Untitled

Gatis,

She is a very pretty girl. You have focused well on her eyes. Her make-up is very good. The background is nicely neutral. The backlight separates her hair and right arm very well from the background. Her skin tone is very good. She has very nice specular highlights on her face -- especially her lips. I like her expression.

Avoid bright colors and bold patterns in clothing. In a portrait the subject’s face is what is most important and nothing should draw the viewer’s attention away from the face.

Do not pose your subject straight on to the camera. This is not a very feminine pose. Showing your subject’s widest areas (shoulder to shoulder or hip to hip) makes those areas appear wide. Your subject will appear thinner, more feminine and more graceful if turned at an angle to the camera. The lines you see from an angle have more apparent motion, interest and grace.

You could move her slightly to her left. Your subject should have more room in front of her than behind, but not quite this much. You want to compositionally balance the left and right sides of the photograph. The compositional "rule" for this suggests that you position the tip of the subject's nose in the vertical center of the photograph.

It would be better if your main light was placed higher. Your main light is coming from below her eyes. Notice the catch lights are below the center of her pupils. You don't really want to light up the inside of her nose. The name for this style of lighting is grotesque lighting. It has been (and still is) used in video and still photography to light vampires, werewolves, bad witches and other rather nefarious nocturnal nasties. It would also be better if your catch lights were circles, not bars. The ideal position for a catch light is at the 10 or 2 o'clock position. To achieve this your main light should be above and to the side of your subject. This will make the shadow from her nose touch the side of her mouth.

I would touch up her skin a bit to get rid of some imperfections. You have too much head room. This is a very good portrait.

Nice shot,

Mark