Bahnar woman

This young woman is standing behind the little girl on my picture

named "Bahnar girl from Kon Tum". Mother or sister ? The Bahnar are

an ethnic group living in the Central Highlands and the nearby coastal

provinces of Vietnam. Some of the most warmhearted and beautiful

people I've ever met. Any C&C will be appreciated! Thanks, Alain

This is a lovely portrait, and clearly shows the warmth of the subject despite the cool color of the background. Her expression is wonderful, and the way the spots are placed on the wall behind her really leads the eye of the viewer up to her face and back to her shoulder traveling from the left to the right, which really helps with this landscape style portrait - either great planning or wonderful luck. The only thing I wonder about is it seems a bit dark on my monitor, and I wonder what it would look like a little brighter. Very well done, and you have captured what you said - a warm and caring people-

Mark

Mark : thanks a lot for your kind and encouraging comments (compared to the numerous 3/3 ratings...). Maybe I overestimated the beauty of this picture because this meeting was kind of magical. You're right, the picture is too dark. I tried to replace the original picture by a slightly brighter one. I guess it will take some time before the change is effective, because even if I clear my browser's cache, nothing happens for the moment. Best regards, Alain

Alain, I like this image very much. It provides very nice context to your other images. While she contrasts reasonably well with the background, I'm trying to put my finger on why the image appears a bit flat to me. I know your camera and your lens and am surprised at this result. It is probably the lighting. Did you use a flash or was this taken in the sun? There are no shadows on her face, arms or chest. Consider varying the amount of light in places to give it more dimension. For example, you could darken just a bit the skin below her face to try to achieve more depth. This was my first impression, so I thought I would point it out. Otherwise a very beautiful image of a beautiful young woman. David

David, thanks a lot for your comment! I used no flash. The woman was standing in front of her house at noon. Above her head is a roof, so there's no direct light coming from the sun. But there's a very bright environment in front of her. The light comes indirectly. You're right, there could be more volume in the picture. I made a comparison with the original unprocessed one. It's even flatter... so it's not my post-processing work that is responsible. Thanks for your suggestion! I could also darken the shadow of her shoulders and head on the wall, maybe? I guess I'll reprocess the picture one day. Best regards, Alain