Elvira

a pensive moment perhaps, with the vastness of the proximate universe ahead of her... beautifully composed... the incline of her hat adds great value to it... everything is perfect (x. f18!), including the partially open lips

Hi Maurizio

Nice result. Very expressive example of the combination of background blur and no-satureted colors. No-satureted colors offer more nicety to this photographic work, making it more refined and elegant, highlighting the typically Mediterranean face contour of the model. I'm learning with my Masters. One day, perhaps, I will be at the same level of competence. Congratulations. Roldao

A beautiful result with very nice lighting, Maurizio!

ottimo lavoro

Hi Maurizio,

A pleasant portrait.

Using F/18 does nothing to improve this image. In fact, it compromises the performance of any good lens. Stopping down a good lens excessively results in the loss in clarity level, color saturation and contrast as measured in my lab for thousands of lens.

With that said, one could suggest that using a lens at F/18 does limit the definition of a lens in a good way because the natural skin looks softer in the final image. I do agree than using the f-stop to soften portraits has been used since the film days. It saved time for the photographer , since less "touch up" work had to be done in the darkroom. However, this is not the case today, as there are many post processing methods that allow for easy repair of any skin blemishes, scares, or other less attractive features to be seen no matter how sharp the image was initially.

Lens companies even offered "soft focus " lens for portrait work, but these became less popular with the advent of post process techniques mentioned above.

For myself, I always use my lens at its best f-stop setting, which rarety exceeds f/5.6. This way , I have the best image quality possible from the investment that I have made in a quality lens.

Best Regards my friend, Mike

Bella Profilo di donna matura! Mi piace soprattutto l'effetto fatto con i raggi del sole che penetrano attraverso il cappello di paglia! Bella immagine, anzi, maestro! Ora, voglio che ritorni il mio commento in una volta, il più presto possibile! Non cercare di sottrarsi ancora una volta!

Ciaomau

Pietro il impaziente!

The light and shadow on her face create a very fine and elegant texture which makes a very strong impression. In addition, your POV here is very interesting. Nice result!

Hi Maurizio,

  Beautiful image with wonderful shadows & light.  Take care, Patsy