Anna
by heida

Comment:
Well done! One of my favorites in this group. One of the few softly lit shots that work well, too. I wish there was a little more saturation in the color because the hair and eyes look like they could be quite rich. I like the drama of the dark areas, but I might have burned in the left background a bit to pull the balance away from the heavy right side.

Alicia
by jodiecoston

Comment:
My favorite composition of the challenge. Unfortunately, the light is a bit too flat for my taste, and it seems a little grainy. Maybe you had to crop too much? Still one of my top picks, but could've been a 10 with very little effort. Nice job!

sophisticated
by hopper

Comment:
Nice photo, Hopper, but I liked the lighting soooo much better on your last Portrait challenge entry. This is fairly flat by comparison. Composition and focus are good- just a little more contrast on that light would help immensely.

got twins?
by soniecat

Comment:
Cute kids, especially the expression on the left. Focus appears a little soft, but that could be from resizing. Would love to see more dramatic lighting.

A Penny For Your Thoughts
by BooZon

Comment:
Composition and exposure are good, but lighting appears flat. Without a compelling expression on the subject, dramatic lighting is almost a necessity to create interest. Either one or both would probably boost your score dramatically. BTW- I think I have the same watch. ;-)

All Aboard
by puma

Comment:
A flattering photo of the subject, but you'll have a tough time convincing most voters that this is a formal studio shot, particularly with the harsh background light. The bold locomotive is very distracting, and also appears to be holding two mechanical fingers behind her head.

Great Grandpa,Chuck and his story book.
by camelotnorth

Comment:
Good color and exposure. The raised eyebrows provide a nice expression. The background is really odd-looking. Looks like you've smudged a background plant in Photoshop, but the result looks like black plastic trash bags. Maybe a dark shirt would have tied the two together? Cropping the elbow off the right side for a vertical format looks better to me, and keeps the subject from facing out of the frame as much. Overall, still an above-average attempt.

Safari Sam
by Jacko

Comment:
OK, so now it's a race for second place. Fabulous, as usual. The only thing I can think of involves your camera settings... make sure the camera's date is set to 1892, so we mortals have a chance. 10

Dreamer
by Nazgul

Comment:
Technically a good photo, but emotionally underwhelming (my main criticism). The expression seems to be more of a blank stare than daydreaming. The color is good, and I like how the background matches the eyes. The light appears to be coming from an odd direction (underneath the face)- I think it might work better higher up and more to one side.

Fun in the sun
by Chefboz

Comment:
It does meet the challenge, and exposure/focus are fine, so I would have given the shot a 5 or 6 on that basis. The biggest issues are that the subject matter is rather dull (to me, anyway), and the desaturation doesn't really serve much purpose for this type of shot. The subject stands out with composition alone, so it's not really the sort of "red dress in a crowd" situation that would justify the technique (in retrospect, my own entry falls into this category). If entered in any other challenge, people would be asking why you desaturated. Also, the focus seems a little soft (maybe from resizing), and the subject's feet are white- either a PS error or a drawback of using Achilles' Tanning Salon. ;-)

BTW- I lived in the Greenville area until I was 13, so I might have actually used this pool.

Message edited by author 2004-06-21 22:21:44.