before and after
First in my new series about growing up too fast.
Obviously I didn’t let the little girl smoke, she posed with an unlit cigarette and I then photoshopped a lit cigarette from my own stock onto the end, and used my own smoke stock from this image I took in Paris:
I did this by screen layering the smoke onto the picture, enlarging it and adjusting the curves as i saw fit. I also added some “smoke” using a very low opacity fluffy brush tool in white to enhance the effect. I burned under her eyes a little to produce “bags” and added a dirty film texture of my own stock for an aged effect. Using mid-opacity dodging I brightened her eyes and used a small amount of “unsharp mask” to help them stand out. too much of this can look horribly obvious, though:
as you can see, the eyes on the right look very processed and overdone.
Hope you like! 
June 1st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
oh wow, i had no clue that much went into making your photos. you’re amazing rosie. i wish i had even a smidge of your talent.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
The little girls eyes are very haunting…you did a fantastic job with this picture!
It’s amazing how the dramatic effect changes when you make a picture black and white.
Kudos
June 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
That result is pretty believable. This photo is a bit disturbing compared to most “growing up too fast” series that I’ve seen (where the kids usually just dress up in adult clothes that are too large). It’ll be interesting where you end up with this series when you’re done. Also a big shout out and hearty thanks for describing your process! Your style and attention to detail makes you stand out. Thanks!
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Rosie,
I always wonder how much of YOU is in your photographs. Are you growing up too fast?
Philosophy aside, you do wonderful work. I’ve been a amateur/pro for 40 years and you make me wish I could start over!
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Wow. That girl has very, very beautiful eyes! I like the dramatic effect of the black and white photo.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
you definitely didn’t over-process they eyes. they are my favorite part. i love seeing before and afters and hearing specific things you’ve done to add to the photos.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hey Rosie… thanks so much for putting up the before/after for this shot! The one of the boy is awesome, too.