Shadow Romanceby
librodoComment by dr rick: Greetings from the Critique Club.
This is a wonderful photo, full of emotion and intrigue. The model is beautiful and her expression is perfect. The low key and warm colors set the mood. And the composition draws you in. This is much more than a snapshot; you are there, with the girl, feeling what she is feeling (even if you don't exactly know what that is!).
The composition is brilliant. The negative space on the right is essential, and is just the right size. And while plain blackness might have worked, the unfocused veil is a lot more interesting. The very subtle diagonal lines in the veil, the tilt of her head and the slightly upward direction of her gaze give this photo a lot of excitement. The earring plays a subtle but important role: it grounds the photo in reality by providing a true vertical reference (her head is really tilted; it wasn't just the camera) and, along with the whites of her eyes, a true white reference so the warm skin color can be accurately perceived.
I do have one complaint: The lighting on her left cheek is too bright. It washes out that part of the face and detracts from the low key feeling. Worse, it attracts attention and becomes an inappropriate focal point. The texture from the veil's shadow is great, but I wish it was more like that by her eye, darker and colored, rather than bright and white.
But even with that flaw, this is an outstanding photo. Nice work.
Photographer found comment helpful.