gaze-crop
by ErinM

Comment by Louis:
I love all your portraits. I like this one for the apprehensive sidelong look he's giving the viewer, and the way his body surfaces out of the jet-black background. The soft shadows at the edges, and on his skin, really make it for me. It's not tack-sharp, which for me enhances the effect. I'd like to make a "criticism", but can't; I simply find this to be well done and effective both in mood and composition.

you couldn't possibly understand
by ErinM

Comment by Jaded_Housewife:
great DOF on this and really nice/honest expression.

you couldn't possibly understand
by ErinM

Comment by Melethia:
This is haunting and gorgeous! Wonderful use of light and I agree that B&W works very well for this shot. Very well done!

you couldn't possibly understand
by ErinM

Comment by hanneke:
this is a typical title-fits-photo. It's beautifil, and I think that's because we all know how she feels, even though she thinks we don't understand her.
the natural lighting looks great on her, and b/w suits her very well.

you have some beautiful children and I'm happy you want to share them with us :)

in your eyes
by ErinM

Comment by Keith Maniac:
This is outstanding! Great work.

in your eyes
by ErinM

Comment by monikamm:
very nice picture!

ashore
by ErinM

Comment by sherpet:
This is definately my type of image as I also love taking photos of rocks up close.
It has so many interesting things going on in this image, and is like a hidden treasure trove of wonderful things we can find at the beach.
I really like this a lot.

moodswing
by ErinM

Comment by sherpet:
I would love to see this cropped much tighter and see others have made a similar suggestion. I like this one for it impact with the strong lined etched into the sand by the young man. It does give a feeling of frustration so well. I like it.

reflecting
by ErinM

Comment by LucidLotus:
I love the choice of B&W in this! It really helps draw out the dark eyes and enhances their soulful look. You almost fall into them, they have quite a bit of mystery for such a young boy! I think the time you took this was perfect, the lighting is great, it really hugs the contours of his face and doesn't leave any harsh shadowing at all - and if it did, you did an excellent job of burn/dodging them into submission.

I like the pose, has a familiar feel to it and yet it provides and interesting frame for his face. Its got a subtlety to it, my mind recognizes and accesses my own memories of simple lounges in the grass and yet my eyes enjoy the angles provided and how they occupy the background allowing your son's face to be the star.

The reflections in his eyes are very interesting. I can't tell exactly what's being reflected but the shape adds its own dimension without feeling creepy. I really really like how you managed to keep his entire face in great focus, the focus appears very even and it is clearly delinated from the softer background. It really centers my attention on the important features - even his ears are soft and in the background and thus don't distract.

I'd say the one, somewhat minor, issue I do have is the cutting off of the forehead. The arms being cut off I don't think makes much of a difference, particularly since they feel very background, but his hair is acting as a frame for his face and since there's a portion of it cut off it leaves the top of his head looking a bit open-ended to me. Looking at it, I'd say if there were just a smide more to the top of the photo - about the equivalent of the space between the top of the photo and the menu bar, that'd provide just enough hair to show and finish off the frame of his face and thus close the photo off so I don't roam out of it through the top of his head. I don't think snipping off that much from the bottom of the photo to compensate would effect anything negatively either.

Regardless I really like the soulful, deep and yet almost secretive expression you've captured. The more I look at it, the more I feel like he has a secret that he's pleased about, something in the slight tilting up of the lips maybe? Quite a bit to see here and you've captured it so nicely.

wonderboy
by ErinM

Comment by LucidLotus:
What a lovely child. Those eyelashes look long and to die for! First, I like the turned head, it gives me a feeling that I'm catching the boy unawares and in a moment of simple inner reflection. In some instances the cut off elbow would be a bit of a distraction but I think with the compostion you have it works. My attention (for the most part) stays riveted to the boy's face and his calm.

That said, the lighting here has its pros and cons. There's some bluish tones to it which cool the image down, this helps promote that calm feeling, it also compliments the cooler colors of the green shirt and the speckled background. I think either the intensity of the light or the direction its coming in from is what's causing me to find some cons to it though. The main one being the way it lights up his arm. Since his skin is a little pale there, it is reflecting the light back and that makes that portion of his arm stand out - to the point that its drawing my gaze away from his face which I think isn't what you'd intended. The light also is making the spotted background more noticeable than it should be (IMO) and that is also vying for my attention.

I do however LIKE the background. The little fuzzed out flower dots are nice, but I'm thinking it might be a bit too busy for this setup. If they were more blurry - possibly to the point it looked similar to one of those abstract watercolor paintings, just a swirl of blue and green, then it wouldn't register quite as much but would still provide the color interest.

You've got some nice catchlights in his eyes from what I can tell and his position/posture feels relaxed and normal which I think adds authenticity to the moment. The light hitting his face, particularly just under the eyes seems a smidge too bright. Nothing earthshattering mind you, just a bit brighter than I'd expect. I'm not sure if a similar lighting issues would be better were he looking face on to the camera (it might highlight his eyes more?) but here its playing out more as additonal light reflection for me.

I think the composition is wonderful and you've got some great clarity and focus. If I were to suggest changing anything in his pose it'd be to have him swivel his head just a little bit more towards the camera, just enough to see more of his other eye and perhaps a bit of the cheekbone. It'd offer the same distant, pondering feeling but also give more of his face to see. Might be worth a shot to try - its entirely possible that the balance would be worse than this particular pose but you never know!