lokki

I like the idea here, but there are some details that kind of bother me...

First, it's nice to see the interplay in the floor between the shadow and reflection. It confuses what should be a solid surface for the dancer, and feels more dynamic.

Also, the dark but uneven framing is cool - the image feels more or less balanced, despite the angle of her leg.

Actually, it's her leg I don't really care for. The pronation of her right foot is kind of counter to what dancers typically do (except for modern). A classical approach is to turn out, and unless the dancer is beginning a weight change of some sort, this feels out of place. Or maybe not exaggerated enough? Anyway, since the title is 'portrait', I'd expect something still, which belies the weight change comment.

Having said that, I do like that you can see the particular curves in both legs. I'm just not thrilled with how they are shown wrt knowing a dancer. The exposure, however, is very nice - I like the somewhat gritty feel.

Smoke doesn't actually stop going up... the hydrodynamics involved are a bit tricky, but the short answer is turbulence (I know, I know...). If this is indeed an actual smoke plume, the crown is typically formed *when* the spark happens, and so produces a ring of sorts. That rises, the outside air is cooler so resists the flow, while the center column is slightly warmer and tries to push up through the middle. The edges of the crown get closer and begin to follow the flow upward in the center.

Anyway, the more I look at this image, the more I find it to be somewhat disquieting. But the discussion is really what intrigues me, now... For lots of people, it seems that it's not enough to simply like or dislike something. The image has to have some fault or praiseworthy element; I haven't seen many people offer plain opinion as such - it is always followed by some justification within the image. One thing I've found in my very limited experience in photography is that definables and emotions are best left separate. Many people are blending the two and hammering out some rationale for what may ultimately be ineffable.

Just a thought...

I really like the look, but I can't escape the feeling that the 'smoke' is actually Photoshop work. Chaoscope, specifically... a fractal flame generator that has been very popular for these kinds of effects. Or some 3D application with a very nice cloth and particle rendering engine.

Don't get me wrong - I'm in no way trying to discredit the work. But having seen a lot of similar effects come from the tools I mentioned, I'm just a little skeptical about whether this is a single frame or not. Either way, I don't think it's less valid as an *image*, as I find it enjoyable and still difficult to pull off nicely.