Howdy!

Critiques and ratings welcome.

She's a marvel! ...and it's a very attractive portrait ...i just wish you had inserted a less obtrusive cameo in the nook of her elbow... but as it's there, perhaps the interrupted background above the hand can balance it out... by receiving its fair share of p.p. treatment... keep clicking... soon you'll be a portrait photographer in great demand

Very nice portrait from your cute friend...Nice light and composed.

 

Wish you success...Regards(Bobby).

Beautiful portrait, Calvin. Her pose and expression are great. Very good colors and exposure. Regards!

Lovely cowgirl, great portrait, very well done.

 

Alberto

beautiful girl and shot...congrats

Hey Calvin. I've missed you ( . . . well, to be honest, I missed your girlfriend). Great image! She is very comfortable with the camera and your images of her are very striking. This is a terrific and complimentary portrait. Rajat is right, though, about the background distractions. I've been meaning to mention this to you, so now is the right time. For me, I call this the potato problem. Many years ago when I got a brand new fancy 35mm, I took this beautiful picture of my daughter sitting at a picnic table. I was so excited, I knew I had it !! When the film was developed, the image of my daughter was indeed stunning, but right in front of her was a big potato. I was so fixated on my daughter, I didn't pay attention to what else was in the frame. Although on occasion I make the same mistake, it always stuck in my mind since then to pay attention to whatever's in the image, unless I know I can cut it out with PS. Since I have been using PS, I also pay a lot of attention to post processing. It seems every time I come back to an image, I see something else that can improve the image. (I'm not a purist. I think PS can be great.) Here, for instance, the drawstring on her sweater and the way it lays in front of her is very complimentary to this lovely young girl, but that white fleck next to it is not. Also, since you shoot many portraits, you may also want to consider selectively darkening the background slightly, without darkening your subject. Doing so will enhance the portrait and keep the viewer's eyes away from the background. My remarks should not overshadow the fact that this is truly a fabulous image. Her presence here is quite overpowering. Just thinking about the details. Nice to see your posting again, Calvin, although I know it's not been that long. David

Thank you yet again for your encouragement, Rajat.

 

Naturally you're absolutely right. The crop is too tight. The reason is this was a true candid taken spontaneously as we walked the country fair. As a result a woman's foot was placed in the shot, potato-style, right at the cowgirl's elbow. I felt this foot was just too distracting to include.

I appreciate it, Bobby.

Thanks for the kind words, David.

Thanks, Alberto.

Reading my own words i see how unclear i was... wasn't referring to the crop at all... have no problems with it... what i really meant was that the view through the elbow-nook is quite graphic but the roof of that stall is blown... and that draws attention to itself... away from the lovely lady -- which cannot be allowed! So, to clearly illustrate, an edit i had done earlier (i admit to my guilt, i do it often, hones my post-processing skills which have ample scope for improvement)...

Thank you, Mehmet.

Hahah. David, thanks for being honest. I knew it wasn't me whom you missed since I've been posting scenics regularly the past week!

 

Your detailed tips are much appreciated. I'll definitely pay the potato problem its due attention henceforth. Thanks for pointing out the white fleck too. I never even noticed it before but now I definitely agree it's bothersome. Also I'll look into the selective adjustments you mentioned though they sound challenging.

Rajat, it wasn't you being unclear but rather me showing my greenness and lack of English comprehension.

 

Thank you for elaborating and illustrating what you mean. You did an amazing job recovering the vexing blown highlights.

Calvin, Thanks for taking my comments with a light heart. Thank your sweethart as well. I can see now that this is a spontaneous candid, so the background distractions are understandable. I'm sure that if you let your enthusiam persist you will develop good PS skills. The background darkening is not really too hard. Someday, check out Lynda.com courses. They're worth it. Take care my friend. David

Thanks, David.

 

She keeps up with the comments on her photos so I won't have to say hi to her for you. Heh.