all photos Portrait of Zai (Tight Crop)

Interesting idea. How did you get her face so sharp and still capture the finger movement?

 

In the other one, the eye goes to the brightest area and the one of higher contrast - the bracelet. So it has to be this one.

 

For educational purposes, try removing the ring in PS and see if you like it better.

Good picture! To me the original picture is the best. It is more close, so the expression is stronger. But I am still thinking if it is a double exposure or just movement...

Very cool! Excellent portrait.

The close crop is a much more powerful photo. The eyes are bewitching. Perhaps she is casting a spell?

I see them as two different images, two different compositions and moods.

Shouldn't try to choose between them as two variations on the same theme. They're not.

I'd pick the tight crop.

... carl, I used two flashes with umbrellas and a hotlight that's a verticle series of lights inside a tube of diffusing material (works kind of like a long skinny softbox)... one flash has a "multi-flash" mode, and the other is just a single flash. So the multi flash lights both the hands and the face, then the single brighter flash freezes the main image. Similar technique was used for the others in the series.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

For what it's worth, it took me this long to figure out that the light area upper right was her 'ghost' hand. Better separation between ghost hand and head would probably get the idea across clearer. Also maybe greater similarity between the two hand variations.

 

Hope to see another version soon.

Keep this up and you could do a show of 'A Portrait of Zai'...Better and Better...A fine floating portrait with movement to compell...tactile. WOW!