Shay - Detail

Shineylewis has added a photo to the pool:

I like this one... Yay!
Maybe I'm finally coming out of the slump I've been in for the past month. I injured my back and have been just miserable. My creative juices all but dried up. Never thought that I would ever want to shoot in the studio again and even retouching became a chore. Thankfully I took advantage of Shay volunteering to come by and go over posing techniques. I love those photos of her, especially this one, and I feel somewhat revived. Thanks Shay!

Early on in the retouch, I did consider just throwing in the towel. I thought silver hair would look interesting, but all in all, the image was starting to look pretty crappy and things were spiraling downhill fast. Not sure what turned it around, probably just perserverence and I continued to trudge along and eventually, things started looking up.

Initially, I did use the Portraiture plugin on the skin, but honestly spent many, MANY additional hours, dodging & burning and using the healing brush.

My inspiration comes from a Russian photographer and retoucher, Mikhail Malyugin. To me, his retouching is as good as it can get. I can't imagine it even possible to be better than that. This is the level I aspire to. His attention to detail is just amazing. Oh, and his lighting... perfection. Heads up... A lot of his work would be considered 'Not safe for work'...

Another revelation I had while working on this photo is kind of a depressing one...

I came to the realization that this stuff - photography, studio lighting and retouching, is never going to get easy for me. It is always going to be a struggle. I am probably the least creative person I know, which makes being in a creative field very difficult. On a positive note, I will say that I have patience. I just hope it doesn't run out...

Lighting Info:
AlienBee B800's in two Westcott 32" umbrellas - one over, one under (clamshell) bounced.
Soft white interior with black backing.
Umbrellas were approximately 4' from model.
Floor was white tile board from Home Depot, which is somewhat reflective.
On both sides of the model were 4' x 8' white V-flats made from styrofoam building material, also from Home Depot.
The background was white seamless paper.
Triggered with Paul C. Buff Cybersyncs

Canon 5D Mk II
70-200 f4L USM (70mm)
1/125 sec @ 5.6

Software: Photoshop CS5