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This one taken from my first shoot out with the D700.
ISO 2000. Some curves adjustment and eye sharpening + vignetting.


Crop, levels and a tiny bit of sharpening:

Geoff

Neither of these is anywhere near your best work and I think the problem is the processing.


Both seem very washed out - #1 has great composition and eye contact, but it's too flat and bright. The right side of the face and most of their top is overbright in particular. The result is the skin colour is very pale. I also think the image is a little cool. Try pulling back brightness, bumping blacks or contrast and warming it a little

#2 suffers from no contrast too - there is not a lot of delineation between the baby and the background so they fade into it. This needs a punchier black and white treatment or should stay as a colour image.

Please bear in mind that I'm no portrait photgrapher

Thanks for the honest feedback Peter.
Firstly, let me say my processing workflow has recently changed (significantly). I'm using LR2 to do 95% of the 'work' now, so take your comments on board from the master of PP.
The first image (at least on my monitor) doesn't seem washed out and I thought the contrast was spot on. I will have another play however and see what I can come up with.

The 2nd image was intended as more of a high key image, and perhaps (as you suggest) there's not enough contrast to make it zing!?

Will go back and take a closer look, thanks.

#1 - The main focal point in this photo would have to be the face. To which end I would crop up substantially as this would remove a large area that is OOF. There appears to be a colour balance problem as there is a lot of cyan in the right hand side of the childs top. A nice looking kid.

#2 - I like this pic but feel that it would have had more appeal if the eyes had been focused on the photographer and not someone else.