C.peeling potatoes

well i like this image, but there's some stuff you must pay attention.

in terms of sepia toning, is a matter of taste, so no problems there.

The composition is good, tight but very functional. I like the way it crops on the forehead and arms, providing focus on what matters, a girl peeling a potatoe.

but you have some elements, that seem confusing. Like what's on the table, i can't quite understand what's in there: a cloth, a paper, a glass, even the object the girl is peeling doesn't look like a potatoe, so pay attention to those elements as well.

as for the girl itself is good, i like it, head slightly down, nice touch on the neck acessory, and the sensuality on the breasts is great, congrats!

~keep going

Bjorn, 

C is a pretty girl. I do agree with Mauro on some things. The foreground stuff on the table is distracting. Not only is it messy looking, but it is out of focus. Having your background out of focus draws attention to your subject. Having your foreground out of focus draws attention away from your subject.

Speaking of subject. This photograph seems to be more editorial than portrait. All of the emphasis is put on her breasts and the potato pealing. Her head is turned down towards the potato which creates a very nice implied leading line to the potato. That potato/breast area is also lighter than her face. Some detail in her fingers is missing. Something is happening in the photograph in this location -- the act of pealing the potato. All of this draws the viewer's attention away from her face.

Something (out of focus rose in a vase or glass?) is in front of her fingers and part of the potato. If the act of pealing the potato is the intended subject than it shouldn't be upstaged by something in front of it. I think you have to think about what the main subject is really supposed to be. There is too much going on in isolated areas of the photograph. It just doesn't all work together.

As an aside, the position of her left hand on the knife appears to be rather dangerous. Her fingers are very high on the handle. They look like they could be over the blade -- an ouch waiting to happen. The knife appears to be a butcher or carving knife. For pealing potatoes, a paring knife or even a vegetable peeler would be a better (and safer) choice.  Also, it is not a good idea to be cutting toward yourself. With her breast so close to that knife, one slip and we'll be calling her Lefty. That could be a double ouch! I don't mean to make light of this ... well, maybe it do -- but only to make a point. People who are the least bit knowledgeable about cooking will catch these things right away. This could make a good editorial photograph to go along with an article on kitchen safety -- a bit of dark humor.

Sorry Mauro, but I don't like the crop at the top. By cropping that far into her head you are implying a very tight crop on the bottom. You have left a lot of room between her chin and the potato. There is just too much empty space. I don't mean to imply that her chest is empty space, but the distance is too far without something there. I guess a case could be made that the lines created by her shirt and her breasts could make for effective leading lines to the potato, but that might be stretching it a bit.

If you want to include the act of pealing the potato into her portrait, I would position her hands in a more graceful manner. The thumb on her right hand looks a bit crooked. Don't tuck the fingers of her left hand under. It is the same idea as cropping at her finger joints. She ends up looking like an amputee. You also don't want the flat of her left hand pointing towards the camera. Her hand appears a little large and clubby looking. The edge (side) of the hand towards the camera is thinning, feminine, graceful and elegant. The same goes for positioning your subject straight on to the camera. You are showing her widest part, shoulder to shoulder (not counting hip to hip), to the viewer. If you turn her body at an angle to the camera, just like showing the edge of her hand, she will look better.

The focus on her eyelashes looks quite good, but I don't really care for the shadows falling across her face. 

There are some annoying lines in the background over her left shoulder, but for the most part the background is nicely out of focus and she is well separated from it.

There are a couple of areas that could use a little PS work -- her right forearm and under her lower lip.

Nice shot,

Mark

PDE

My mom used to peel potatoes  for the family with a knife too.  Somehow I vaguely recall she had a different method.