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This beautiful baby just glows. The hand gives it just the right scale

You might just crop some of the right side, but I dunno, go with your instinct.

If it's yours, congratulations!

Patrick,

You are very skilled at creating montage in the darkroom!

But you asked for a critique....

1. The scan is kind of flat looking, no blacks. I think you should adjust and repost for best viewing.

2. I love the idea. But I'm not as thrilled with the components that you've chosen. The overall composition is cluttered. It doesn't lead the viewers eye as it should.

3. The noontime lighting of the landscapes is kind of flat as well.

4. back to the composition. My suggestion for future work is to think more abstractly. If you were to defocus this image and just see patterns of light and dark, how would you like the composition? A work like this should flow, even if so blurred that you can't tell it's a stream and a woman and Yosemite.

5. I personally don't care that this is not digital. It would be no better or worse if it were. I do appreciate your technique to accomplish this in the darkroom. I would suggest that for your next work that you scan the originals into the computer and play with the montage pieces just to try out ideas before going through all that work in the darkroom. Use the computer as a sketchbook so to speak.

Thanks for sharing this!

This is a classic example of how to make a good studio photograph.

1. Start with an attractive model!

2. simplify, simplfy, simplify.

This photogaph has an excellent choice of background and wardrobe. The coup de

grace is the grey head scarf. By using this scarf and the grey and black clothing

everything in this portrait is dark grey or black.

Only the face stands out. Perfect, no distractions.

The lighting looks simple as well, just two lamps on the subject and maybe (I can't

tell) a separate light on the backround. The key light, the one to camera left, is at the

best angle to light the subject's face with a minimum of shadow. What shadow there

is, is filled from camera right at about 1 stop less intensity from the key. A simple

set-up that anyone can do at home with a couple large, soft, light sources.

And the pose is very flattering to the subject as well.

I would retouch the shadow on the girls nose, but that's just me. I'm a perfectionist.

Superb job, one to emulate

This photograph looks like the work of a fine photographer.

That said, as a portrait I think that you found the photo weak in some way. To make it

more interesting, you've cropped the left side of the man's head.

At first glance, this seems to make the image more interesting. Then again, now when

I look at it, it is a photograph of the man's right ear. His eyes are weak and the ear is

strong. Perhaps this is the story you've intended to tell.

So I say: Be bold. Show the whole head. Put him in the middle. The background

doesn't change because it's white. Let the subject tell his story. Don't cheat him. By

this cropping, your photograph appears to me to be more "arty" but not more artistic.

-bruce