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© Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved, John Crosley, First Publication 2007

Alina (the quiet bright one)


johncrosley

Nikon D200 Nikkor 80~200 f 2.8

Copyright

© Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved, John Crosley, First Publication 2007

From the category:

Portrait

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Quite nice. But I wonder if it would not be better with a slightly less tight framing. As it is, for example, it is not clear to me if her left hand is there just by chance, or if she is touching her breast. Also, I think the black clothes are a little too dark, and it is hard to see any detail in there.

 

All that said, I still like that picture.

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This is Alina, the Quiet Bright One. Your ratings and critiques for

this portrait, which seeks to show her essence, are invited and most

welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a

helpful and constructive comment; please share your superior

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

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I have 'known' Alina just a little for about six months now, since she first appeared in a 'semi-nude' photo elsewhere in my portfolio with Rita, and I experience her as far the quieter of the two -- with Rita not only being older at 20, but also being far more outgoing.

 

But Rita, who speaks English fluently, lets me know that Alina understands not only everything that goes on around her, but also is extremely bright, and in her native Russian and Ukrainian is quite loquacious when it comes to discussion about things more intellectual and without the presence of 'foreigners'.

 

But, when taken in December, this is how I experienced Alina, kind of beautiful and shy and a little closed.

 

Hence the pose that was chosen, with her head down, her hand over her right eye, and her other hand over her breast (was she touching it? Not by purpose, but possibly, and it's not really important except as a counterbalance to the brightness of the other hand -- they balance one another off a little bit and balance the photo.

 

(Makeup and styling by her friend Rita, who is quite good at such things, and who deserves special notice as I've hired her as a stylist for 'other work' which will not be shown here and is NOT commercial so it will not really be shown at all, in all probability -- and NOT racy.)

 

I experience Alina as 'hot' which I tell her and her friends quite frequently, though she has really done nothing to deserve that title -- she is just a beautiful, very bright 18-year-old young woman who has good looks who happens to be very appealing and does not flaunt her sexuality, but photographs extremely well, especially from the front -- hence this choice.

 

The darkness of her costume could have been lightened but I chose not to; the reason is that this is a study in 'revealed flesh' and to lighten the costume would destroy the effect of separating the elements of light (hand, face, chest/breasts and other hand, from each other.

 

Think of this as a black and white photo and think of elements of black and white -- I could easily have posted this as a black and white photo also. You really would not want to look at this photo from a compositional standpoint if I showed the fabric of her 'top'. It would destroy the effect.

 

And, as to touching her breast, that is superfluous, except the hand there gives a touch of intimacy, whether touching or not (and mystery too, I guess, for you), but again, it's the balance of light and dark which is important, at least to this photo.

 

You gave a good, thoughtful critique, but I had gone a little deeper into the whys of choosing and taking this particular photo, and I don't think your change in showing fabric color/texture would improve it at all/instead it would detract in my mind, and the hand touching or not is superfluous to its purpose there.

 

(Prolix enough for you?)

 

I like that you commented and also that you put some thought into it/also that you were attracted to the photo. I think if I made the chance you were suggesting, it would not really have appealed to you so much . . . but then they make chocolate AND vanilla just for such reasons.

 

With good wishes.

 

John (Crosley)

 

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Well, you and me together. I love this photo, not only because it shows off Alina to her best, which is quite stunning, but because it shows off her 'mystery'.

 

To tease her about her mystery, I always refer to her among friends (in front of her often) as 'hot', but that presumes she doesn't have brains, and she certainly has a head full of very bright brains -- a student at one of Dnepropetrovsk's finer universities and a very bright student at that.

 

She's a prize, (which her boyfriend and her boyfriend's parents all acknowledge), and if you were to 'know' her superfluously, you'd still be 'mystified' a bit by her, as she does not easily share herself with others, yet she is not 'shy' in the traditional sense or lacking in self-assurance, according to friends -- just reserved.

 

I think I have captured that reserve -- a private moment, perhaps.

 

I'm glad you like it; Rita did and so did I; it puts you in pretty good company.

 

John (Crosley)

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Thanks for the supportive comment; I'll see Rita tomorrow (Alina's best friend) and pass on your remark to Alina through Rita (or directly if I see Alina personally).

 

John (Crosley)

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Thanks for the long answer. I see your point, and you're probably right about what makes this photo effective. Maybe it would not exactly be how I'd photograph her, but that does not really matter, because it is your picture. It is a beautifull one, and you made it the way it is because you wanted to. Thanks for sharing!
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This is a 'sharing' site -- though many only share their photographs.

 

I believe in sharing more -- the 'how' and 'why' of making photographic decisions.

 

Sometimes they're made 'for a purpose'; other times they were made on a 'whim' or for other, more nonsensical reasons.

 

And, of course, I took about 300 photos of here; this was just the one that appealed to me (and to her) the most strongly. She loves it as does Rita, her friend. She smiled broadly when she saw it; I think her boyfriend's going to get this one for sure, as well as one or two others I took of her.

 

That's the joy of working with models here, in Ukraine, where I am now, but not in a few days -- I have continued interaction with them, sometimes on a social level, and although the city where this was taken is one to two million people, I walked into a hotel to ask a concierge something the other day with Rita, Alina's gorgeous friend, and the next day Rita got a call from a photographer in Kiev, 8 hours drive away, asking her why she was being 'my model' at that hotel. It's a small town, as Rita had informed me.

 

I have an excellent reputation here and intend to keep it; I only will shoot 'nice girls' who will not cause me worry if they visit me about 'missing things' among my nice photo equipment, but who also are hard working, as Alina and every other one I've photographed. Sessions often go 3 to 6 hours, sometimes with meal breaks.

 

And my models are extremely hard working for what in the west would be low pay; and if they want their captures, I am more than willing to share.

 

No model who ever has modeled for me, that I can determine, would not model for me again; I'm sought after because to me, models are not 'meat' and are treated with high respect. I think it shows in the captures and their willingness to try new and different things.

 

With respect for you (as well as your openmindedness)

 

John (Crosley)

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