no evidence of loss of texture that often comes with many modern portraits of lovely women.A few technical niggles, only of notice to a skin retoucher! Did you use frequency separation to deal with skin color separately from texture? If so it might explain a slightly lighter triangle by her left side of her nose and the junction between her right cheek, (left to us), and the area just below her right eye - or is it where the makeup artist missed?

The imaging of her lips is particularly noteworthy: so strong, full and well colored, yet not brash. Well done. Was this pretty much the lighting or your creative skills? Anyway, kudos! :)

Asher
 

Matt Halstead

New member
Hi Asher,

This model (Laurena) really is fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have found her as I feel as though she has a great look that really complements my style.

The corset I sourced online, and the skirt Laurena brought for the shoot. Admittedly the clothing is a little 'mix and match' (as is often the case with some shoots) although I think we got away with it.

With respect to the skin treatment, this was not subject to any beauty retouching methods i.e. close level d n' b or F/S as i wanted to keep the imperfections e.g. the scar across the eye etc. Any differences in skin colour is either makeup error or underlying blemish. Her skin really is excellent.

I am very much looking forward to working with Laurena again in the new year.

:)
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Asher,

This model (Laurena) really is fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have found her as I feel as though she has a great look that really complements my style.

The corset I sourced online, and the skirt Laurena brought for the shoot. Admittedly the clothing is a little 'mix and match' (as is often the case with some shoots) although I think we got away with it.

With respect to the skin treatment, this was not subject to any beauty retouching methods i.e. close level d n' b or F/S as i wanted to keep the imperfections e.g. the scar across the eye etc. Any differences in skin colour is either makeup error or underlying blemish. Her skin really is excellent.

I am very much looking forward to working with Laurena again in the new year.

:)

Yes, Matt,

We're lucky when we have great models. Laurena is just wonderful. I am so looking forward to your new work with her and hope you won't wait till the new year. :)

Asher
 

Antonio Correia

Well-known member
Matt, I do like your work and style !

I saw your site and was impressed by the Carrion Collection. What impressed me is the consistency of the light, the change in clothes and the model itself.

Not that other projects have lower quality than this one.

But let me come back to this portrait here.
You are/were very careful about lighting and you care about the dim lights in manner to open her pupils as Asher said previously. That is indeed a very strong detail and very well thought.

The detail is amazing. It is indeed an excellent work.

What do you do with this work ? Sell ? Expose ? Print ? Just for fun ?

Have a nice week end :)
 
Your model is definitely amazing (not only beautiful but has a special quality to her look) and I do love the lighting also. The feel of old Victorian is definitely there even though the skirt is not from that era.

I do wonder if you hand colored this in Photoshop after the shoot as I see many areas where her skin is gray and that does not seem natural. The lace on the bodice is very dingy but not yellowed as white would naturally do but quite gray as is the cleavage of her bossom. Although it doesn't look natural, it does give it that hand-tinted look of old photographs from that era which may have been your intention.

I'm also curious about the centipedes? Please tell me they were added in post... yes, I'm a bit squeamish.

Very pretty and interesting image. Well done!

I'm also very curious about the bouquet and
 

Matt Halstead

New member
Hi Antonio,

Thanks for the comments. My work is just for fun, although it will ultimately end up in my portfolio which I intend to send out to art directors next year. If it makes no progress with them then I intend to arrange a small exhibition where I live in Bristol. Following that I will continue taking pictures :)

Hi Maggie, yes, I agree - this model does have a quality about her which is fantastic. Some elements of the image were hand coloured, although the skin wasn't. To be honest, the image actually comprises 6 separate photos which were then composited together. Each photo was separately colour/exposure corrected so the shadowing on the cleavage I suspect is a flaw in my process!

The centipedes were real ;-)
 
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