portrait close

again online.

no comment.... the ligth is beautiful

Simply magnificent! do you mind sharing your light technique? 6/6

Faisal: for lightning i only have used a single flash with a softbox on it. it was placed diagonal behind her. That's it.

This image has been selected for discussion. It is not necessarily the "best" picture the Elves have seen this week, nor is it a contest. It is simply an image that the Elves found interesting and worthy of discussion. Discussion of photo.net policy, including the choice of Photograph of the Week should not take place here, but in the Site Feedback forum.

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Thank you and enjoy!

As a posed shot it really has very limited appeal.

After looking at this shot for a couple of minutes trying desperately to like it all I could see was a dense black nose shadow retracting from the overall image.

This at just my first impression. I may change later on in the week. I like the composition, the pose and various shades of black through grays and whites just fine. I am troubled with the focus. If just a little more depth of focus had been achieved, the entire length of the nose and the lower lip might be in focus. I like sharp focus of eye and nearby hair, but the out of focus nose doesn't do it for me. Congratulations on being chosen.

 

Willie the Cropper

I like the lighting, the diagonal composition, expression. Nice shot!

I think the high contrast and lighting is very unflattering for someone with a large nose. Increasing the depth of field would also help. Having seen many similar portraits, I'd also rate it low on originality.

The first thing I saw was that eye. I love that eye so I don't think any extra depth of field is necessary and infact would detract from the photo becuase it would take attention away from that eye. The shadow makes the nose look like something else all together because the shadow mirrors the shape of the nose which is a little tricky and it takes on a cubist feel, which might not be a bad thing if that's what you want it to feel like. I just like that eye so much I'm resisting liking the nose shadow thing although the more I think about the nose shadow thing the more I like thinking about it. Also, if the highlight on the nose was darkened a little, it would even out the whole thing by comparison if that helps.

 

Thanks for the photo. Happy New Year to all.

i agree with the big nose thing...

if u look at the photo from a distance all u see is the really large bright nose accented by its large shadow... even the eye loses its significance by this stong vertical line at the third...

i like the way the hair partially covers the lower jaw... kinda gives it a 'soft' feeling...

but either the light or the makeup (or the fact that some of it is in focus while the rest isnt) makes the lips a bit discontinuous (blotchy??) u cud soften the highlight on it...

 

happy new year to y'all

 

-dex

Stephan...I've looked at the photo and I've read all the comments.

Although any photographer interested in becoming better has read many things on 'proper' lighting techniques, breaking the rules is something that is sometimes necessary. I've asked myself why the lighting bothers me in this photo (it is not because you broke the rules) - and my answer is simply that there appears to be a hole in the side of her face (had there not been a little light on the nostril, the lighting would have bothered me more). I have to add that even in this situation (and the fact that you appear to be highlighting a prominent nose) - the girl still looks beautiful and interesting. Here is a strange example of doing some things that are not usually done to make someone 'pretty' - yet, at the same time, you have done many subtle things that not only make her appear lovely - but remain in spite of the 'hole'.

This photo , as far as I see it, a series of flaws, which I'm sure many will underline, so I will concentrate on why the photo attracts my attention after all.

 

The very limited area in focus, with the right light, is in the centre of the composition and runs from the eye to the beginning of the lips. The skin is here very well represented without any overworked PS effects, and the eye and the lips expressive. These are in my eyes the real subject areas of the scene and the rest of the face and the background should have been presented to highlight these areas. The present composition makes the viewer focus on the black shadow of the nose. If another lighting could have corrected this ? it could have been a beautiful portrait.

 

Congratulation Stefan with the POW and Happy New year. I will, for certain visit you portfolio.

Foto der Woche?! Verdientermassen herzlichen Gl�ckwunsch, mein Lieber. Und ein sch�nes neues Jahr.

 

Bis bald.

Thomas

I agree the nose looks to prominant due to the heavy shadow. Maybe a little more DOF for the hair on the far side of her. The eyes & mouth are done well

I noticed some of the "flaws" pointed out. I also noticed how nice the focues eye looks like, as pointed out. I also liked the couple of implied spirals I noticed when lingering on the composition. I wouldn't have noticed these if this were not a photo of the week.

 

I think what I got most from this image was taking the time to look at this and the other shots in the photographer's portfolio (quite a few which I liked better). I find the skin tones interesting (in this and -- even more so -- in some of the other black and whites in the portfolio). The contrasty but natural looking light really draws out the faces and makes the faces look almost "nude" in a way, because they look similar to the play of light and shadow typical of a B&W nude torso image.

This photo is absolutely beautiful and because Photography is such a personal thing, I don't feel I can comment on it. I would like to see this photo with a color tinted accent of some sort; just for a different look. Keep up the good work...Photogrpahy IS in the eyes of the beholder, and you definitely have an eye for what you do.

The dark shadow cast by the nose makes the nose look big -- something as a photographer you would never want to do...unless the subject make a living off his/her unusual anatomy such as Jimmy Durante.

Nice light, this is one where you could do things a jillion different ways in terms of what's in and out of shadow...looks great.

Stefan, with this photo you have managed to transcend this woman's debatable (and ultimately beside the point) physical appearance and offer us an intimate look at her soul. I can only feel sorry for those whose vision is limited to seeing a "big nose" - this loving capture is wasted on them.

 

When Steven said "it's the eye", he hit the nail on the head: her eye describes a beauty and sincerity far beyond the expression of an increased depth of field or change of lighting. It is in bringing these subtleties to light that photography finds its place as art, and you have done that masterfully here.

I see that many agree on the beauty of the eye (and I would add the skin and the beginning of the lips) but the rest of the photo should then in my eyes underline this beauty. The problem of the photo is that it does not represent such coherence. The shadows and out of focus areas draw our attention instead of drawing the attention to the eye.

 

Having looked at the portfolio of Stefan, I'm convinced that these problems are flaws of the POW and not flaws of Stefan as photographer.

"the rest of the photo should then in my eyes underline this beauty"

 

... Maybe... Or perhaps it could/should and even does let it stand on its own...?

 

"The shadows and out of focus areas draw our attention instead of drawing the attention to the eye."

 

For what it's worth: they don't draw my attention at all. Regards.

I agree with Derek M. This is not, imo, the kind of portrait where the photographer tries very hard to just make the subject as good looking as possible. The lighting was probably rather adjusted in order to create an appropriate mood and to reflect the person's soul.

Congratulations on being chosen.

 

I can't decide wether she is lost in deep thoughts or just daydreaming. I like the composition but feel that the outline of her face should be sharper as it marks the diagnal of the frame. It works very well in BW and the lighting on the main focus point is good. I think the shadows around the nose and upper right could maybe do with a lift.

 

I'd be pleased if I'd taken it.

All the elements--light, shadow, sharp/unsharp focus zones, all work very well together to create a strong visual representation of a person. I get the impression she is an approachable person, lost in thought, and the whole concept is very well presented graphically.