I like the pose and lighting. Even the artifacts add something. I voted pretty low on this image - but on second looks I would have given it a higher grade. It's all too easy to vote high marks for images that leap into ones eyes. But ones which have some sort of subtle rendition get overlooked. I must improve my voting skills...
I feel like this image is faaaaaaar underrated...very well done tonally, and the noise adds to the overall feel as well. Not quite DPC style, but a very well done shot none the less.
Personally, I like this image, but the graininess has an unusual appearance. It almost looks splotchy. I love the pose and would enjoy seeing different crops and finishes as well. I think this has a lot of possibility & potential, but was perhaps not best suited for the square crop challenge.
crop this tighter, I think the negative space is hurting this image - it certainly isn't adding anything to it - very pretty image, love the timeless nature of the look 6