LIGHTROOM LINK: https://adobe.ly/3R94LaB
OBSERVATIONS
Before editing, I liked the overall composition of the shot, so I decided not to crop it. I wanted to keep her eye on the top horizontal line, following the Rule of Thirds, and stuck with the classic 2x3 aspect ratio.
Exposure-wise, the original image felt slightly underexposed, so I increased the exposure by +0.5. This helped brighten the photo and brought out more details in both her face and outfit.
For the white balance, I nudged the temperature up just a bit, from 5,300 to 5,500 to give the image a slightly warmer tone, especially to enhance the natural warmth in her skin.
I also made a number of local adjustments using masks:
Face skin: I wanted a more even skin tone, so I raised the Shadows by +10, slightly cooled it down with Temp -5, and softened it with Texture -25 and Clarity -10.
Eyes (sclera): To make them pop without looking unnatural, I brightened them slightly with Exposure +0.2 and desaturated by -60.
Eyebrows: I deepened them a bit by lowering Shadows by -20.
Hair: To soften the hair texture, I dropped Texture by -25 and Clarity by -8.
Iris: I brightened and enhanced them subtly - Exposure +0.35, Temp -10, Saturation +45, and Clarity +10.
Lips: I warmed up the tint by +45, added a slight Saturation boost +10, and smoothed them out with Texture -20.
Background: I brightened the backdrop with Exposure +1 to help her stand out more and reduce the visibility of backdrop wrinkles.
Finally, I used the Healing tool to clean up a few minor blemishes on her face.
EQUIPMENT USED
Canon EOS R5
Canon RF 24-70 F2.8 L IS USM
SCENE SET UP
I set up my home studio with a white backdrop to provide a strong contrast with her black outfit to create a distinct contrast with my model. I used a two-light setup: a key light with a softbox and a fill light with an umbrella. I shot around the 37 mm in portrait perspective to capture more of my model. I kept my ISO setting as low as possible to maximise the quality of the image.
CAMERA SET UP
Set the Camera Mode to Manual
Set the focus length to 37mm
Set the shutter speed to 1/100s
Set the aperture to F2.8
Set the ISO to 500
Before: 37 mm - 1/100s - F2.8 - ISO 500
