Set up a studio environemnt for a bouquet of flowers I wanted to photograph with more control than usual. Shot in ambiant natural (northfacing) light coming through a picture window; used a small gold and white reflecting lastalite to control shadows to my satisfaction as well as a tripod and the time release so that I could move freely during the shoot. Someone had asked me to show them some of the FIMO earrings I'd made and a shawl that a friend had made me and they both fit well with the flowers and the ideas I had in mind that day. I adjusted the levels and constrast very slightly in PhotoShop before saving for the web.
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Place: 64 out of 92 Avg (all users): 5.2008 Avg (commenters): 6.0500 Avg (participants): 4.6769 Avg (non-participants): 5.3966 Views since voting: 1090 Views during voting: 340 Votes: 239 Comments: 21 Favorites: 0
Thanks for all the comments - I learn from them all. I think this image worked pretty well because it illicited a lot of thoughtful comments and some responses along the lines of what I was trying to accomplish (even some of the criticisms fit in that category since they validate that my goals were met albeit in a backhanded kind of way). One thing I realized reading the comments here was that I sometimes do things for effect which don't work. In this case, it was the glitter in the left eye. I left that in on purpose because, at a larger size, you can see a reflection of my back garden through the window and that intrigued me. At this size, however, it is just distracting. I appreciate it when people take the time to comment and these have all been thoughtful. Thanks to everyone who left comments and thanks to whoever gave me those 9's and 10's! :)
Lighting: The lighting is good, but there seems to be a bright spot on the side of your left eye.
Pose: You seem to be having fun.
Background: works very well. The flowers are a bit distracting, but not overly so.
Love the portrait part of this shot, but IMHO the flowers make it a little busy and detract from the lovely subject! Oh and this would have been a nice shot for the purple challenge also!
TC
Great colors/exposure, "busy" background works in this case. Since this was an Advanced rules challenge, I'd have re-touched the iris of the left eye to cover the bright area.
A nice vibrant smile to match the vibrant colors in this shot ! I would like to see the background flowers more blurred to create more seperation between the model and the background. Also, the image is a bit too busy.
this is such a virbrant, happy portrait, that it probably didnt need the flowers to detract from focusing on the wonderful smile. I cant help but smile right back.
I love the colorfullness of this shot, the bright eyes and the smile are great too; the lighting is just a bit harsh, putting a little shine on some parts of the face
Lovely colors and background to compilment a beautiful smile.
Critique: A tripod would have made the composition better here. You are almost to close to the camera. The lighting isn't bad but your right eye is a bit bright. Try using the "burn" tool to correct it.
Very expressive - and qualifies for the color purple too! It would be a bit stronger if you had opened up a bit - and let the background blur some. You would still be able to tell they were flowers but it would not detract as it does now.
Now it's getting more difficult to comment. There are some distracting hotspots on the face and too many reflection in the right-eye. Picture is sharp Flowers add a nice touch
very brave shot. because it is of yourself, because it is so close and because of the very radiant colors. A bit to much lighting on the right side (viewers right) of the head and the closeness is a bit overwhelming. But I love the colors!
This looks rather like you hand held the camera above and away from your face. This would account for the rather distorted appearance of the features. This sweater rather swamps the face of the subject. It looks like your head is emerging from a large wooly, purple coccoon. I don't say this to be unkind---I'm just trying to give you an objective opinion.
I would suggest for future self-portraits, you use a tripod or other stable surface, and the timer button on your camera.
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