Forest Light

wow ...the light and your craft are making her flow in the air

Wow, this is taking a portrait to a new level.

I love this and agree with Ilyan and Tony. I also agree with Clive when he says:

cliveh said:

She almost looks like a doll out of perspective in size due to the close focus of foliage on the left. The black dress makes her similar to the tree forms.

Click to expand...

But for me, this is part of what makes the image work so WELL. Nice job!

I love this. Don't change a thing.

If this wasn't an analogue site then I'd have sworn that she had been cut and pasted into the shot, mainly on the basis that her black dress seems unduly black in comparison to the rest of the photo. If I recall correctly, this is the girl from the cabbage patch photo and again you've used the strong eye contact to good effect. It's a fine shot.

Absolutely stunning. Since someone mentioned this is in the critique gallery, I will add my six penneth though this will be my first time. I think the composition is fine but beware foregrounds and background merging. Here you have an annoying out of focus branch at 7 o'clock which draws the eye, no matter how subconsciously. Other than that, I would not change a thing...if she is a customer...she would be very happy. Wow...I popped my critique cherry!

Hi all, thanks for the lovely comments and great feedback, I really appreciate it as it's the only way I can really reflect on an image and consider different perspectives. In terms of where I want to take my portraits I started off shooting just heads, then heads and shoulders, and then waist up shots. The pictures I really admire include a whole person in an environment in a balanced relationship. These are the things I find the hardest and am still delving into. Maria does look tiny here doesn't she!? I wanted to emphasise the largeness of the forest and the height of the trees to create an atmosphere. I am not sure how I could do this with a closer crop, maybe a wide angle lens. The black dress being similar to the trees was intentional as I aim to keep colour palettes small or complimentary, I also thought it would add some sort of repetitive harmony, like a fence or pattern. -Yes she does look a little superimposed! I blame the rim light and the huge silver reflector to her right. She was there tho! Here is the original-sized (50%) shot http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepaulreid/11013153643/sizes/o/ I think I missed focus here a little or perhaps needed a slightly faster shutter speed. I will take on all your comments though as it's a great resource and I look forward to seeing all your photos over the coming weeks. Cheers Paul

Wow. It really looks three dimensional.

Is she a witch who walk in the forest. Beautiful!