I stand alone
by Lonz

Comment:
Very nicely done, Lonz!!! Congrats on 12th!!

In Winter
by colorcarnival

Comment:
Michelle!! This is lovely! Congratulations on 11th place!! :) Top of page 2 :D

Blue Grass
by Jutilda

Comment:
WOWZERS!!! I am really diggin the colour scheme you have going on here! Beautimus!

She sits, bored
by stupidcat

Comment:
HOLY MOLY!!! This is SO much better!!! WAAHOO TO YOU AND A BIG HIGH FIVE!!!

A bookworm's best friend
by TrollMan

Comment:
Lookatchoo rockin the second page!!! Very well done! Very nicely photographed as well.

Post Lumy Award nominee.jpg
by chromeydome

Comment:
Thank you! I am stunned and a bit speechless to be even included with those images.

The Morning Loop
by Hipychik

Comment:
FWIW, here is an opinion :)

There is no punch of creativity here. It does look like just another snapshot taken while someone was not paying attention. For some improvements...

Find a way to get rid of the mottled look of the chair. It makes the photo look like the colours are washed out or as though the levels have been messed with a bit too much. Try a different DOF. f2.8 with the focus on her lovely eyes would have given a more creative look. Zoom in a bit and try to get rid of the wall there at the top. Try different angles for different looks and take at least 50 shots per session to start out with. You can cull them from there but try to be as different in each frame as possible so you have a lot to choose from.

The way to make ourselves stand out as photographers is to do something new, something different, something no one has thought of before. Perhaps something done but with a new twist. I think the voters probably voted this a bit lower (not terrible by ANY standards though) because it looks like something they could do. You gotta wow em :)

I sure hope this helps a little :)

Feel free to PM me to discuss further if you'd like.

It's Business
by Lydia

Comment:
Dang! I really thought this one would score higher! FWIW, I gave you a 9!! Great job!!

Alana-and-star-004-v2.jpg
by jomari

Comment:
Composition: I'd like to see a bit more of either side of her or a bit less.

Lighting/Exposure: Lighting is very even and kinda flat. I am guessing you used a flash here from the little bright spot on her nose.

Pose: There is no head tilt at all here or turning of the face.

Suggestions for Improvements: Either pan out or zoom in. Try not to crop at the joint of the arm and torso, it makes your subject look like an amputee. When using a flash, dial it down as far as it will go and then step it up as needed to brighten the photograph. Flat lighting is lighting that is even and has no shadows. We need shadows as photographers to help the viewer see depth in our portraits. To let them know that this person is not a drawing, but are 3D. Turning of the face away from the camera a bit helps with shadow and depth as well. Tilting the head puts the eyes on different lines and gives us a bit of a pattern to follow around the face. Here is a tutorial on posing. It's very very good. It also explains a lot about portrait lighting if you check out the earlier pages. :)

Thanks for the comments you gave yesterday. I really appreciate the time you took to do that. I hope this helps in some small way. I've been peeking in on this side challenge since I had to quit and wanted to thank you for joining the fray. You have beautiful granddaughters too!! Can't wait to see more! :)

Stellaaaa!!!!!!
by cgino

Comment:
These are all really wonderful but this one is my fave! It makes such a statement. It also looks creepy-real! Very nicely done.