Young Lady

I like the pose and expression ( same look the wife gives me when I've done something wrong :-))

Originally thought the watch was distracting but it seems to support the expression, the expectation and a reminder that time is ticking........

Denis,

I wish I knew what this portrait was going to be used for -- its purpose -- who it is for? All this would make it easier to critique.

You have focused very well on her eyes. She has very good catch lights. The lighting is good and her skin tone is nice. The background is neutral and she is well separated from it. She has a very nice manicure. Your composition is quite good, but I would have used about half of the amount of head room.

Her face looks very good, but she could use a little mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush and lipstick or lipgloss. Be careful of having subjects tilt their heads down. She has wrinkles in her neck. I'm sure she doesn't want a double chin to show in her photograph.

You don't want her left arm bent at a 90 degree angle at her elbow. It is not at all feminine looking. Her right arm is bent too much. Notice the bulge in her upper arm and forearm at her elbow. That much of an acute angle doesn't look very good, either. Your backlight really hasn't helped separate her from the background. You can see it on her chin, neck, her right forearm and a little at her left elbow. It really didn't serve much purpose. It might have looked better not to be skimming her chin and neck.

She is not exactly posed straight on to the camera, but she is very close. Do not pose your subject straight on to the camera. This is not a very feminine pose. Showing your subject’s widest areas (shoulder to shoulder or hip to hip) makes those areas appear wide. Your subject will appear thinner, more feminine and more graceful if turned at an angle to the camera. The lines you see from an angle have more apparent motion, interest and grace. The waistline will appear thinner if turned to the shadow side of the frame. You do not want to have your subject turned 90 degrees to the camera. This makes the head look unsupported. It usually looks best to angle your subject somewhere around 45 degrees.

Sleeveless clothing in portraits can cause problems. You want the viewer’s eyes to go to the subject's face without constantly jumping to her arm or shoulder. You do not want her face to compete with any other light areas in your photograph. When a lot of upper arm and shoulder is showing that area will appear large. Be careful of foreshortening. Watch for anything closer to the camera than the body. Feet, knees, hands, elbows and shoulders will look out of proportion (larger than normal -- foreshortened) to the rest of the body, if they are in front of the body.

Her right hand looks very nice, but her left hand is a problem. Avoid having the flat of the hand towards the camera. The edge (side) of the hand towards the camera is thinning, feminine and graceful. Having her left hand around her side is basically the same as cropping it at the knuckles. You should never crop at a joint. It makes her appear as an amputee.

Her dress isn't bright and the pattern is hardly bold, but I find it distracting. It is not a dress that complements the subject. It makes her look frumpy. It is too tight on the side and makes her side bulge over the dress. The tones of the dress are too near her skin tones.

Nice shot,

Mark