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This would have been a great shot if the top of the man's head is cut off!

Thanks Kathy...the framing is completely intentional.

I meant to say I would have liked it if the man's head was not cut off.

I know...that's why I wrote that the framing was intentional. My only regret is all the highlights on the bottom of the frame.

The smooth complexion of the boy is amazing and you captured it well!

Thanks Kathy...I really appreciate all your time here!

You must foregive me if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about here, because in all honesty I don't! Portraits is something I've not yet tackled, and I think it's one of the hardest aspects of photography to master. However I shall endeavor to give my honest opinion. The first thing that grabs my attention is the child eyes, clear and mesmerising, the guy in the background (for me anyway), adds a suggestion to the image, a suggestion of mood, and of course that mood is one of joy and happiness, and I would hazard a guess that this was your intention ( though I've been known to be wrong.....quite often according to the wife) Maybe the source of light is a window as the lower part of the image seems a touch too bright, but nothing that couldn't be addressed in photoshop. The childs skin is almost like fine porcelain, and to summarise I think it's a lovely family photo. There is something that I think you could do to provide character and sometimes intention of purpose to your images, and that is to simply name them. for this one something like....errrm "I wanted a cowboy hat really" ....see what I mean?  : - )

Kind Regards

Alf

Thanks Alf...for someone who doesn't get portraits, you sure do get portraits. Yes, I can probably tweak the bottom a bit. Perhaps I will.  I like to post pix and then go back to them to see if there is anything glaring...good or bad. You nailed my intention. I found this little boy's face very captivating and that's what I focused on. I like to have a suggestion of a partner or parent a lot. It adds mystery for me.  As for titling, I do often title. But, if it doesn't seem perfect, I will just use a number. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful response...I really appreciate it!

Nice photo here. I like the fact that the person behind is partially cut.

have you tried to frame it in a square cutting out a portion on the left?

Francesco...I don't know that I like the square crop on this image, but I tried pulling in the details a bit with this...thoughts?

Quite charming as it is. It seems clear that the framing of the brother's (?) head is intentional and I think it works to isolate his background smile and also to emphasize the angularity of his face and chine. Lovely eyes on the child, not too sharp as so many are these days! Has the feeling of real life, not photographic mannerism. I agree that the light could be dropped off a little. I do think the overall positioning and crop makes it a bit static. My two cents, I'd want to see more of the brother rather than less. That would throw the child off center and would give me a sense of the composition trailing off a bit more, rather than simply ending. There's not enough of the brother's torso on that side of the frame to be worth it, but some more would have continued the downward slope and, I think, actually brought more attention to their two faces. It also would have made the crop of the right corner feel more a part of the entire composition rather than an isolated corner. Don't get me wrong, I still like that framing in the upper right corner, just think it could be even stronger with some lines leading us to it. 

Fred...as always...Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful and detailed observations and critiques. I always appreciate the input. I see what you are saying and your comments deserve several reads to really "get it". I am frequently seduced by the eyes when I am framing (resulting in missing heads unintentionally sometimes!). With this setup, the fabrics and textures competed with the eyes for me. I also always have to include some suggestions of parents (That's papa, not brother in the bg) when I do family sessions. So I just kind of wandered with my eyes and let fly that little button on the right. I liked the result, but found a few things to improve upon. Your comments and the others here really help me for the next time. Thanks Fred!