Lounging

There needs to be more categories, don't you think? Anyway, this is a fairly straight

forward shot, completely lit by the natural light from the window.

Has potential, but her left leg is out of focus and the light on the left from the window is too harsh, both of which are very distracting (the window itself is very distracting -- I'd reposition so that it is not in the shot). I like the chair, like the light on the woman's face. Posing her in her underwear? Lots of shots like this on this site, and it gets old in a hurry. Finally, her expression seems tense, which brings the photo down a notch, particularly given that she is only half-dressed - imho.

Great pose but head and neck look rigid/forced

I like the colors of the chair.

Good shot.I especially like the out of focus portions, it draws the eyes' attention to the intended focus of the subject. I also like the pose, the angles are nicely composed.

nice.! some one slape me

though looks more like a lingrie add....still, the light & setting's gr8.

It´s not so much people photography, though. May be a good pic but it´s too classic for me. Her outfit and the displayed situation make me wonder what she´s doing. It´s not erotic but has of course an erotic subtext, at least that´s what you obviously gained for. That´s why it does not really work for me.

Grees,

I appreciate all the comments. Jason: thanks for explaining the use of focus ... you hit the proverbial nail on the head!

 

Kate wanted to build a portfolio to get into lingerie modeling. I thought she did pretty well considering we met about 30 minutes earlier, and she never modeled before.

Doesn't work. Her expression is puzzling; the whole thing seems too staged. Take it out of the frame: it's not ready for that.

Talk about diversity of opinions! I love this picture and wouldn't change a thing. The light is soft and so is the chair and the model. She seems like she would have very fair skin which could detract from the picture (IMO) but her outfit and the way you took the picture compliment her perfectly. Beautiful!

Gosh, that's very good constructive criticism. I found another quote of yours:

 

"I see no humour in derision. Any fool can belittle others."  -- Jay Dougherty, April 6, 2003

 

Thanks, Jay, I couldn't have said it better myself.

sober but beautiful... nice

Overal it is a nice shot, but it needs to sell... lingerie in this case. The feet in front of the model usually bring about DOF problems. You had to choose wether to focus face or legs... a diferent pose could have solved that. Removing uneeded elements such as books and small rug from sofa would have helped. Moving her away from window would further remove unwanted distractions.

I like the photo and I'm sure you will improve.

Your travel photos are superb!

Robert, thank you for your detailed suggestions, as well as your compliment on my travel photography. Actually, this shot is not meant to sell lingerie, but just to help out a new model with her portfolio. If my goal was to sell lingerie, then the focus would be on the lingerie and not the model.

 

I guess that's a bit of a play on words, because I use "focus" to mean attention, but you also mentioned depth of field, referring to the focus in the image. I shot this with a 28mm (equivalent) lens and from corner-to-corner, the entire original image is in sharp focus. As someone else commented above, I use focus as a tool to draw the viewer into the focal point of the image.

 

I also think that the pose is what makes this image what it is. I do have many different poses of her, but this photo has been singled out and showcased on a few modelling web sites. I've even had many models ask me to shoot them, saying that this was the type of image they wanted to emulate. I also believe the other elements in the photo add to the environment. The elements that I thought were distracting were the ones I retouched out.

 

I do appreciate your insight and respect your opinions. I've always been determined to improve my photographic skills, and I'll continue to hone them until I can no longer pick up a camera. So I have no doubt that I'll continue to improve. And if you have passion for creating images as I have, I bet you'll improve, too.

Their is something about this that works, the tomes are really good and strong, whites are white and plenty to look at. It is not an obvious or straightforward portrait. It is a picture that I would keep coming back to looking for more, in my book that makes it a good portrait. I agree with another comment that the frame does not help it may be better without.

Simon