My back yard
by LalliSig

Comment:
You have go to be kidding! :-) Great control of the lighting!

Pikes Peak framed by a natural window - (using Wikipedia's def. of window - check it out)
by Rebecca

Comment:
DNMC. Just Kidding!!! This is gorgeous shot and meets the challenge perfectly! Love the colors.

Without a View
by DefyTime

Comment:
Ouch! This hurts my eys! :-) Great use of DOF!

Safe in the bedroom
by shamrock

Comment:
Wow! That is close!

The Man In The Window
by TUBORG

Comment:
Very dramatic. I like how the only color in this shot is through the window.

The Look
by bryantbus

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club

Let me start out by saying I gave this photo a seven. It is a very alluring pose that is seductive but not overly so. The model's expression is perfect, she draws your eyes in and holds them and that gives this shot a lot of impact.

The main thing that bothers me about this shot is the camera position. At this angle, it appears that her feet would be elevated above her head. This gives it a subtle feeling of tension that seems out of place. I tinkered around in Photoshop and rotated the image 25 degrees CCW. This put her in a position where her feet would be in a slightly lower than her head and gave it a much more relaxed feel.

I might also crop out the bottom of the bed. What appears to be a metal frame detracts from the feeling of softness in the rest of the composition.

Your comment made me think you might not be satisfied with the work you did on her eyes. I think you did really well with this. Her eyes really stand out, but you didn't take it too far.

Well done!

-Bill

Crazy Chrome Idea
by dube140463

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

My first impression is that the background really steals the attention from the subject. Since the background is the only real source of color, and it is very high contrast, it prevents your eye from resting comfortably on the subject. This may have worked better with a solid color background, maybe black. This would force your eye back on to the subject.

The lighting also seems a bit soft. It appears to me that there may be two light sources. One above the subject (the bedside lamp?), and the second across the room from the subject (maybe a window?). Neither light source is very dramatic. A single bright light that would create some interesting reflections on the metal would add some punch to this photo. This would also sharpen the picture more.

One other thing to consider is using the full file size available to you. This picture is only 82k. You are allowed up to 150k. That extra resolution can do nothing but help. It allows for more detail in your picture, and in this case may increase the sharpness some!

-Bill

Vera - 2006
by kari1

Comment:
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

Yashica Man
by annah

Comment:
This is one of my favorites in this challenge. I hope it does well for you!

'40s Crush
by yantski

Comment:
I really like this shot. The colors, lighting and DOF all work well together.