This is only my 3rd render where I've tried to create a 'realistic' image, so I learned a lot in making it. The concept is a candid photo of a girl taken on a hot summer night during a party up on the Overlook.

Things I messed up on:
1. Somehow I managed to screw up the alpha and DOF maps, and as the render took approx. 15 hours, I wasn't about to do it all again. That meant I had to do DOF by hand

2. I regret giving her boyshorts. I think the skimpiness detracts from the supposed candid 'slice of life' realism. Also, they're not very interesting.

3. The light was supposed to replicate a camera's flashbulb but ended up being too soft, in my opinion. I think a flash would create harsher highlights and shadows.

4. I need to learn how to draw hair better

There was a billion other mistakes I made during production but I'll spare you the list. All in all a good learning experience, though.

Process:
Poser > Cinema4D r10 & Zbrush 3 > Photoshop CS2

Postwork:
Depth of Field blur, hair.

Thanks for any comments!