Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by arngrimur:
A very good title for this stunning portrait. Brilliant lighting and balance in composition.

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by Dufus:
I lowe the soft mood in this pic. Nice lightnin and clear black background!

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by SnapperL:
Hmmm.... I liked this the first time I saw it. she is gorgeous. 10

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by love:
dont' care for the crop on her arms...

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by Kathryn8:
So amazing that I don't have words for this one. The lighting is perfect.
I would not have cropped it so short...you can see just a tiny bit of one finger, that is distracting....aside from that the composition is very good. By the way, the title is perfect.

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by Skip:
excellent work. there is nothing that would improve this, except for a really high placement! great job!

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by SandyP:
Beautiful portrait!!!

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by RKT:
Seems more contemplative...maybe if she were facing the camera with here entire body or looked at the camera the "confidence" would come through more? She seems lost in her own thoughts.

Confidence
by Computergi

Comment by rblanton:
Lovely shot, entrancing. Attention drawn to the fascinating eyes and subtle expression. No faults in this. 10

Being Woman
by Computergi

Comment by Artyste:
Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club. Prepare to be amazed.. (hehe). Just kidding.

Initial Thoughts

A very nicely done, and technically good, full body portrait.. but lacks a good emotive feel.

Composition/Content

I see this composition done a lot in fashion advertising. Your shot here, however, seems to be a little too low in angle, or a touch too far from the model. I can't pin-point it, but it is lacking a little too much presence. The negative space of the white background behind her may just be a little too over-powering in this instance. The model herself is good, but her pose seems a little too forced, as does the smile. Not hugely so, but enough to throw off the emotional content that would make me say.. "hey, I would love to buy these clothes" or whatever else the ad would be selling.

Background

The background is a great choice here, and wonderfully lit. I just feel there may be too much of it.

Camera Work/Technical

Technically, this is a fine photograph. It's lit beautifully, you've got a strong and sharp focus on the model, exposure is almost dead-on and there are no over-powering blowouts. Having the model fill up more of the FOV, however, would have given you a better chance to put some more life in her eyes, and giving us some more detail.

Digital Processing

I have no information on the post-processing you used, so can't comment really, but what I can say is that nothing you did in post had a negative impact on this shot, in my opinion.

Fits the Challenge

The jury is kind of out on this one. While I feel it's a strong shot for a specific fashion advertisement, the diversity of appeal kind of ends there. Not so much "Stock" in my view as "Product Placement".. and the two aren't mutually inclusive.

My Opinion on the Photo

While I'm impressed with the technicals, and think you'll go quite far with your eye for lighting, I feel that a little more work on posing and getting your models to relax and emote more will pay off big time. That, however, is always the real challenge :) Also, sometimes it pays to fill more of the negative space.

Message edited by author 2005-03-31 12:22:33.