IMG_0566

I'm looking for good critiques for this one. ASIDE from the white

balance, which seems to go wonky on me every time I upload to Pnet

(it's done this for other photos of mine as well :-/ ) I would like to

know if the composition, editing and retouching, color palette,

ect...works and if this would be a viable magazine submission.

Thanks so much!

I am uploading another version of your image because I can't leave well enough alone.  I hope you don't mind.  Frankly, I like your color palette better than my color adjustments because I believe it helps tell a clearer story.  This could be a poster for "Le Miserables" with the yellow, sickly color and savage dishevelment.  My version, in retrospect, is wrong for toning down the brightness of the smoke and it trying to get more attention to her face--my attempt to breath more humanity into her face.  Your image is one of defeat and surrender (limp right hand) so it is appropriate for the smoke to have prominence over her face.  Your low camera angle make her face look a bit small and is a good visual metaphor for how she feels.  You have an image of high artistic merit, as is.  Whether or not this image serves the purposes of any magazines you will just have to ask around.  I would like to hear more about how this image came about, what you wanted to say and what was going through your mind as you put these elements together.

Thanks for being so thorough! I mentioned white balance in my intro, and there seems to be a problem with my uploads. For some reason they upload to pnet with a greenish cast. None of the images have this issue when loaded anywhere else, though, so I'm not sure why this is. In the regular version, her skin has a much more accurate, if not pale, color.
As for the theme, we were re-interpreting Hamlet's Ophelia, hence all the flowers. So your assessment of her attitude is right on. She's disheveled, vacant, and going just a bit mad. We wanted to reflect that, while capturing her youth and beauty.

A version with better color is here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151948583546153.1073741834.278911346152&type=3&uploaded=1

Thanks again!

I am uploading your facebook version of your image since you said that is the color that is true to your vision.  I could almost match the photo.net version using hue/sat and curves.  Regardless, both images have merit for different reasons; one is sickly and disheveled, the other merely dishelveled.  It is interesting how the same image can have a different level of brutality in it just because of the color.