Snow days

[carlyfan]

Here's a shot of my sister's friend that I got when they were playing in the snow together.
Basically I'm wondering about:
composition, I know it doesn't really follow the rules, but does it work for you?
exposure, did I get it right?
lighting, it looks kind of flat to me; her nose in particular seems to sort of blend into her face. What do you think?
And of course anything else you want to comment on would be most welcome!


EXIF
Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure Time: 1/640 sec.
Aperture Value: 2.97 EV (f/2.8)
ISO Speed Rating: 100
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Focal Length: 50.0 mm

Thanks so much!
Lisa

[kristenh]

Hi, Lisa- it's a cute shot and i think pretty well focused and exposed. the exposure can be hard in snow, as i'm sure you know, so kudos for that. i personally might crop a bit from the right to follow the rot a little more closely. here's what looks funny to me- seems like some distortion of her nose and mouth, or lower half of her face- i guess b/c of the somewhat wide angle focal length and how close you were to her (unless that's just how she looks ). could that contribute to your feeling that it's flat? i never quite know what people mean when they say flat

[carlyfan]

Thanks Kristen! I guess I never really noticed her head shape before, but yeah, that's pretty much how she looks. Especially when she smiles her cheeks go out farther.
I had been thinking of a crop; since you mentioned it I'll try. Is this better?

I also tried a square crop.

I kind of like the square one, but then, I like square crops in general.

Anyone else?

[archersdad]

Cute photo. I prefer the second crop. For the square crop, you might want to try cropping closer to her face since the strong pattern on her coat is a bit distracting.

[LoveDSLR]

Here's my crop:

[carlyfan]

Oh, I love your crop! Thanks so much LoveDSLR. Thanks archersdad.