Contentment

Glop and a stupid title. The picture would have been acceptable if were in focus. The subject, however, looks anything except content.

I've taken a stab at making some changes that I think help this picture. I've added some slight color in spots and subtlety sharpened and softened some areas. The over all softness feel is still there but I feel the model comes forward more and I'm not seeing so much of the deadening effects that first struck me. Now the pretty face and lovely short lighting move up in dominance which to my eye make this a much more likable picture in the classical tradition.

I wonder what the photographer was trying to achieve here. If I had to guess, it would be emulation of an old world painting or an emulation of a pictorialist take on an old world painting. Lacking knowledge of intent, however, most of us bring to this what we think it should, or should not, be. That said, I agree that it appears far too soft, and as Alan said, some catchlight in the eyes would help. For what I believe the intent to have been, I do think the lighting was nicely handled here.

It has an unrealized potential.Starting with the title, and continue with the PP. It looks washed out ,and lifeless .
Louis , your version is like a "cosmetic " before/after, it is better for sure ,but it is yours and not Roberto's....;-))
As it was taken some years ago, the photographer himself might have done it differently nowadays

One aspect of the discussion here that I have found most interesting are the comments regarding the little girl's expression. I realize it isn't what we "expect" from a little girl but I personally don't see it as either blank or lifeless. In fact, I remember similar discussions on other images where the subject had a similar type of look. To me, this is a very definite type of look and one that is not probably uncommon to a parent. It has elements of aloofness, defiance and indifference--with maybe a little confidence or dignity thrown in. While it certainly isn't the most expected nor maybe the one most parents would cherish, I believe it does convey a very definite--and valid--mood.

Aside from any other issues one might have with this photograph, this look might not be the one many parents would choose for the mantel but I think it would be a valuable one in a collection describing this person at this time in her life.

It seems to me that that the jacket (looks like a bulky winter coat, with the right sleeve folded up over the neck) doesn't really fit into the overall feeling of the picture.

So, reasonably nice job on the top half of the picture, but not so on the bottom half.

my apologies to the girl... but apart from good placement of the light, i feel no connection whatsoever to her. it's an unusually seductive expression for a little girl; i can see that expression on her beautiful face 15 yrs from now; certainly nothing is contented about her face. i'm completely baffled by her expression. i accept the tradition of mature expressions on young girls in painting, but something about this picture disturbs me,,,, and it's blurry. i can't connect. dp

my apologies to the girl... but apart from good placement of the light, i feel no connection whatsoever to her. it's an unusually seductive expression for a little girl; i can see that expression on her beautiful face 15 yrs from now; certainly nothing is contented about her face. i'm completely baffled by her expression. i accept the tradition in painting of mature expressions on young girls, but something about this picture disturbs me,,,, and it's blurry. i can't connect. dp

Quite right, of course, but it's just a way of further exploring my reaction to the image. My take is this picture is about the girls expression (contentment?) so her face needs to come forward more. I get the impression of aloofness more than contentment but that still plays well with the classical treatment.

The little white lines/streaks on her forehead above her nose are very distracting. For a start, I can't figure out what they are, and for me, they ruin the image more than anything else. Maybe everyone else can see why they are there, and so, contribute to the image or belong there, but for me they just seem out of place and take my attention more than the lack of catchlights etc.

I think what you are looking at is a few strands of hair that loop down from the forehead, on the left, and end just above the right eye.

Lovely composition with a painterly feel. It almost feels like I have seen so many paintings like this in galleries yet this is a photograph. The softness adds to a special sense of perspective.

there is nice exposure and composition in this portrait ... but there is not any sense of contentment in the face impression of this girl i think ... best regard <<<amir49>>>

I believe a good photograph should be timeless...never mind what year the photographer made it, or what sort of computer software was used to help "create" it. You have only to look at the work of Brady, Lange, Evans, Avedon, and hundreds more throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries to see what I'm talking about.

Regarding Photoshop usage being relatively less sophisticated five years ago, that's true, but I don't see this as a factor in this photograph. Speaking for myself, I'm still doing my post-shoot processing with PS7, which I think I bought in '05...I can't remember. That's the latest edition I have. I don't need magic wands to make things disappear or amazing brushes to smooth over "mistakes" in a photograph. Do I sometimes use them? Sure I do. Can my photography exist without them? Absolutely. Keep in mind, Photoshop has only been around for twenty- or twenty-five years.

Surely the point of the Elves is to stimulate discussion so I don't see any point in complaining that they have selected a dud photo for people to rubbish. The point is WHY it is unsatisfactory to some.

I might agree with Jim in part. But I do think to suggest that Photoshop was not sophisticated back in 2005 is pretty interesting. Certainly, it isn't what it is today, but it was pretty robust at that time. In fact, most of the changes to the program since then have been directed more at digital photography concerns and at being able to do things more easily rather than major changes in the type of image one could produce with the image tools once you had the image in the program (scan, raw converted, jpeg etc)

But with regard to a good photograph being timeless, I don't think I agree with that at all. That is more the characteristics of the classic, seminal image. We have many examples where something is considered important in its time--music and art--that is abandoned or insignificant later. I know I created some images for national clients back in the 90's, with early Photoshop, that people raved about but I wouldn't want to show them to anyone today while I have others from the 80's that are still among my favorites. Those photoshop creations were really cool then but today we see just how primitive they were--just think about those movies that scared us as kids (Fred and I anyway!!) where you look at them now and they look so fake and humorous.

Even in the high end art world, many of the things that get a lot of attention during their time tend to fall by the wayside, and the artists into obscurity, in later years--or are maybe just a footnote somewhere.

But I think the relevant issue with this image is just that, as I said in my first comment, it is more about a photographer who, by all evidence, was posting here when he was trying to learn his craft and looking for feedback. That doesn't mean we should like the image or not critique it, it just means that is more easily understood why it is as it is and maybe a bit different than an image that is posted as a master work.

To me it's a nice portrait. The post processing treatment does not get in the way of it showing the likeness of a real person. I very much like the relaxed, unforced expression on girls face. Forcing kids and adults to smile for every picture taken is a crime of modern times. I imagine that this girl - now a young woman will cherish this image for being different than family snapshot.

This image certainly prompted a wide range of responses. I think it's lovely...there's a bit of melancholy and mystery about what her thoughts might be. While I wouldn't have titled it Contentment, I like the image very much.

Wow!, what a fantastic surprise is to googling your name - while making time to get out of work - and see your seven year old photo as the photo of the week on photo.net.

First let me thank everyone for taking the time to comment.

Is already a compliment that someone on the other side of the world spent a couple of minutes to give a critique - positive or negative - and even more when I read the high level and the depth of the comments.

To reconnect again after so long with this photo is like finding a love note in a pocket of an old jacket saved long ago, it has poor handwriting, misspellings, and cheesy prose but is also charged with a naive romanticism and overflowing enthusiasm I could not hide at that time.

Those were the days when every day after work, my date was with my brand new D70, my first reflex.
And yes, that was a time of learning and experimenting with all that I can put my hands on , from water balloons at high speed, to light painting with a flashlight, to recreate kind of painting looks!.

I think part of the evolution of anyone in the field is the process of looking back at our early work and find that what we consider at the time our most "emblematic work" is really like our teenage pictures, they are part of our past, but a past that maybe we would like to keep it for ourselves.

Surprisingly for me ... with this picture is not the case .

After months of fruitless courtship with my date, and trying thousand things, I get to make a photograph that made me proud ... and it felt like walking on clouds. It was like the first kiss... looking back now , I understand "the kiss" had bad breath, the girl had pimples and it really was not that pretty, but at that time, it was like kissing a supermodel.

The relationship with photography, like any kind of relationship, changes, and what were once small results (with a huge superiority complex) , with the pass of time tend to become a more realistic and refined vision of our work.

To return to the technical aspect of the picture itself...

The model is my niece, she was then 11, I ask her to pose for me for 5 minutes when she was around, the lighting was from a living room lamp , a fan for the hair, the fabric was my bed sheet and the expression on her face truly says "ok, I will do this because you're my uncle, but make it quick!"

Thanks again for help me revive the good old years!
This is my website www.roberdam.com for slightly newer stuff ;P
(And sorry for my english! is a little bit rusty!)

It's so good to hear from Roberto, because now I can look at the photograph two ways: through my eyes and (to the best of my ability) through Roberto's. And John A. nailed it in his intuitions as to what the photograph represented.