The nun

Simple, strong, powerful and cold, beautifully created "i like.

Simple, strong, powerful and cold, beautifully created "i like.

I like this work. I will go rather opposite to photo-dogmas and say that I like the part that is not well separated from the background. This part I like more, it makes it more dreamy for me. Congratulations.

It,s a nice composition as an abstract. I feel the white is blown out to the point of distraction though. It hurts my eyes. It may be my monitor, although I played with my contrast settings and it didn't help. But it has a nice moody feel to it. I don't know if this an untouched shot or not? It has potential to be great though I am not sure what I'd do. Perhaps play with tone of the white or maybe nothing, When I look at it from a side angle it has a creamy slight yellow tone and it looks amazing. I don't feel qualified to comment too much further.

Smooth and delicate with dramatic and fierce intentions. Very impressive.

This is an amazing image. The treatment of the whites is exquisite and very well achieved. Great work!

sara

I like this photo. It is well composed and captures the subject beautifully. Perhaps a bit more even lighting on the right side of the image to remove the shadow on the right side of her face woudl create a more balanced image. That would highlight her lips more evenly and provide a nice contrast in the image. Using a secondary light source from the side or slightly behind the subject with a reflector bouncing light back up into her face may help. Removing the pesky hairs would complete the image as well:). Very nice work.

Felicitari , Agelina ! Photo Of the Week , asta este un frumos succes . Sincer , ma bucur . Deasemenea poza este o realizare deosebita , foarte frumos !/romanian/
Congratulation , Angelina ! A very nice succes , phto of the week ! I am glad ,real ! and because the photo is a very nice achievement !

Felicitari , Agelina ! Photo Of the Week , asta este un frumos succes . Sincer , ma bucur . Deasemenea poza este o realizare deosebita , foarte frumos !/romanian/
Congratulation , Angelina ! A very nice succes , photo of the week ! I am glad ,real ! and because the photo is a very nice achievement !

Very nice photography ! The white athmosphereof the portrait is impresionant !

Frumos !

Angelina, felicitari din Australia.
Perhaps just a little less light on the RHS of the model would have shaped her head a bit clearer.
Love it otherwise.

Multumesc mult Adrian,Alin !!The light it's more brighter in the left because of my flash,maybe I don't have enough lights.I want to thank Maurice Pila for helping me with the lights and the encouragement!And thank you all for appreciating my work!!

For me, your beauty, plus the lighting (agree might have been a tad bright on the left, but not enough to really distract me), the color tones/palette, and the pose created a very pleasing image. The lack of flesh tone somehow creates the illusion that this could be so many different women of many ethnicities. It reminded me of "Color of Water" by James McBride for some reason. I love that book, so the reference in my mind, makes me love this photo. Very well done.

Any time the Elves stopped at my home they drank all my beer but they are rather astute observers of art. I consider this self-portrait art. It is simply stunning. That's as close to a critique as I get.

Good picture, but can be made outstanding, if she took care of the hair on her forehead.

unbelieveable, in your portfolio this is unique profissional picture. The others are just snapshots. Congrats

I'm inclined towards the separation camp , but it is a very unique self portrait . It conveys a sense of serenity and peace and is very restful on the eye . One tiny niggle , I would have liked the catchlights to have been the same size in both eyes . There is really only one word for this image though and that is beautiful .

Micu,

Few self portraits capture me but, YOU have captured me in this lovely, mysterious and wonderfully crafty form. You have an eye and it sees a bit beyond the seeing... Keep doing what you are doing and always press to excel, time is growth. "Lovely"
PhotogDogf64

I wonder. It is awkward to be direct when the young photographer has photographed themselves, is earnest and generous in reply those who view her work and comment... For me Micu, it is frankly- in this white expanse- not quite my cup of tea.
Framing my reaction another more specific way, it does not reach me as a self- revealing self portrait (that shows what kind of self portraits I am inclined towards. Out there and not elusive). Do we have a pool here of just nice creamy yogurt with some nice bright eyes and colored lips out front? No, not quite that for sure.... I could have reworked the image in the mind's eye and maybe imagined a spectral vision of a sensitive person of another time and place in extreme high key. A lady in the mist...But. big but. That would be creating more out of my mind than the image offers as an alphabet soup of spare sketchy lines and limited tone light to work with.. The elements that garnered such lavish adulation do not quite seem 'real' enough to this eye.
It is interesting, may be in tune with current images we see on movie display signs, a la ghosts and spectres. Shows craft above the ordinary I hasten to agree. Which may yet blossom to some really powerful and brilliant images. Sorry, Micu, if it doesn't quite grab me in that way yet. I think you have more in the way ahead and this is a start... Opus No 1?. Congratulations on the gold cup and for your joy of experimenting which you communicate well, no small matter. . I wish you super best in your work and your life ahead as an artist, ( A dissonant viewpoint I know can offend you (or others who love this piece).. The reaction poll is pretty positive and laudatory so this is just a Minority Report... May not even be super material for discussion , but---there you have it) gs

Micu,

 

Are you willing to share any secrets as to how you achieved this masterful look? It's lovely.

 

Greg

Most excellent photo Micu!
I actually like that the left side is much whiter and brighter, almost over exposed. Gives the impression that the Woman is moving into the frame from the right of the shot.
Diana

I think it is angelic in it's appearance. The few imperfections we may or may not see are simply what we each see for ourselves, something that is entirely up to the photographer. Very nice job of creating something unique to enjoy for a few moments.
That seems like the point and it is accomplished. Nice work.

Bravo Angelina,cropul si incadrarea sunt folosite eficient!

I almost did not bother to comment this week. I am becoming as tired of writing the same thing each week as you all must be of reading it. High key portraits are standard studio fair as is the use of a veil or in this case a sheet in need of ironing. This has been done hundreds of times before, usually with much better results. Since anyone who has ever been to photography school has had to learn how to produce this look, it has to be pulled off flawlessly and with style to rise above the crowd. This image falls down in both regards. The poor light balance and the unsightly hair on the forehead being the most disturbing aspects.

The most curious aspect of this photo for me, is most likely not intended by the photographer but rather the result of too much flash and too little fill. I keep trying to figure out why such a basically blank emotionless stare manages to be possess of the degree of ambiguity that I find coming from the portrait. I have concluded that it derives from the dichotomy established by the right side of Micu's face being bright and alive particularly the eye being expressive or at least penetrable and the shadows on the lips being open and soft contrasted with the dark and almost lifeless eye an the other side along with the blackness of the lips which I interpret as sinister or vampiric in a teenage Goth sort of fashion. If I block out one side of the portrait at a time, I get two disinct and oppostie feels from the same portrait. Viewed together I end up with ambiguity.

I applaud Micu for experimenting and in particular with exploring self portraits. Micu's portfolio shows much promise and I suspect that her explorations will produce many fine images. This image could have been much better and still could no doubt be improved significantly by making some of the excellent suggested adjustments put forth by several people in this forum.

Perfection!