Different composition of Maria

[cichlid]

Hello again,

Here is another photo of Maria.
The composition is different than the last and think I sufficiently reduced the blown out areas.



Your comments are appreciated.

Erik

[rob marshall]

Erik

I think there is a lot of background detail which I find rather distracting. The rather mundane garden set is somehow at odds with the model. I think I would have chosen a simpler backdrop. Also, her body is pointing more to the left and she is positioned in the left of the frame, which rather gives the impression that you meant to move the camera further left to position her on the right of the frame.

Sorry for the negative criticism, but I'm just stating what I observe and what comes to mind when I look at it.

[Geoff F]

Once again, Erik, I would crop tighter.

If you crop away a lot of the uninteresting background on the right and top you will easily remove a lot of the area that Rob has mentioned. And it would probably then appear that she was 'looking towards the wider space' which would seem more natural.

And as it isn't a full length portrait I think you may be able to raise the bottom line above her knees. In fact cropping at hip level may be worth considering.

Overall, I think that your capture of the model is good. It is just a background fault.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Erik,

You'll learn a lot from these shots

It really does need a bit more attention at shooting time, despite the obvious distraction of a pretty model

I agree with both Rob and Geoff, although I fear cropping tighter will make the "tree growing out of her" even more obvious
You have caught a nice expression though.

Here's a tighter cropped, dodged, burned, blurred and sharpened version for comparison


Hope that helps,

[rpcrowe]

I have two portrait fetishes, luckily I don't have to become a registered photographic offender because of those fetishes.

The fetishes are:

Bright areas behind or near the subject compete with the subject for my attention...

Trees, lamposts, etc, growing out of my subject...

I have to pay specific attention to the area behind my subject because, unlike my eyes and brain, my camera doesn't have selective vision.

[cichlid]

I've joined and take part in CiC for a reason. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Dave, you are right, I will learn a lot form these photos.

Richard, I agree about the bright spots but am OK with the tree in the background.

I look forward to "wowing" you one day.

Have a great weekend.

Erik

[Geoff F]

In this case, Erik, the tree branches are forking either side of her head so I think it does just work OK. The real problem comes when it is just one item right on the top of a head.

And it is something which we have all done at one time or another, particularly when taking a quick candid shot or have our attention diverted by other problems.

[cthermans]

The expression on the model's face is great and the light behind her is also good, but what I noticed first was her feet were missing which is solved by cropping. Her expression reminds me of a determined and strong young girl.