Resting the yearsby
bmarquezComment: Hello from the Critique Club-
Yup, I'm the slow one, thank you for being so patient.
Obvioulsy something went very wrong here. Your other pictures do not have this problem so I'm going to assume it was a glitch and not dwell on it. The picture is waaay to dark as almost every commenter pointed out. Check your monitor? Look at this image on a bunch of different monitors? if it is a monitor thing you might have the same thing happen again.
Now let's pretend that it isn't too dark, that there are some nice white highlights and a better spread of tones. Let's pretend that her earings and the trim of her dress reall catch the light with a glint, and so ddo her glasses. Now you've got a really interesting portrait. I LOVE the Mona Lisa smile. What is she smiling at? Probably something in he long memory, or something in her present dream state. Nicely enigmatic.
Her age is displayed in a gentile and respectful way. Her smile is wise, she knows something that I don't, but maybe I'll find out by the time I get to be her age. I like the symbolism of the bars. They seem to say that this woman could be imprisoned by her old age, but because you have put the bars behind her, she is NOT.
Your composition is nice. The leading lines are the sparkly trim of her dress leading up into the scene and her gaze (even with closed eyes) leading out. together they make a circle which draws the viewer back and back again to see more in the photo. You have three textures that contrast and compliment eachother. The pattern of her dress matches the waves in her hair, but not the smooth wite of the bars behind her. The straight up and down of the bars make a perfect balance for her relaxed and slumped posture. Imagine her with a plain background...wouldn't work as well would it? They also give her support and convey that she has weight and substance to her.
I think this is a wonderful portrait! A picture that tells a story is great but even better is a picture that tells half a story and leaves the viewer wondering and speculating. Try to figure out what happened with the exposure (no clues in the camera info - shutter was fast and aperature was not to tight). When a picture is dark it can usually be rescued in post processing. When it is too light, the info just isn't there to retrieve. Fix this up, order a big print..no, order two. Keep one for your portfolio and give the other to this lady's grandchildren. What a lovely memory. They can imagine that she's thinking of them.
Now th disclaimer: remember that this is just my opinion and I am NOT an expert by any stretch.
PS. I really really love your photo of the girl on the stairs. As I said before, she looks like she is inside a sea shell.
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