Driveway home
by kari1

Comment by Node:
Yeah, nice work.

Driveway home
by kari1

Comment by cheekymunky:
I love the curves, it might look nice as a black and white. my only criticism is that the white bushes(?) are a bit too white. But as I say I like the composition

Driveway home
by kari1

Comment by Kivet:
draws me back into the pic, i like how the line of the fence repeats in the shadow.

Nanas are always old ...
by kari1

Comment by taterbug:
Greetings from the Critique Club :-)

A very fitting entry for this challenge, I think. She is a very engaging character, and I think you have captured that character well. I like how you've really displayed the texture, and showcased all the wonderful years that this visage has experienced. A classic portrait head shot composition, and obviously works fine for this photo. Nice job with the background too.

I think the main thing I'd like to discuss here is the lighting of the shot. It's not bad, I think it seems purposeful and thought out, and is heading towards a goal, but a couple of things strike me about it. First of all, I like the sidelighting thing, going back to the texture, and I really like how it lights up the hair, adds a lot to the appeal of the character of Nana :-) However, it seems on the verge of being too harsh on the left. Not too bad, but I think what it does is really emphasize the dark areas in a slightly negative way, especially around the eyes. What I'm wondering is perhaps getting some reflected light from the bottom right area could lighten up the eyes and dark areas a touch, just enough to get back some of the detail there. This could even be as simple as having Nana hold white poster board or something out of the frame. Something to think on anyways maybe. A couple of commenters mentioned the tone, or slight hue. I can see that, but it is a minor thing I think. As graphicfunk pointed out, perhaps a slight drop in saturation could make a difference. Even just a little slight tweaking in levels, or selective color maybe?

Overall, a very nice, touching portrait. I think you've done a fine job of catching Nana's essence, and conveying your love and respect in the shot. I think this is a set of photos that years down the road, you will cherish and revisit many times :-)

If you have any questions or comments or anything, please feel free to contact me.

Happy shooting,
taterbug :-)

Nanas are always old ...
by kari1

Comment by dleach:
Wow... this was my #1 pic

Nanas are always old ...
by kari1

Comment by fotomann_forever:
I love the texture you've captured here. Very nice.

Nanas are always old ...
by kari1

Comment by graphicfunk:
Very nice subject and expression. I would have cut the saturation just a bit to avoid the tone from distracting. 6

Volvo.jpg
by kari1

Comment by Sunniee:
Very cool shot... I used to race in the local races for fun... never won, but it was fun... I really like the colors in the shot.. and the added interest of the group of onlookers on the hill... well done, congrats

Vera - 2006
by kari1

Comment by BakerBug:
Hello from the Critique Club!

There are just a few things I see here that could use a little tweaking. The lighting is what I think kept this photo from scoring higher. The light on the her right side is too harsh. I am assuming this is natural light coming in from a window. It may have helped to partially close a shade, or position something in between her an the light to lessen it some. Another option would be to lightly use the burn tool in post processing since this was an advanced editing challenge. I like that you have two light sources and that they are not equal in strength. The lighting on her left side is much softer and has a more comforting feel. Adding some fill flash would help brighten up her eyes, which seem to be a little dark. One final nit-pick would be the cropping. The edge of the frame cuts out some of her hair. This makes it feel cramped. Allowing the background to completely surround her head would help with this.

You had a few comments where people said you over sharpened. I really think you did a nice job with this. People's eyes may have been drawn to her lips and chin, where the wrinkles are more pronounced, but looking at her cheeks tells me that this really is natural. Another thing fill flash may have done is make the wrinkles a little less pronounced.

Her pose is wonderful. She seems quite relaxed and comfortable. It makes me feel like she has just finished telling a story of one of her life experiences, and is now looking at me to make sure her point sinks in!

-Bill

Nanas are always old ...
by kari1

Comment by smyk:
wait...huh? are the two same pictures here? I though i already left a comment on this one....the lighting seems different...


Ok, no i was wrong. Damn, with all of this studying for exams i must be loosing it.

To the point: i thought i recall leaving a message saying the following:

Great texture but the lighting in the top left is a little to harsh and makes the eyes very dark. it would have been nice to see more of her eyes. good work though


The next day: ok, nooow i get it. There is a similar picture of this women on the portrait challenge, that's why I got all confused.