Lena

Nice shot. I like the quolity of momentum and vitality here. Regards. Ilia.

Thanks for you comment Ilia, you are a very good observer. This shot is one of ca 15 in a burst of shots while she was walking towards me and passing by.

What do you think?

Her smiling eyes are really impressive! Well done! Regards!

This is a nice natural feeling portrait...I like the setup and background elements...they all work well together. The subtle highlight on her neck and hair are very nice. I would like to see a bit more of her forehead though....and just a bit more fill on her face. Overall a nice portrait though.

I can't find even one thing, which is done well on this picture. All the points of basic rules of photography are ignored: composition/geometry, focus/out of focus, colours, sharpness etc... Looks like compact camera snapshot of a family member taken in living room, which shouldn't end up even in a photo album in the cupboard. I wanted to rate this 1/1, but ratings below 3 aren't counted.

Thanks for your comments all of you. Janne's comment is specially interesting. I don't believe following all rules automatic gives a good shot, rather on the contrary. If all rules are followed, I guess the chance of creating a dull photo is quite big. On the other hand, there are some very good shots were all rules are followed. I would guess there is a 80-20 relation here: 80% of the "following-all-the-rules" photos are boring, 20% are good. On the other hand again, there is no guarantee that breaking the rules makes a good shot either, so this is complicated. Regarding my portrait here, I was not trying to follow the rules. This was not a studio situation, and I had no lamps, backdrops, or any other means at disposal. I just dropped in to a photo exhibition, and asked the girl pose. My aim was to experiment with the use of existing light, high ISO and dynamic focusing while the girl was moving. And I found the result interesting enough to post it. The question what to look for in a photo is a very interesting one, and difficult to answer. Whether a photo comply with or break the rules is just one of many attributes.