The scratches of a merciless life

Look at the priceless smile.

close but not close enough, the lighting is everywhere but where it needs to be, on the plane of the face and the eyes. By having the subject turn 45 to 90 degrees to the left or right would have saved this image and turned a snapshot into a wonderful portrait.

I really like this photo! Although someone mentioned the light being "all over the place" I tend to think the light seems to accentuate the lines in her face. I might have sharpend her eyes a little to enhance her expression of hope and tonacity!