Peggy Nugent
August 2026 - Tuscan Woman
Original
Original 2
Original 3
About the Image(s)
I took the background shot as ICM of an alley in a Tuscan town. The woman was a passerby, also shot at a slow shutter speed, panning her as she walked.
I cloned in the bright spots in the background of the alley, and added the layer with the woman, adjusting for brightness. I cloned her pants to look like a skirt because the crop looked awkward otherwise. I used Liquify to give her a more pleasant expression (and additional anonymity). Her right hand got lost in the masking but I thought it worked better that way. I added the texture layer in soft light at low opacity give a more unified feeling of light falling, then cropped and adjusted colors.
6 comments posted
Nicely done Peggy. Your composition is intriguing and creates a wonderful framing. Looks like a younger Meryl Streep. Posted: 08/12/2026 20:30:19
Thanks, Brad! Posted: 08/12/2026 20:52:13
Hi Peggy, I love the soft muted colors of the shady alley she walks in. I wonder about making the oblique strokes of the ICM layer slightly milder in the lady, at least in her face? That might give for a softer look, and maybe also separate her gently from the background? Posted: 08/14/2026 06:27:22
Thanks, Kirsti!
I understand what you are suggesting, but I can't really try it out because I've done so much manipulation (including her face) with stamped layers since adding her. Still, I'll keep that in mind for future images. Thanks! Posted: 08/14/2026 16:20:41
I understand what you are suggesting, but I can't really try it out because I've done so much manipulation (including her face) with stamped layers since adding her. Still, I'll keep that in mind for future images. Thanks! Posted: 08/14/2026 16:20:41
Hi Peggy!
I love the softness of this photo, and the color palette of the 3 images are extraordinarily complementary to one another. The placement and scale of the woman in the photo is perfect, and I really like how you've cropped and brought greater definition to the area behind the alley, which effectively draws the eye from the woman up the alley to the area behind it. The shadows further enhance the visual perspective, reinforcing the leading lines that draw the viewer deeper into the image. I found myself going back and forth throughout the image, looking at various aspects of the image more than once , really spending some time viewing it - and with each viewing discovered something new and noticing subtle complexities. The expression on the woman's face appears to be a cross between mischievous and mysterious (almost reminds me of the Mona Lisa!), and that really created a lot of visual interest. Beautiful photo! Posted: 08/17/2026 19:02:03
I love the softness of this photo, and the color palette of the 3 images are extraordinarily complementary to one another. The placement and scale of the woman in the photo is perfect, and I really like how you've cropped and brought greater definition to the area behind the alley, which effectively draws the eye from the woman up the alley to the area behind it. The shadows further enhance the visual perspective, reinforcing the leading lines that draw the viewer deeper into the image. I found myself going back and forth throughout the image, looking at various aspects of the image more than once , really spending some time viewing it - and with each viewing discovered something new and noticing subtle complexities. The expression on the woman's face appears to be a cross between mischievous and mysterious (almost reminds me of the Mona Lisa!), and that really created a lot of visual interest. Beautiful photo! Posted: 08/17/2026 19:02:03
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and insightful comments! I really appreciate them, Peg. Posted: 08/17/2026 20:53:42