from one best friend to another

[SarahN]

Hey all...my best friend and I went and took some pictures around town...and I took a ton of shots of her and was wondering if I could have some critiques on a shot that I liked but thought would be better...



Thanks all!

[SmokedIronMade]

I like this shot, the expression on her face looks natural.

[mediaphile]

The exposure is pretty good, if not a little underexposed. I realize it's a candid, natural shot, but her complexion isn't all that great, so a little overexposure on the face to get rid of some of the detail wouldn't be a bad thing here. The eyelight is perfect. I'd say the eyes are the strongest part of the photo. Really sharp focus, so they just stand right out. The strands of hair going across her face really give the picture an interesting texture. And if this is a crop, you might want to back out just a bit to give some room to her chin.

[jiminyClickit]

SarahN, Welcome

That's a lovely face and it's a memorable photo. If I assume you are taller than your friend by 4 or 5 inches, it would account for the slight perspective aberration of the lower part of face and shoulder, as if taken too close and from too high up. It doesn't take away from the qualities, just gives a "fisheye lens" look to it. If you are indeed taller, this is an honest shot.

[Triglav]

I like the shot very much. Her eyes are great and the pieces of hair over her face adds extra bonus. Very well done!

[brianfarrell]

That's a great shot SarahN

Would you mind if I had a go at bringing out even more sparkle in her eyes?

[Sime]

nice and natural, nice catchlight in her eyes! ...and I like the distraction of the hair on the face a bit.. nice. s

[cathyetta]

Nice shot. Does have a fisheye lens quality. Like the B+W.

[wulf]

I like it although I agree with mediaphile's suggestion that it might be better to see the bottom of her chin. Also, a touch of overexposure might help.

The only problem with that is that her shoulder would then be completely blown out - the solution would be to get her to wear a top that has a darker tone than her skin. That takes a bit more preparation but, especially for B&W (where you only have tone and no colour to distinguish things), it could make a big difference.

Or apply a bit of dodging and burning to the photo in post processing to see what changes you can make.

Wulf

[SarahN]

Thanks all for the critiques.
mediaphile, it isn't a crop, so I can't really uncrop her face, but I do see what you're saying with the chin.
jiminyClickit, you are close to being right. My best friend is 4'10" and I am 5'7". So that's a difference of 9 inches between us. However, I think I was probably squatting to take this picture, so it was probably 4-5 inches.
brianfarrell, feel free to mess with it.
wulf, thanks for the tip on what to have her wear--I'll keep that in mind. She had on a lovely yellow dress that I loved taking pictures of her in, but since I shot a lot in B&W, I see how that might not be the best..thanks!

Thanks all...