Come and Visit the Lone Star State!
by paganini

Comment:
Such definition !

They Don't Come Any Fresher than This!
by WildflowerJoy

Comment:
Very nice. Just a tad light at top would have made this image perfect, yet, it is a very nice shot.

No More Droped Screws
by Firsty

Comment:
Very nice and very well lit. I would have used a new screwdriver, but all the same, it is impressive.

Saint Mary's Lake
by jodiecoston

Comment:
Congratulations on your superb image. Ansel Adams would have been proud of you. Good work.

Touched by the Evening Light
by librodo

Comment:
Congratulations. You are amazing. This was my top pic. dan

Angel
by heida

Comment:
Warm Congratulations.

Glowing
by lizzyc3

Comment:
from the critique Club:
The main light angle is too high. If this is the effect you seek, it is okay provided the head is not tilted down as this decreases the light as it approaches the bottom of the face. The next question to ask is just how dark do you want the shadow area? Right now, the viewer can not guess what color eyes. The eyes are of prime importance and even if you keep one hid in the shadow, the viewer needs a reference. There is no reference here.
The focus point was at the chest and so we are left with a very soft image with some highly contrastic tones and the image appears to have gone through a filter as the tones on the forehead are rather unnatural.
There is a possibility that this is a self portrait, if so, the effort is very good in that the composition and backgtound are nice. While the composition is good in body placement, the facial expression robbed the beauty of the face in combination with the lighting. While lips are red, be careful with saturation. Even when I get perfect color I always reduce the saturation because once you boost one color, its opposite is adversely affected. The left of the face is in the 9th zone right next to the 1st zone of the shadow on the hair.
Okay, let us say that you want and prefer this expression which has its artsy attributes and that you want a contrastic effect. All this can be had by the proper placement of lights. Remember, there is only one main light, the others are fill in. The further you bring the fill lights away the more contrast. The object is to capture the light feel with as much detail because you can always do a levels adjustment to bring about the same effect but with much more detail.
By looking at your port I see that you are very capable with your camera. The picture of the trick or treat also proves that you can take a good picture. So, all in all, I would say that this was an experiment and I would consider redoing it to get the effect you want.

flirtaceous.
by theodor38

Comment:
From the critique club:
A portrait is a study of character in a visual form. Photographic technique is carefully examined even by the neophyte. This is because we all communicate with people daily and we can not help at times, to study their facial expressions. We are sometimes moved by how the light plays upon the facial features and the hair. Of course, the human eye, being more sensitive than a camera is able to capture more detail.
Your self portrait exudes a warm candor, so warm, in fact, that its minor technical oversights are almost made so unimportant that they fall by the wayside. To do a self portrait of this caliber is indeed a remarkable feat and it speaks of your inherent talent. So, let us proceed with the assumption that this is a great self portrait.
However, let us make believe that you were photographing the subject from the viewpoint of the camera and make this a perfect 10. The chosen light scheme required another fill light in the front. You know about the inverse law of the intensity of light. Two lights of same value, placed at identical distance yield 100 percent. Move one light back half the distance of the other and this light is now 25 percent effective. Well, the frontal fill light of same value could have been placed just over a full distance and this would have aided the detail in the left eye of the subject and reduced the 2nd zone at the crease of the smiling cheek line and gave a hint more detail in the hair line. This would have retained the identical character of the lighting and the only drawback would have been a slight reduction in the definition of the dimple.
The composition is strong and the offset placement fit the image like a glove. You also managed to maintain a consistent coloration between face and hands. The highlights are a bit subdued, but the study remains very strong regardless. There are two distinct schools, those that love and those that hate the well defined highlights. One group says, highlights are too formal and stiff for candid and modern portraits. The other group uses them much like the artist that sketch faces or to add shape and form.
In looking over your portrait, I accept it as is. You achieved almost the impossible because you put forward such a wonderful and natural pose just like when an expert photographer elicits the best from its subject. Great job.

Daydream
by labuds

Comment:
from the Critique Club:
This is a very wistful composition and brings out the sweetness of the subject. Of course, major problems with portraits is the haunting shift of color values from face to arms, shoulders and hands. I usually begin by first shooting a white card and then desaturating a bit under. Asking subject to wet lips helps to enhance them and their color.
For the background, I would have pinched the curtain so as not to distract with the vertical fold. Better a curve to add to the ethereal feel.
The only fault I find is in the eyes. because you chose a foreshortening angle big complications arise in touching up the eyes. It is best to leave them alone. If you did not work on them with either the dodge or saturation tools, then you needed a few more takes to get them perfect. The single glitter in the center is to be avoided. best to have two catchlights on the iris. A simple tweak of the lights will have yielded that without hurting your effect.
Otherwise, congratulations on this effort. It was well thought out and you managed to end pretty high. You will only get better.

Forty-Nine
by charmayne

Comment:
from the critique club:
First: the composition is strong excepting the ambiguity of the angle. Just a little more to the right to concentrate on the profile. The lighting is very nice and gentle and suiting the pensive mood you are portraying. Minor improvements include asking the model to wet lips just before shooting. Personally, I would have requested a slight curl of the slip to suggest an incipient smile. Not complete, not halfway. The very start. However, this would make it a different portrait. Placing subject just further from background would have also elimitated the shadow detail at bottom of head. Since you cropped a part of the head, the eye will linger at the visible part.
The major fault with this image is its color balance. Whenever a portrait is done you will find color differences between face and neck and shoulders and arms. The best advise I can give is to opt for a slight desaturation and make certain you have a white balance reference. For example, the red and yellow have crept into the eyes. This is more prevalent when the shot is done with incandescent light.
Since this is your first attempt, rest assured that you did very well for you managed to introduce character and the idea for the angle was good.