Donna Sturla
October 2025 - Sultry Radiance
Original
About the Image(s)
I had an opportunity to photograph models in an old Sacramento building and this lovely lady was there. I thought she was striking. I took many shots of her and had a hard time deciding which I liked best.
I used my Nikon D70, lens 18-70 Tamron, shot at F 5.6, 1/40 sec., 62 mm.
The only light came from outside the windows and the wall behind her had a white pole on the left, so I used Generative Fill on just that side to make it look better. I developed in Lightroom, then Photoshop, used Curves to make her face gleam and add some highlights to her face against the dark background.
Which image do you think is more appealing? Critiques welcome !
3 comments posted
What a good opportunity to practice portrait photography Donna.
Firstly, I have done very little portraiture so my comments are those of a lay person.
It sometimes surprises me how natural light can be all you need for such images and how beautiful it can be.
It was wise to remove the white pole, providing a consistent background which doesn't distract from your gorgeous subject.
I would consider toning down the gleam on the face (including the ear but excluding the lips) just a tiny bit. Keep the gleam on the lips because it works so well with the red trim on your model's top.
You have focussed well on her eyes and have a catchlight in both of them. Nice work.
I like your main image best - in part because the gleam on the face is less then the second image. Posted: 10/12/2025 04:10:05
Firstly, I have done very little portraiture so my comments are those of a lay person.
It sometimes surprises me how natural light can be all you need for such images and how beautiful it can be.
It was wise to remove the white pole, providing a consistent background which doesn't distract from your gorgeous subject.
I would consider toning down the gleam on the face (including the ear but excluding the lips) just a tiny bit. Keep the gleam on the lips because it works so well with the red trim on your model's top.
You have focussed well on her eyes and have a catchlight in both of them. Nice work.
I like your main image best - in part because the gleam on the face is less then the second image. Posted: 10/12/2025 04:10:05
Thank you, Meredith. I have tried to drop the highlights on her face but not successfully. I'll work on it a bit more. I do think she was wearing the type of makeup that causes a "glow" on the face -- she was really quite gorgeous. Posted: 10/12/2025 07:45:37
Love the photo -- I like the stance of the original better. I like the gleam on the face. I would tone down (or eliminate) the gleam in the ear. Posted: 10/24/2025 01:17:17