Dangerous dancer
by nomad469

Comment by talmy:
Nice use of lighting and DOF. Good framing. Nothing I don't like about this one.

Dangerous dancer
by nomad469

Comment by Kavey:
What an interesting portrait! I really like the blue toning - works very well. I'm not sure about the pose - it doesn't convey dancing as much as a lady simply about to turn about to speak to two people behind her. I think perhaps that's because we can only see their top halves. But I do like the details of their outfits.

Dangerous dancer
by nomad469

Comment by UNCLEBRO:
good grain and bokeh.
I don't know what you had to crop off, but I think the lack of height of the image detracts from the overall picture

Dangerous dancer
by nomad469

Comment by tate:
Nice - Love the flow intro the background and composition.

Dangerous dancer
by nomad469

Comment by ecdillon:
Really cool image. I love the two women out of focus behind her. I wish we could see a little more of the dancer at right, it's hard to see what her arms are doing and I want to see what's going on.

What are YOU thinking?
by nomad469

Comment by fotomann_forever:
::: Greetings from Critique Club :::

Hi, as requested, here is an indepth critique of your submission.

First Impression - the most important one:
Nice portrait, interesting light and PoV.

Composition:
A tad tight on the right side. The border is just a bit close to the jaw. Otherwise interesting and fresh.

Subject:
Subject is "in-your-face" adding some interest to this image.

Technical (Color, focus, and light):
Color: We have some bleed from the blue background on the face that is somewhat distracting to me. Otherwise color is nice and feels natural.

Focus is sharp as a tack.

Light: The light on the face itself is well-done. However, as I mentioned some of the light from the background is spilling back onto the face. Obvious cure is to move subject farther away from the b/g.

To grow its vote?:
I think stronger catch-lights in the eyes would have added a bit to this image as would a seperation of the pupil from the iris. I'm not sure what type of light you were using, but it appears it has caused the pupil to open all the way up. Have the subject close his eyes for a moment right before shooting, if you are using constant light.

Summary:
Lovely portrait, and nice lighting. Pay a bit more attention to the eyes in portraits and I think you'd have a high scorer.

Hope to see more from you soon,
Leroy

DSC_8619.jpg
by nomad469

Comment by cislander:
I like the pose but the right arm seems overexposed. Might be helped with a little burning. Also, on the right side of her face and jaw a little burning might bring out her bone structure a little more. And some highlighting in her hair on the left side near the forehead would be cool. Yeah, and did I mention I really like the pose?

DSC_8619.jpg
by nomad469

Comment by obsidian:
I love the sense of tension in this picture. The bondage style necklace and basque are almost diametrically opposed to the natural beauty and poise of the model.

If I had a criticism it would be that the skin tones look a little "bleached out" and there is a very strange green object tucked into the sleeve of the right arm!

Overall, a very good shot in my unprofessional opinion.

DSC_8531-copy.jpg
by nomad469

Comment by pidge:
She's a beutiful model, and I love the bokeh, but I really don't like the light just on her nose. It just accentuates it and draws away from her other features

I'm also not a fan of the border, but that's personal preference

What are YOU thinking?
by nomad469

Comment by nomad469:
Not that anyone will read this ... but
The lack of "catchlights" is the result of the lighting style...
a large softbox is 90 degrees to the right of the model at about 18inches and silver reflector on the left to give some fill to the shadow side. the model was placed toward the forward wall of the softbox to create the feathered lighting. The blue light on the back left side of the face mask is controlled spill from the gelled background light.

Because there is no lighting to reflect a "catchlight" in front of the pupil of the eye and the lighting is so soft ... there is not a bright specular in the eye...It is by design.

This lighting style is a modification of one used by a photographer named Joe Craig.

What would I have changed ... the 2 speculars on the left eye. I like the deep shadow on the left side as it adds to the mood I was trying to create.