Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by mandyturner:
I would have chosen a real rose. You would never see a artificial rose on a greeting card.

Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by chele:
i'm just thinking that it's too apparent that this is an artificial flower.

Shadows and Light (A Study in Black and White)
by rayg544

Comment by yasemina:
it stands out.. as if popping out of the screen..i like it..
i also like what you did with the border and the grainy feeling, it suits this image very well

An Ants View
by rayg544

Comment by yasemina:
:) love the title..great perspective..nice shot

Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by fixedintime:
Artificial flowers just don't work for me.

Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by PhantomEWO:
Wish this was a real yellow rose. With it being a fabric one maybe a little softer appearance may have helped. Good juob.

Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by Germaine:
Did you mean for the threads to show on the edges of the silk rose? It's kind of symbolic. Your friend is as frazzled as you are? That's said with a smile and not meant to slam your picture. Technically, it's very good, and I really like the blurring i the background.

Friendship
by rayg544

Comment by Jutilda:
I'd love this but it's not a real rose. The roughness of the edges ruins it for me.

Amy
by rayg544

Comment by sfalice:
Greetings from the Critique Club

You are lucky to have such a photogenic friend, who doesn't mind posing for you.

My suggestions for this very nice picture generally follow the lines of your other commenters. Crop each side into the shoulder and even just a tiny bit at the head. This would take away some of the feeling of a 'snapshot'.

If you redid this portrait, I would suggest less depth of field to blur out the background even more, or even to select a background that was more neutral.

Again, on a redo, having your subject gaze into the distance, either left or right, could add interest, and by all means, move the camera left or right and "up". Full face is seldom as flattering as a slight side view. A camera angle slightly down will help conceal any less than youthful chin lines.

Finally, I think a diffuser, or piece of aluminum foil reflecting back on one side of the face or the other would add a bit of fill light that could be interesting and make Miss Amy's face sparkle.

You have a great model here, and for someone who says he isn't a portrait photographer, you're doing pretty well for a first timer.

An Ants View
by rayg544

Comment by graphicfunk:
A most interesting capture. 7