Martina

Marinko,

Martina is a very pretty girl. You have focused well on her eyes. Her skin tone is good and I like the lighting. It is quite dramatic and works well with her "inspirational" look. The black background goes nicely with her feminine top. The contrast and color saturation is very good. I really think the lighting works very well to bring out the pattern and lines of her gown.

Be careful of the bra lines under her top. They do not look good at all. Her make-up looks quite good, but I would remove some of the imperfections on her skin. In the lower right side (just under her sleeve, at her side) is a very bright dot of light which is very annoying. It draws my attention away from her face.

She has a nice catch light in her left eye. It is too bad that her right eye does not contain one. 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.

Your subject should have more room in front of her than behind. This allows her to be facing into the picture, not out of it. You want to compositionally balance the left and right sides of the photograph. The compositional "rule" for this suggests that you position the tip of the subject's nose in the vertical center of the photograph.

Thank you for not putting your advertising (www.marinko.org) on the photograph. I do think it would be better placed on the back of the photograph. Your name would be more appropriate on the mat or under the photograph.

Nice shot,

Mark