Veronika_12

Two major distracting shortcomings that I can see (hard to miss them -- they really jump at you ;) are as follows:

(1) cluttered background, especially all these chairs sticking from behind the couch; and

(2) the great variaty of strong and disharmonious patterns, from model's skirt through pillow to the coverlet.

How about all the other aspects: the pose, the crop/composition, the lighting, etc.?

very nice! 7/7

This photo has a lot of distracting elements about it... it's not very good as a portrait photo. Maybe more a fashion photo. I like the lighting. And here's my crop... maybe better, maybe not... I just wouldn't have so much of the blank area on the right... it takes away from the beauty of the busyness of the fabrics. The fabrics offer there own interest.. so accentuate that and let the busyness be the focal point

Bill, I was actually contemplating similar cropping, but although not as tight as yours, I still found your suggestion reassuring that perhaps that was a good idea. Click the link below to see my "middle-ground" version.

What I ended up posting for critique, however, is a full-frame scan with no editing whatsoever. While on one hand I agree that there is too much empty space on the right, on the other I kind of like the way it leads viewers' sight out of the room/picture (or at least I believe it does). What I didn't think of is that a tight crop could turn otherwise distracting busyness into an advantage, as if it was set up that way on purpose -- good point!

Thanks,
Tomek

PS Tina, as flattered as I am, I simply cannot accept your 7/7 rating: not that I'm trying to pose for a humble person, but there surely are both more original and more aesthetically pleasing images, so since the scale ends at seven, I just don't think this picture deserves a maximum score. I also wouldn't take seriously somebody's 1/1 for that matter; figured it can't be that bad :)

I like your new crop... it centers her exactly.. But with nothing on the right side of the couch to offset the busyness of the fabric on the left.. I personally prefer her head closer to the right edge...And I like the tighter crop also because she becomes more the focal point, and it forces your eye to quickly go back to the busyness of the fabric. The tighter crop also hints a little more of mystery... You don't really know what's out there beyond the edge, which is what I think when I see her expression. What is she thinking? I think we're picking at straws here though... It's really quite good both ways. You obviously worked hard at this photo.. This is a true labor of love. She's pretty, and the pose is striking. The teddy bear hints of youth, while the pose, clothes and silkiness of the fabrics show a woman. Great work!

You have a very interesting angle from which you evaluate pictures, Bill! ...and you might be giving me too much credit: I haven't consciously thought about many issues/details and their interpretation or implications that you brought up in your analysis. The same goes for the classification of the image in the Fashion category. I was in a portrait mindset when I was taking photos and it didn't occur to me that the final result may not fit that well into the Portrait category; I don't think there is a way for me to change it now though.

However, my subsequent request for critique of two shots from the same session (just taken outdoors, earlier in the day) surely appear under the fashion banner. They are completely different style-wise; if interested, please feel free to check them out here and here.