Brittany

Comments and/or suggestions, please?

I love this portrait, particularly the use of DOF and the mood of the model you have used. It's obvious that she is one of your close friends, because that shows in her smile.

Yep, she is. It was fun working with her. =]

I'll have to use her as a model more often.

 

Thank you.

I love her smile, and the pendant around her neck (although the chain/thong should be longer. Soft light and DOF are very well used. Tell her to take off the shirt next time. Unusually for me, this is not a salacious remark. The pattern of the shirt detracts from our concentration on the subject.

Marla,

 

Brittany is a very pretty girl. She has very good catch lights. Her eye contact with the camera (viewer) is very good. Your compositional balance is excellent for top and bottom and for left and right -- very good! She has very nice skin tones and the side lighting works well. The background is nicely out of focus and Brittany is well separated from it. The color saturation is very good. Her make-up looks good. Brittany has a beautiful smile. I like her necklace.

 

You have focused quite well on her eyes, but I think they could be a little sharper. She looks very nice against the field and trees, but I would not include the highway with its nice large yellow stripe.

 

Her plaid shirt does go well with her location and her attire, but you should try to avoid bright colors and bold patterns in clothing. In a portrait the subject’s face is what is most important and nothing should draw the viewer’s attention away from the face.

 

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.

 

Her right hand is posed very well. You have the side (edge) of the hand towards the camera. Just like turning the body at an angle to the camera this will make the hand appear thin, feminine and graceful. You do not want her left hand posed behind her back. The way it looks is the same as cropping her arm at the wrist. Never crop at a joint. It almost looks like she may be an amputee.

 

Nice shot,

 

Mark

Thanks, Mark.

As always, your comments and suggestions are very helpful and I appreciate it a lot. =]

 

Some of the stuff you mention, I know. At the time I don't think about it though. I guess I need to make more of a check list for myself and get into the habit of seeing those little problems.