Claire's Knees

Inspired by Eric Rohmer's movie of the same title.

Thanks for your visits and comments!

Brad,

I can see why you named this "Claire's Knees". Her knees really are the subject of the photograph. They are brighter than Claire's face and therefore draw the viewer's attention away from her face.

I don't mean to be rude, but the way you have them highlighted and positioned within your photograph they could be seen to represent Claire's breasts. This could be viewed as a tad tacky. Maybe this is why she seems to appear a little snarky looking. Her expression doesn't make her look very happy. She looks a bit like she is snarling. 

You have focused well on Claire's eyes which do have catch lights. I would like to see her face lighter with more light in her eyes. They are a little dark. The catch lights would be more effective if they were lighter, also.

Do not pose your subject straight on to the camera. This is not a very feminine pose. Showing your subject’s widest areas (shoulder to shoulder or hip to hip) makes those areas appear wide. Your subject will appear thinner and more feminine, graceful and elegant if turned at an angle to the camera. The lines you see from an angle have more apparent motion, interest and grace.

Your subject should have more room in front of her than behind. This allows her to be facing into the picture, not out of it. You want to compositionally balance the left and right sides of the photograph. The compositional "rule" for this suggests that you position the tip of the subject's nose in the vertical center of the photograph. This little rule almost always works well.

Nice shot,

Mark