Bene III

A good image overall. Not really anything new here, concept-wise, but that's OK. The contemplative mood and beautiful technical quality carry the image well. Both are enhanced by the square crop, a previous poster made, which makes the composition much stronger.

Wow beautiful image. She is deep in thought. its like she just herd some disturbing news.Or she finally unsolved a major issue in her life. Thats the beauty of it, this image is saying so much. They say a picture has a thousand words. The objective of photography is to capture your image.But the beauty of this image is that captured the photographer. Really great photo.

Emotional and powerfully expressive image ,well composed with some excellent tones,.
I agree with the photographer for the space left to the right rather than the cropped form done by Stan,I could imagine a story behind the powerful expression of the model ,and her leaning towards the near by wall for support,she is just in transition from one state to another ,she is leaving something behind with no regrets,and all that space left behind is a very indicative and suggestive of the state she is just left,I think it was intentionally composed as such,..
A good spot on image for POW,it is a portrait ,not an ordinary one ,but rather a fine one that holds its story among its pixels ,.

I think that empty and blurry space on the right side doesn't have to do with her emotional context, but it is rather of a technical nature where photographer decided making a triangular composition of her head and shoulder. She looks mournful and weak (like expression of Madonna) in her reclining position off the wall. But that doesn't have to do with her emotional empty, blurry space behind her.
I also like the "truthfulness" of her facial skin, as Jim said about it.

The capture of human emotion (so much is written on our faces!) can be a challenging endeavor, and I think Stefan has succeeded admirably. The challenge here is for the photographer, but it is also there for the model. What initially strikes me is the congruence of the look in the woman's eyes with the expression seen in her mouth. Each part of her entire face is expressing this emotion, and that's not an easy task when told by someone to "convey this feeling." So I appreciate the work of both the photographer as well as the model.

As always, I learn from the different points of view expressed by other commenters. In particular, John A. has provided an argument for the negative space to the right that makes much sense to me. As I go back and forth comparing the original with the suggested crop, I find myself much more drawn to the original and the larger context provided by that photo. Clearly (IMO), this empty space is contributing to the whole of the photo in ways that may not be immediately obvious.

The story I have about her is that she went out for dinner with her boyfriend in a fancy restaurant (reason she's wearing make up) but has got damped (reason for the sad and vague look).

Very nice composition.

Congratulations to Stefan. It's a fine POW.

I especially love the tonality and the untouched beauty of this woman's skin. And I like the blank, blurry space behind her. It allows for a 45º peak on her shoulder which adds to a yesteryear feel for the image as a whole.

I can't relate to is her position though. I cannot imagine myself putting my head, sideways and tilted, against a brick wall. I can envision leaning with my back to the wall. This doesn't spoil my enjoyment. It's a fine portrait. But it does make the model appear a bit awkward and I think I would have enjoyed a slightly different pose better.

The model seems harder (textures, detail) than the environment in which she is found. This is an interesting approach. It is the reverse of what is typically used to create empathy for a subject. She looks emotionless; more as if she had a stroke than an emotional assault. Regardless, the majority of the posters have felt something for her. Again, it is an interesting approach to this type of portrait and an equally interesting reaction from those who commented on it.
Regards, John

This is seductively beautiful. The model has an earthy presence in your composition. The tonality, composition and all aspect of your technical mastery has captured an image that is startlingly sexy and beautiful. One can only gaze and wonder.

This photograph definitely should be viewed at the larger setting, so that the wonderful tones and textures can be more fully appreciated. The photograph is deceptively simple in nature, but has outstanding depth...both visually and emotionally. I love photographs that can be interpreted in many different ways, and this one is an excellent example of that.

I like it a lot.

Stefan, this is a beautiful model, nice lighted and B/W executed. The only thing that distract from her face, is the white space on the RHS. It is a strong competition imo for the viewer eye ,and a wide space( and her shoulder) that is not adding anything to the whole. I cropped a bit of it and upload my point of view.Congratulations.

She cannot look any more deeper .... beautiful photography