Jessica @ 22 months

Jessica will be the queen of beauty in about 17-18 years;-)) it is a very nice portrait. The light and shadow are soft and her look is so sweet a bit surprised? Her placement on the frame is perfect . I wonder if you have photographed her with B/W or changed it to it? In any event it is for my taste, the best way to portrait a child!

I went to the details so I know the answers...;-))I like a lot a portrait photographed  with a window light! great!

Thanks for your always welcome visit.  Yes, a real beauty.  She has it on the outside and on the inside.  A real family treasure!  It's getting tougher to get a true candid of her (or her male cousins for that matter) as, with most kids, she gets a bit tired of Grandpa poking a camera in her face all the time.  She's probably thinking, " Again, Grandpa?".  The little girl with the doll in the B&W window light photo (new post to my 20th Century folder) is her mother.  Best, LM.

Jessica is growing up!  She looks like her Mom.  I like this candid shot very much!

Yeh, "Two Peas in a Pod".  Same cheerful disposition as well.  The world could certainly use more of that!  Thanks for stopping by.  Best, LM.

I can't help much with constructive criticism on this one, my experience of portraiture is limited to a few snaps of my grandchildren...........they never seem to sit still long enough for my liking : - )

But I can tell you what I like about this one. The first thing that strikes me is the clarity, her eyes in particular, the second is the uncontrived natural looking pose, and the third is the gradation of light from the window. the highlights in her hair to the left seem to balance things very nicely. It certainly is a photograph to be treasured Len.

Best Regards

Alf

Thanks for your insights.  She was kneeling on the sofa & looking out the window.  I was seated next to her.  When she sensed I was getting the camera ready she turned to see what I was doing.  That's when I tripped the shutter.  I converted to B&W for the very reasons you stated.  I've printed this one & added it to a collage of photos of my three grandchildren.  'Treasure' is an apt description.  Best, LM.

Wonderful play of light and the white balance. Expression and the cropping is fantastic. Top hair part is a bit over exposed, but it hasn't make any difference in quality IMHO. Like it.
All the best to you. Warm Regards.

Yes, it's hard to top window light for quality.  Like a big softbox.  In camera I cropped tightly to keep the emphasis on her face.  I think I cropped even tighter post, in PS to keep her eyes on the 1\3 grid.  Even had I not done the tight crop the expression is where 90% of my satisfaction would lie.  Thanks for pointing out the almost blown hair.  It's naturally very light and would perhaps respond to a bit of burning in should I decide to print this one again.  Best, LM.

Light is wonderful and your model is really promising beauty. I am not into grandchildren yet (unfortunately), but I hope...

Len, another lovely portrait of yours, and I particularly like your slightly upward angle of shooting Jessica. Her candid expression is really lovely and I like the way you captured that so well. I too like the way you placed her in the rectangular frame, as Jessica's eyes are the first thing that I connected to in the photo... The only thing that throws me slightly off in the photo  though, is the somewhat odd looking contour of Jessica's hair against the background... (= right side for the viewer) It somehow doesn't look totally natural to me.... (I somehow miss seeing some of the loose hair shocks springing up...) Otherwise, and to use your own original terms, Len, this sure is a real keeper..!

Thanks for the vote of confidence.  You don't get into grandchildren, they get into you.  :-)  Best, LM.

Always good to get your view on my humble offerings.  And thanks a ton for pointing out to the dozens or perhaps hundreds (wishful thinking?) of viewers, who may have not otherwise noticed, my poor PhotoShop skills.  Just kidding, but you are absolutely correct.  In an effort to blur the background, using the Gaussian Blur feature, I fear I rushed a tad.  These P&S cameras render everything in the photo too sharp for some types of shots and I'm not quite up to speed on how to make the adjustments transparent to the viewer.  Perhaps there is a solution using layers which I have not yet dabbled in.  I'm including the shot before the blur was added.  Your call as to whether the background is too sharp.  Best, LM.

Len...  I can't add anything critique wise, such a delightful candid portrait.  I think the blur is very helpful in this case and a tad more practice will hone your PS skills.  While not a guru myself, I've had good luck with the "feather" feature.  When you select your background area, right click in the area and look for the "feather" command.  Play with that using your various values (it will change relative to your resolution) and then work the remaining tight spots with "blur" and a brush, making sure to use a soft brush and not the hard edge type....  Anyway, as said, a real sweetie of a young lady... Mike

Thanks for your visit and most helpful advice.  I'll try to implement your suggestions on my next PhotoShop session.  Stay tuned!  This little dynamo is my current #1 subject matter selection though I'm finding it more of a challenge these days keeping her centered in the viewfinder. (forget composition 'till after the shot.)  Best, LM.

Sorry to be following up so late to this, Len, but I see that Mike already has been really helpful here.. (and more so than I possibly could have been, as I'm no good actually, using the Gaussian Blur feature on PS :- )    No doubt that the blur in the BG makes Jessica's face stand out much better..  & I look forward to seeing your future shots of Jessica as well. Best regards to you, Marjolein

Thanks for your contribution here.  Bottom line is that I need to explore more optional techniques for photos of this kind, especially since I do employ the P&S camera a lot when photographing my grandchildren.  It's great for spontaneity but lacks controllable DOF.  I'll be trying Michael's technique as soon as I can.  Best, LM.

Len, this is a tough but very helpful school that's running here. There's not a lot left to add. It's an excellent portrait and one to treasure in the future. It's shots like this that become more valuable over time as we all age.

Photo.net at it's best.  I post photos full of errors and the PN community brings them to my attention and tells me how to rectify them.  :-) Win, win!   Mostly I just have fun.  And you are correct:  here, she's 22 months, today she's over 2 years, never to return there.  Thanks for your participation.  Best, LM.

nice portrait - cute kid.

Thanks for stopping by.  Yah, cute & getting cuter.  Looks like your portfolio is worth a study if one is interested in top quality flower photography.  I'll be by as soon as I get a few spare hours.  :-)  Or, perhaps I'll simply take them a few at a time.  Best, LM.

How fast they grow!

Beautiful capture and perfect lighting.

I agree.  Thanks for taking the time. Best, LM.