[Leica] Portfolio Review

[phong at doan-ltd.com (Phong)]

Re. http://www.phongdoan.com/Photography/PortraitPortfolio

Mark Rabiner wrote:
> A bad case of the fuzzy wuzzies and bleached out whites of the eyes.
> No skin texture.
> I'd go back to your original scans or negs and redo them minimally so they
> look like the work of other portrait artists you admire. Do the ones you
> admire have their work processed to this level? It's easy to get carried
> away in Photoshop and also getting into an idealized idea of people.
> Especially women.
> Read the Daybooks of Edward Weston when one day he gives up retouching his
> portraits. They were from 8x10 and 5x7 negs which he was taught in
> commercial photo school to retouch. The flaws are very important.

Mark,

Thanks for your comments.

Re. http://www.phongdoan.com/Photography/PortraitPortfolio/14_crw_7249ap.htm
(now replaced with a lower contrast version).  The previous version was
intentionally processed to show no details of skin texture.  It was not
at all about hiding flaws, but a matter of styles.  I was trying
to do the same as
http://www.phongdoan.com/Photography/PortraitPortfolio/02_crw_4698-bw2.htm
but instead of using shadows as background to the important compositional
elements, I used the high lights, purposely blowing out the (camera) right
part of the face so to emphasise the smile, the eyes, and the nose.
It works much better on print than on screen.   With the overwhelming
negative response I got on this photo, I decided that the first
version did not work as intended, and reverted to a lower contrast version.
When I have some time, I will rework it in Photoshop.  It needs more
post processing, not less, for what I want.  Or it is the case that the
photo just doesn't work, and I need to reshoot.  That happens ;-)

My intention may not be the same, but was very much inspired by one
of my favorite photos of Harry Callahan, "Eleanor, 1947"
(see for example http://www.peterfetterman.com/artists/callahan/pic01.html)
I am sure that is not the only example that I have seen and admired where
facial details are blown out, though I cannot cite any other example
at the moment.

Cheers,

- Phong