Intense
by bcrants

Comment:
A good portrait but there's too little noise. It needs some texture.

Back for a second look. Bumping it up a point or two. It's starting to click with me. I was initially troubled by the too smooth looking skin and hair -- like maybe you applied too much noise reduction. But I'm not sure that's what's going on now. What I find most effective is his placement in the frame against that plain blurred background.

Street Performer
by AllenP

Comment:
Excellent. I'm a sucker for the cross-processed effect. And it works well with your animated subject. The blurred background gives it a magical effect -- like something out of a fairy tale book.

Brief encounter in an underpass
by Lutchenko

Comment:
If not for you, she was heavily dressed up and made up for someone. Got to be a good story here. This portrait speaks volumes.

The Birder
by JuliBoc

Comment:
So many subtle things to take in here. And the off center framing is a stroke of genius. Great!

Proud
by Structor

Comment:
The energy of the background is really good and complements his busy hat and sweater quite nicely.

the millennium dan
by blad

Comment:
Very engaging. It's very much about the black jacket and hat, and I'm glad that you chose a dark, muted, mostly colorless background on which to pose Dan. (The revolvoing door adds a little bit of needed, or just welcome, context.) The natural light coming from one side works very well. A most intriguing portrait.

Musician & Morris Man
by Paul

Comment:
I like the initmacy of this. I especially appreciate the soft treatement in processing. The color is important but muted enough to not steal the show. No funny stuff with contrast or sharpening either. The composition, and by extension your subject, stands on its own. Nicely done.

(Love the pins too, by the way.)

The Artist
by Shermy

Comment:
The viewer first sees her (not so) innocent face, then the patterened shirt which camouflages, only for a split second, her tattooed arm. So there's an element of surprise while taking this in. Very effective. Great street portrait.

Tough Guys Eat Purple Ice Cream
by ErinKirsten

Comment:
I can't imagine him eating any other color ice cream. This is great! One first sees the ice cream, and then the scratches/scars on his arm and wonders what he's up to. Maybe it was an accident, or maybe he's up to something not so benign as enjoying ice cream (in which case the contrast works well). The pattern on his shirt is gravy. Excellent!

Coastal Reflection
by charliebaker

Comment:
A slightly different twist on the challenge, and I think I like it. Less about the face, more about the figure, but not at the cost of losing part of her (?) story. She's a dog owner, a loner perhaps -- lives by the sea. Nice job.