Rekha in Pink

This was a photo I took impromptu to test a new RAW conversion

program I had purchased. I am not much of a portrait photographer

and I thought I would put this out and get some feedback from people

who do portrait work. I would like to get some feedback on what I

could have done better and some thoughts on things I might have

missed. The background is drastic and not the best, but I had little

choice, since my wife was well dressed and I thought this was an

opportune moment to get a photo of her, since she does not like to be

photographed too often. Surprise, surprise. In any case, thoughtful

feedback and criticism is much welcome as always.

Regards,

Pradeep, You asked for feedback, feedback, in one whole paragraph. And you got 15 ratings without a comment. I am not into portraits either but from my limited knowledge gathered I can tell you the following :

The hair falling on her left eye is a matter of personal taste. Works for some, does not work for some.

Very little of the jewellery on her right ear is visible. Either show more or dont show at all.

Most people into portraits try for a soft feel and a smoothened skin. They however sharpen the eyes pretty well. This link http://www.robertbiggerstaff.com/skin.htm (its not working right now as I type, could be a temporary problem) gives you some details to achieve that effect. Some even whiten the teeth if needed.

A slightly blurred background could help, but in my opinion its not too distracting in this picture.

Its extremely important that you get your white balance right (Sorry, I dont know much about Canon G3 whether it permits setting of white balance or not) for a good capture of skin tones. (I am assuming that a proper exposure setting is something that everyone knows).

Position and size of the catchlight is also equally important if you are working with flash.

Use of reflectors is also highly recommended if the situation warrants.

Hope this helps.