portraits Agata

:)

Excellent work! 6/6

Mycatherina,

 

Agata is a pretty girl. You have focused well on her eyes. The background is nicely out of focus which makes your subject stand out. I like her expression. The catch lights are quite good (one distinct catch light per eye would be preferred). She is well separated from the background. You have very good left and right balance. There is more room in front of her than behind her. She is facing into the picture, not out of it. Her skin tone is quite good, but her face looks very pale.

 

The red dress is a little distracting. I would not shoot down the front of her dress. That is a little tacky. You have cropped into her hair. This implies that you will do a tight crop on the bottom. With this shot you should have cropped much more on the bottom or give her room above her head.

 

The make-up on her eyes is very well done, but her lips are very pale. She could also use a little blush. The strap on her left shoulder is twisted. Your depth of field is too narrow. There are parts of her that is out of focus for no apparent reason.

 

One reason to include a background in a portrait is to establish a relationship between the subject and the background. The idea is to take the likeness of the subject to a more meaningful pictorial expression of the subject. It adds a completeness to the picture -- it tells a story. Everything in the picture should coordinate with everything else. Everything that is in the portrait is there for a reason and should help tell the story of the subject. Her dress doesn't really go with the setting.

 

I like the sun on the background and on her hair, but the sun on her dress draws my attention away from her face. The cropping of her arms and leg looks a little awkward. She looks like she is slumping her shoulders a little. She should improve her posture.

 

If not making eye contact with the camera (viewer), the eyes should follow the line of the nose. It is natural to look where your head is pointing. If looking off to the side you should show what she is looking at or provide a reason that she is not looking where her head is pointing.

 

Nice shot,

 

Mark

I like the somewhat subdued color and the model's expression. (The half-smile is killer.) I think the cleavage view is just on the okay side, but I mean JUST.