http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simon-Bode-Photography/186296921078

Simon,

She is a pretty girl. The color of her hair is very nice. Her skin tone looks very good. Her expression is very pleasant -- peaceful. You may have focused well on her eyes, but it is difficult to tell. You want to make sure her eyes are in critical focus.

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 her face.

Her pose looks quite relaxed, but you don't want to tilt her head back. It is not a good idea to shoot up her nose. I would not have her rest her elbow on her knee. Notice the straight line you have created down her right forearm, through her elbow and knee and down her left calf. A straight line is rather boring and not particularly feminine. Having her left hand squished between her elbow and knee doesn't look very good. You don't want a bent elbow pointing toward the camera. It appears bony and red -- not very feminine or pretty.

Her make-up looks good, but some eyeliner under her eyes would help to make her eyes stand out better. She needs catch lights to make her eyes come alive. I would not allow her hair to fall into her right eye. Her left eye is already partially obscured.

The lighting on her face looks quite flat. Judicious use of shadows can add interest and a nice illusion of depth within your photograph.

You have cropped touching her left elbow at the bottom. You do not want to do this. Either give it some room or crop into it like you mean to do it.

One reason to include a background in a portrait is to establish a relationship between the subject and the background. It adds a more meaningful pictorial expression to the subject. It makes the picture more complete -- it tells a story. You may try to imply something about the person’s character or nature, or perhaps, their occupation or hobby.  Everything in the picture should coordinate with everything else. Everything that is in the portrait is there for a reason and should help tell the story of the subject. You should ask yourself if the subject is relating to, and reacting to the background or setting in a meaningful and natural manner. People look more relaxed and comfortable in a location that has some sort of meaning for them. They just seem less posed and out of place. I assume you have left so much room above her head so that you could include all of the top of the car. I am afraid I have no idea why the car is in the picture. You have not provided any information in the title or in the photograph to show a relationship between the subject and the background.

The background is in focus and is made up of distinct lines, shapes and multiple colors. This draws the viewer's attention away from your subject. In a portrait you want the subject to be the center of interest.

Your background is very overexposed. Color saturation and contrast can be negatively affected by lens flare. You have so little color saturation that it almost looks like a pastel color print. You have a lot of lens flare. You need to block the light from entering your lens. A lens hood might work. You could hold something above the lens to block the light from entering your lens. A piece of mat board is often used for this.

Nice shot,

Mark

thanks for your advises.

best regards

simon