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Some Notes on the Selection of Images
Images chosen for display here at the Parlor go through a competition of sorts. A gown must, first of all, be modeled well. There must also be something exceptional about the angle from which the dress is photographed, and the image must show the feminine features of both the garment and the wearer prominently. Detailing is important, for it is the ornamentation of the gown and accessories - lace, ruffles, gathering, beading, and jewels - that draws the viewer's eye to all the right places. These are the elements that cause a picture to be selected for initial consideration.
A wedding gown is both a picture and a frame at the same time, just like all clothing, but there are no other clothes that do what a wedding gown can do. The flowing lines of material serve the same purpose as the lines of melody in a musical composition, and the best gowns are a rhapsody in fabric. When such a gown appears in a stack of pictures being considered, it stands out automatically. All the finalist images (in the full-length category) tend to embody these artistic concepts.
With a stack of finalists in hand, the whole subject matter of the image comes into play, and now the search is for pictures with appeal, not only to potential wearers (the brides-to-be in the audience,) but to viewers, both male and female. The model, the pose and the gown are summed together to provide a valuation. The same image could be 'drop-dead-sexy' to a male viewer, and a 'fantasy of aesthetics' to a female. I try to select such pictures to publish here for your pleasure.
When I process these images in Photoshop, I add sharpness to detail, when warranted, using the excellent sharpening filters. If I did not do this, some detail readily apparent in the full-size originals would be lost altogether. I also remove artifacts that result from scanning, correct flaws in the original printing, and usually obliterate trademarks (sometimes annoyingly substantial ones) that cover parts of the gown and model. To do this, I use typical Photoshop reconstruction techniques. These involve the Rubber Stamp (usually in clone mode), airbrush, and 'creation from scratch,' using all the paint tools available. To make a long story short, you might not believe the poor condition of some of the originals when looking at the results hanging on the Parlor walls. I happily answer questions about scanning and cleanup techniques, so feel free to write.
Regarding quality issues in distribution, I choose the best quality of jpeg compression I can afford to use, given the limited FTP space available to the Parlor, and my desire to provide a wide variety of images, a few of which will hopefully appeal to all visitors.
Happy browsing!
-SMA
For more information, contact: Sylvia's Bridal Image Parlor/ bridparl@aol.com