cjk

John, 

Been admiring your elegant and classy photography for a long time. I love everything about this photo: from the elegance and beauty of the model to the subtle lighting to ultra-modern setting of the photo. 

One small thing bothers me: the power line that seems to come out of her back-end and into the wall. I can't help my eyes being dragged to it all the time. Should be easy to clone out (including the wall power outlet).

Warm regards, 

Cesar

Hello, 

Love the subtle lighting as well as the pose and the light-touch post-processing. 

In the spirit of writing a constructive feedback, I wonder if a longer focal length wouldn't have helped make the nose a tiny bit less prominent. 

Or maybe I am too nose-sensitive? :)

Cheers

-CJK

Tracy, 

my apologies for taking so long to answer you.

I am not a big fan of MF for close portraits with wide aperture. You're fighting 3 battes at once: getting the initial focus right, making sure the subject doesn't move and making sure you don't move. 

I tried a few times with a lens I really love (Nikon 105 Ais f/2.5) but at some point it became too frustrating and I stopped. 

With AF, I always use AF-C (continuous) so that the camera corrects for last-second movements. Obviously with the focus point on the near eye (in this case).

Take care

Love it. Great lighting and composition. 

I would have preferred to see her full right hand though. 

Tracy, 

Absolutely wonderful picture: soft lighting, great and genuine expression, striking BW conversion. 

In the spirit of providing constructive feedback (that's how I learn and improve, so I hope to pass it forward), the focus seems to be slightly off. Ideally, you would want the eyes (the nearest one at least) to be the sharpest part of a portrait. 

There is a very sharp strand of hair on the left side of the photo (her right) and it seems sharper than the eyelashes. 

But absolutely lovely portrait nonetheless. A definite keeper. 

Ulla, I like the soft light and the monochromatic atmosphere of the photo, with the contrasting blue of the eye(s). Her facial expression is very sweet and a nice fit with the tone of the photos. 

I think the effect would have been more powerful if her right eye wasn't hidden beneath her hair. If you have another photo where both eyes show, you might be able to do some Photoshop magic and save the hidden eye in this one. 

Lovely photo and post-processing Mikael. 

The top left seems to show a little bit of banding though. 

First time I see Baalback in B&W. Interesting. 

I probably would have preferred less imposing columns in the foreground, maybe a vertical crop... 

I like the composition and the colors. I would have liked to see the eyes more though. 

@Florin: your comment cracked me up. I had to pull up Joe Dassin's "L'été indien" and am listening to it while writing this! 

Would love views and comments.

Thanks.

Cesar