Quote (onepagememory @ Feb 18 2011 01:26pm)
That's because he increased sharpness. They will print wonderfully though. Yours are slightly over-exposed, and look a little washed out by the flash. Try adding ~5%+ saturation and reducing exposure by 1/3rd of a stop (or contrast, preferably), and tell me what you think.
I'll post later what I do for portraits. I HATE the look of studio portraits (99% I do is outside), and as soon as I get to work I'll ask for permission to share them.
Basic things I do:
Eye enhancement
Raise the brightness of the eyes by .2-.4 of a stop, with about 10 to contrast and you'll find them to be much more appealing. This is especially helpful when shooting outside since the eyes aren't as accentuated by natural light. Also, increase sharpness in eyelashes / around the eyes, as well as a tad bit on the pupil, and you'll find that the eyes print better.
White balance:
Adding ~10% magenta (with neutral blue-yellow) enhances skin colors in a very pretty way, especially if you're outside. Beware when there is too much white in the photo, as you may need to desaturate the whites.
Glasses:
Remove them. I HATE it when I can't AF on the eyes because of glasses. If you're shooting anywhere above a profile shot, you'll likely miss the focus because of them. Reflections aren't a problem if you know how to handle light.
Overall, Balakain will provide the most helpful information, as she is the PP master.
Underlined :S