Dailey

Kimberly Dow · 08-21-2003, 08:41 PM

OK, this is my 10-year-old daughter. I am practicing here, so bear with me.

I like this, but I'm wondering if the shadows on the face bother anyone? Do the 2 white swing set poles bother anyone, the way they divide the picture? I would take the green one out and crop out part of the bottom. I am thinking this could be a good painting, tell me what you think.

I need to plan better. I am bothered by the fact I didnt catch "the claw" on my pregnant woman. It's become a problem I havent been able to solve sufficiently yet.

The only problem I have personally is that she looks too old to me, too, something. That could be just the mom in me, I am not sure.

Digital manipulation is welcomed.

Jeff Fuchs · 08-21-2003, 09:58 PM

I'll let the pros tell you about the photo, but I thought I'd let you know that you can edit your posts, even after they've been posted. Not that you need to. "Bear" is correct.

To edit, click the icon that looks like a notepad with a pencil, just below your post.

Jeff

Kimberly Dow · 08-21-2003, 10:28 PM

Thanks Jeff. For some reason 'bear' looked wrong when I went back & read it. Ok, I'm no brain surgeon.

Elizabeth Schott · 08-21-2003, 10:49 PM

Wow Kim, you keep your kids in jail too! Your daughter is beautiful.

You know I am a sucker for these, I couldn't help but play, here is what I came up with. Hopefully it is self-explanatory. Sorry it is rough.

Kimberly Dow · 08-22-2003, 01:03 AM

Beth,

Thanks, I do like it better with one of the poles gone. That's exactly what I was thinking - it looks like she is in jail. She looks older than she is and pretty - I'm thinking jail might be OK (to keep boys out), but not for a portrait. The only thing I miss from the original to your version is the other hand by her face. It looked sweet to me. What's great is that I can try her in a blue shirt like you did here and take another tomorrow. There is a definite advantage to using a family member!

Thank you Beth!

Linda Brandon · 08-22-2003, 07:35 PM

Stop. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200, and forget this photo. You have this beautiful girl as a free model. Put a dress on her, put her indoors near a window (search the Forum for indoor lighting tips if you need to) and spend a good hour or so shooting her in different "traditional" portrait setups. Find good compositions and plan on showing off to potential clients your knowledge of value changes, creating form, depicting fabrics, light temperatures, etc.

Spend a lot of time getting the light just right. This is why I suggest moving your model indoors - outdoor light is harder to control and to paint (my own humble opinion, of course).

Don't waste time on so-so photos. Your model gets older every day and every artist alive has much less time to get it right than we think we do.

Sorry to get bossy on you.

Best wishes,
Linda

Michele Rushworth · 08-22-2003, 10:31 PM

I completely agree with Linda. This is a great model but a bad photo, especially with the light being what it is on her face. It's not worth trying to "fix" and this photo's not worth your time to paint.

If I were you I would practice everything you've learned about posing and lighting, get this gorgeous young model in front of the camera for an hour or so every week and you'll have some fantastic new reference photos for a whole portfolio of knock out portraits.

Kimberly Dow · 08-22-2003, 10:58 PM

OK, ladies. I hear you loud & clear! You're right. What more can I say?

I have read the posts on lighting, etc. There is a lot out there, differing opinions and I do not have any decent equipment - so I have been trying to squeak through on my back porch or outside. But, I will keep trying.

I have one complaint - I come from NH, older homes, 2 stories, nice windows. Here in TX, it's all one-story homes with the ugliest little windows all over the place. They are designed to keep the sun out since it is so hot here. I need a friend with decent windows. I do not have one in my house that would work.

Kimberly Dow · 08-22-2003, 11:04 PM

Just a note:

My daughter is running around the house telling her brothers that she is beautiful, but isn't thrilled about the dress.

This little beauty had an accident last November where she fell (off an art table in storage) onto her face. She broke her permanent front teeth and 18 more breaks in her facial bones. She has had 8 surgeries so far, metal plates in the upper jaw, etc. She's a trooper. Just (hopefully) one more root canal and then the re-building of the front teeth and she is done. Then we move onto braces. When she is all finished and those fake horrible yellow things that put in for temporary teeth are gone and new pretty ones replace them, BIG ones like her natural teeth were - I'm gonna paint a portrait of her with a huge grin showing off all my money in there.

Jeff Fuchs · 08-22-2003, 11:14 PM

When I first looked at this photo yesterday, the shadow was so dark that I could barely make out a face. I desperately needed a new monitor for my computer. The brightness on the old one had faded beyond any correctability. My previous scans that I've posted on SOG were affected by my attempts to make it look right on my monitor. Yuck! Today I just went out and bought one. After various discounts, it only cost me $73 for a new larger monitor.

Anyway, I see what people were saying about your daughter. She is a beauty. Thanks goodness for modern medicine. Glad she's doing okay. Now I see the shadow as less of a problem, but I'd still avoid it.