Sky and Clouds (April 1)
by karmat

Comment by wickee_one:
LOL at your comments. That sure looks like a menacing cloud with the darker color throughout. Very minimalistic.

Just Thinkin'
by karmat

Comment by SoulMan1978:
I like this very much. From your wonderful letter Kristiana seems to be a bundle of energy, always getting into mischief (am I close?) Which makes this lovely serene calm shot a nice contrast.

The details on the skin are soft, and the lighting on her face is perfect. I like the high key effect, it works very well for me :-)

Just Thinkin'
by karmat

Comment by Donna21:
While I love her expression, I'm a Philistine in that I don't care for the fad of portrait shots that chop off part of the head (usually the top - the top "corner" of her head in your case). If it was widened out just a bit more (at least past her hairline), I might like it better.

Also, as mentioned by surfdabbler, it seems to be not-quite-high-key. That gives it a slightly unfinished feel, which may have been noticed on a gut level.

It's still much nicer than most "professional" portraits.

Just Thinkin'
by karmat

Comment by SandyP:
Oh Karma! I saw this yesterday when I was thumbing thru the photos and thought this was so stunningly beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of your daughter. She is the PICTURE of "beautiful little girl". Wow!

I love your letter to her too. That is precious, and I can imagine that being precious to her forever.

Cool Burning Hot
by karmat

Comment by nabusl:
the overall sharpness of your image makes it stand out

Just Resting
by karmat

Comment by Melethia:
She has the most amazing eyes. This is an excellent shot. While flipping through your portfolio, this one caught my eye and I remembered it was in a challenge, but couldn't remember which one. It has that kind of impact - the kind that makes you remember you've seen it and were captivated by those eyes!

Pumpin'
by karmat

Comment by Melethia:
This is a great shot - not just for the challenge, but on it's own. Very nice use of grain.

Just Thinkin'
by karmat

Comment by Melethia:
Beautifully soft and radiant, and perfect for a little girl! (Though I do like the gray - not sure I'd like the pink so much.) Looks a bit like a SandyP portrait. I like the angle of the shot, with her head and face forming the diagonal. I'd like to see just a BIT more sharpness to her eyes but not much - not overly pimped or anything. And I'm glad she likes it in pink. The letter is fantastic, by the way. Good advice, mama!

Just Thinkin'
by karmat

Comment by surfdabbler:
Lovely shot, and a lovely letter to go with it. :) I'm sure my 4yo daughter would love a pink portrait of herself. There are 2 things that I think let the photo down in the scores. Firstly, the soft focus is great, but needs to be sharpened. Soft focus is a large area softness, and still needs the pixel-size sharpening on top so that soft focus doesn't lean toward blurry. The other thing is the dynamic range. This is a great high-key portrait, but the highs don't quite go to white. Careful tweaking of the levels or curves will improve this image a lot. And white BW is nice, a little bit of pink never goes astray. :)

Little Boy? Big Wall? (4/5)
by karmat

Comment by icu1965:
I agree, the lines on the hangar could be minimalistic. I do like you made your son to appear to look smaller, great idea!