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Very nice. I like the light and focus fall-off, and a great expression.

As I mentioned in the umbrella shot, this again seems undefined in its genre. If it's a model shot, it's unflattering to the model, because you don't want to shoot into women's hips, which adds weight. Also it's printed to add more attention to her hips with the hot spot right there. If it's art nudes, then rarely do you have the model look at the photographer because it's skin as landscape, and again the uneven printing. If it's a nude portrait then again the hips and posing is a problem as is the uneven printing. So I think you need to nailed down your genre, so the pictures don't look like camera club dirty old man pictures. Figure out what you want to be, and study the genre.

Seems a very unflattering pose, maybe turn her so not as much hip and thigh showing, and maybe a longer focal length lens to minimize distortion.

I thought that critical comments about photographs were reserved for the Critique Gallery.

You thought right!

dennisl said:

You thought right!

Click to expand...

Ah, but you didn't reckon on the divine wisdom of APUG punters...ahem

Though it's true that the Standard gallery is not the forum for critique, I welcome useful suggestions made in a spirit of helpfulness. Otherwise, we are left with 'nice shot', or no comment at all with no explanation of why not. Better to learn than not. But, that's just my personal view.

Thanks everyone for the comments. Some of you don't like the pose and that's fine but for me it works, in this case anyway. As for the uneven printing I screwed up and overdeveloped it but I'm working hard to get better at that. Placing this sort of image in the "dirty old man club" category seems a curious criticism to me but keep firing away I don't mind.....

I don't usually comment on nudes, but here I feel compelled to respond to the issue of "genre". Of the three offered as possibly better alternatives, none of them mentioned the genre of "reality".

In other words, in spite of an alleged less than perfect presentation of various body parts, weight distribution, subject lighting, expression, or anything else, this photograph ultimately communicates reality. As does the expression of seeming distain by the model toward anyone who might not approve of what they see.

Like it or not, this is how the vast majority of us look, or would look if we were the ones sitting unclothed on the grass in the backyard. And it's not an unflattering look at all. The model looks wonderful. Much better, truth be told, than many of us would look if we were totally honest with ourselves.

If anyone needs further convincing, just stand in front of a full length bathroom mirror after a morning shower and take a long, cold, hard look. Or better still, stand there at the end of the day after gravity has had its full 16-hour window to work its magic on your bipedal posture. Then try not to wince...

beautiful composition and lighting;great jobDwayne!