Hellloooo, Denise :)
a very nice moody portrait, Martin...rare to see D without a smile on her face. For the purposes of DP (whose opinions are not always congruent with the rest of the world) I can offer a little insight: the slight overexposure on the left of the photo won't go over all that well. DP tends to favour perfect exposure, despite the fact that overexposure can often benefit an image. The shadow cast by her head adds a bit of an off-centred feel to the image; DP tends to favour more balanced images. This isn't to say that DP voters are always right (in fact, often they're not), but since they are the masses we're pandering to in these challenges it's worth paying attention to.
For my own personal opinion (DP aside), I like her off-centred, and i like that her face leads my eye to the centre of the photo. The pose and expression are great, and there's a real connection to the viewer. As for the crop, I'd prefer it be either a bit tigher OR a bit looser - as it is, the top of the image acts as a bit of a ceiling and closes the image in a bit, making her head look a little elongated. a tight crop that cuts off the top of her head or a looser one that adds some context might even out the perspective a little.
Overall a solid photo and a good entry. nice contrast and sharp focus on the right parts. well done, M.
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