Ok. This was by far the most challenging challenge I've ever entered. . .because I hate pictures of myself!! But I have been unusually busy lately, and hadn't entered a challenge in a long time, so even before I knew what this week's challenge was, I determined that I was going to jump back in and enter. When I saw what it was, I went, "Ugh!" I almost changed my mind 100 times (remove submission. .submit. ..remove submission, submit, etc.) It's a very vulnerable challenge to get really low scores. I tried those popular, moody, "model look" kind of poses, but ppppppppppffff. . .that's just not me! I'm just a happy with life, down-to-earth person. And I know that I'm past the age where I can get my self worth from my face!!! Well. . .if nothing else, it's another opportunity for "skin thickening" skills, right?
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Sandy,
Well my first comment in a Long Time. I read all the comments below.
We both know you are a better photographer than I am but I still wanted to comment, perhaps it will help. My mom just did all kinds of things for people over the years ( yes this is related), so much that she was given the honor of being a Ky Colonel.....
BUT she was absolutely convinced she didn’t photograph well...so you had to catch her off guard or she MADE her photograph bad. Relax and shoot this beautiful woman like you do the others.
A couple things, having “known” you a few years I know 1.you take great photographs. 2. You are a sweetie!
So if you just relax, stop acting like my mom...😎😎....you will sharpen up this shoot and catch the other points as well.
I will always be a fan, let that Sweet Sandy some of us know come through.
Having said all that, I was drawn to this photo because I know that sweet woman and her great photography, and her smile! TY for putting yourself out there.
well after jason spoke about your earlier challenges i came to have a squiz .. i just had to open this one .. you are so beautiful sandy .. i can see where your son got his looks from .. i wont go on .. but thought i'd just make a comment rather than just thinking it .. :)
turn your shoulders 45 degrees to the camera, so your shoulder isn't blocking your chin. Also seems to be a tad out of focus. Normally with portraits you want the focus sharp on the eyes.
out of focus, and there is some color missing from the top of the photograph. you have a beautiful smile, but next time try to focus on other things of your personality and add things (like flowers, or show off your jewelery more) and find a way to make colors pop. adding the boarder was a good idea.
Returning for comment. Love the pose and the smile, one major technical issue: for this type of shot, your face is out of focus slightly--looks like autofocus got your shoulder, and the DOF was just too small to get your face. Other minor issues are the light/flash glare on the earing, and possibly a small color balanace issue -- maybe from having different types of light sources (for example, the tones on your forehead are very different than the tones on your face.)
But getting back to the pose and smile, this is a very happy photo. A portrait tells us about someone: I suspect you are a very "happy" person in general, or at least that's what shows through here. So that part of this shot is a real winner. Bumping up on second review.
oh you shouldnt be! you got a pretty smile, I know its hard to get a good focus in self portraits, but try to get the focus on the eyes , the portraits get so much more personal if the eyes are clear and sharp :)
Returning for comment. Good pose and composition. Focus seems a bit soft, which isn't necessarily bad but doesn't work as well here as you might have intended. The highlight on the earring is a bit distracting as well. Overall, a great capture of facial expression. Good luck in the challenge.
Well that's not a shy smile. Like the direct head on pose. A bit soft focus, maybe from a lack of remote shutter release (as was my problem). Good luck on this extroverted shot...
Beautiful eyes, and the hair is nicely arranged. You have a bright, wide smile, but I think you weren't relaxed enough in this one - it feels a bit forced. The pose in general is flattering though, so you chose well. It looks like you may have not had the camera on a steady mount, or possibly the focus wasn't set quite right as this image is very soft; it seems that texture is nearly lost in some of the shirt. You might try this shot with sidelighting from a hardware store work light - nothing fancy. Just something to bring out your features more. It may also work well from behind by illuminating your har to create contrast from the background.
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