Girl on the Lawn, University of Virginia, May 2007. #0753306

Last picture in this series. Sober comments evenly considered.

Just wondering what "sober comments evenly considered" might mean... Well, anyway, here's a first comment. :-) I really like these joyful colors and have no problem with composition.

 

Couple of small issues like her "missing hand" burried in the grassn the way her legs are posed - which doesn't help the dress to fall very nicely, although I now understand that it's mostly the designer's fault ! :-) Finally the smile seems a little forced here, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was towards the end of the session; her expression is still quite ok, but she seems a little tired.

 

All that said, it's still a pretty nice shot. Cheers.

I really like her squared off shoulders, classic S curve pose and excellent flesh tones....I also like the dappling in the lawn and the highlights on the blurred out columns in the background. I have to agree though about the missing hand and arm...just a bit distracting on an otherwise beautiful portrait.

She looks very fresh and relax, like her pose and your DOF on the exposure is great, makes a beautiful portrait...

thanks to all of you.

 

Other than changing the pose, can anyone suggest what to do in a situation like this where the grass is deep enough to swallow the hand? Or is a change of pose the only solution? I know I should have brought her right arm out from behind her, maybe onto her hip, or thigh, and maybe having her feet come around from behind here would have been a good thing, too.

 

Marc, although this was indeed the end of the shoot, and we were both pretty tired, I don't see her smile as forced. It feels pretty good to me. I would have certainly pinched the dress a little tighter with clips if this were a more serious endeavor. I admit to being lazy at this point about having to correct so many little things, the dress, the arms, the feet, the tilt of the head, etc, that I let it go, rather than pause in the shooting to get up and fix it, or possibly insult her. Too much negative talk and the mood gets ruined, you know, but maybe I should have risked the insult? I thought the light here was really nice, and then again, a nice hair beautifying wind kicked up and I started shooting.

Here are two out-takes, along with the one posted. These are the only three from this pose/lens combination. There are others with a wider lens, but they're no good, in my opinion. Of these three, the one on the top is the one posted, and has the best hair , I think. The one in the middle is a little soft, so I avoided it, and the one on the bottom--maybe I should have gone with that one, even though it makes her a little boxy?

Could we have a close-up of the face (and hair) on the third one, Doug ? I'm not certain at this size, but I suppose I like the 3rd one the best: the smile looks nicer, and for me, the hair too - it flies off in a rather interesting way, I'd say...

Ok. Thanks. Interesting. The only let down for the one at the bottom, for me, would be her left eye (at right, here) that's closing a little - whereas the hair is fine imo, and all else quite similar in both shots. So I guess the top one was indeed the best. Regards.

Note: I had to remove, edit, and then reload the insert that Marc G is referring to, above.