Shadows
by reemas

Comment by OBreaux1:
interesting.. but the blown-out highlights are distracting i believe

Shadows
by reemas

Comment by VirtusExTenebris:
Not at all sure what you're going for here.

Shadows
by reemas

Comment by MacT:
backlit not fatlit!

Shadows
by reemas

Comment by sherpet:
This is quite amazing, and I don't know why. I like the light and shade, as it works well in this image...

Shadows
by reemas

Comment by TroyMosley:
im unsure about this one, to me it looks more side light then anything.

Expressions
by reemas

Comment by Nitin:
Hello again, this time from the Critique Club

Composition is good, the photograph screams high contrast.

Lighting is just right. I agree it would look better with a black background, esp. when done using layers using bear_music's method.

Deep depth of field works well here.

Overall, I like it a lot, and think it should have placed higher. Keep up the good work!

Expressions
by reemas

Comment by Nitin:
For what its worth, here's how I use photoshop to get a black background:

result:

hope this helps

Expressions
by reemas

Comment by Artyste:
Actually, I'm kind of partial to the grey background here. In fact, had it even been a slightly lighter shade, further into the corners, the masks would have stood out that much more. I think the real issue in this shot was your focus. Not quite as crisp as it could have been, and some detail was lost in some of your highlights. Also, the crop might have been slightly tight.

As to how to obtain black/white backgrounds, there are many, many different ways of obtaining this. Black ones aren't too hard. Any deep black fabric does nicely, or non-reflective black poster board. White can be trickier, and involves a lot more lighting issues. Soft-boxes, diffused flashes, light tents.. all things to consider for white backgrounds. Also, exposing your shot so you can bring levels up and "white-out" off-white backgrounds can help there too. Experimentation is key.

Expressions
by reemas

Comment by Atropos:
Sorry you didn't finish higher. I think this picture is superior to any of the top 3 in this challenge, in that it meets the challenge on more than one level... How the one mask contrasts the other mask by them being so different, how the whiteness of the masks contrasts the background.. It's not just a good picture that happens to have a few dark and light areas. In my mind this should have easily won a ribbon.

Expressions
by reemas

Comment by Tammer:
Bumping up after second look. :-)