National Geographic!
by kbhatia1967

Comment:
I saw your gripe and as a person who scored this shot kind of low, i'm coming back to explain why i voted as such.

Many of your comments below state something in common, that it definitely has a National Geographic Border, but that doesn't speak to the shot itself. The border to me looks like it was added to give it the title and to cover for the cropping of the busy background (including people). It actually had the reverse effect on me as making it distracting. As for the photo itself. I light on the left side of her face (our right) is way too harsh. It's sunlight and looks to be taken during midday so it's understandable how the light would be that harsh, but its pretty distracting. It makes the right side of her face (our left) look too dark. Her eyes could have benefitted from some lightening up a bit (a curves layer could have helped with this). People already mentioned how grainy the photo is. Lastly i would have had some kind of pulled back some to give people a sense of location. Most NG portraits give you some sense of the location or type of living conditions. So pulling back some would have given that, although I know that you couldn't with all the people in the background.

Some people griped about the dirt on her face....i actually thought that was a plus for the photo. If she were perfectly clean and make up done up....it would be the type of NG photo that you were looking for. The dirt on her face give it the sense of actualy appearance.

I hope this helps.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 10:04:58.

May I have this dance?
by shanksware

Comment:
OH my...this is one of the cutest shots i've ever seen. The look on his face is adorable. This is just an amazing shot. I wish I had voted in this challenge. Definetely would have been one of my top shots.

My Wild Girl
by faery

Comment:
The location sets this up really well. I like the angle you captured her at.

Focused
by snaffles

Comment:
The focus on his face really shows an attention to detail in his work. Great angle.

All in the Eyes - Daddy's wrapped around my fingers
by Carlo21

Comment:
I love the softness of the this shot. And of course those are some gorgeous baby blue eyes.

Drama Queen
by levyj413

Comment:
Great use of colors to set the mood. The look on her face is real good and conveying the title.

Sergeant Moore & His Wife, 1870
by BrianR

Comment:
I like the sepia toning here. It has a old style look to it.

Juvenile Enwrappments
by WeJay

Comment:
I like the selective saturation, but what is that in his arms? I'm also not sure what personality trait you were trying to pull from this photo. I like the way he is looking up and his pose.

Fun,Cute and a Complete Rascal!
by JulietNN

Comment:
I like the color scheme here, I also like the set up. I don't really like the stick blocking off part of his body, but it does lead you directly to his face. The fit digging into the sand is a good (and probably unnoticeable) addtion to the photo.

A Mother's Smile
by goinskiing

Comment:
I think you took a great portrait here. You have a gorgeous woman here with a wonderful smile. Without the baby in the photo or something to show she is being motherly, I think you lose some info on the personality. I like the soft and sincere feel to it, but i feel like the photo is still missing something 6.