Student's tale...

[oneronnalee]

So hey DPS, I'm a London-based student with a lot of feelings regarding visual arts... I've signed up as I don't hear technical guidance and constructive criticism very often and I'd like to know where I stand with my work and how I could improve, what kind of things to keep in mind. So I'm going to share an image from a set I've done, but do have a look at the rest of them - if you could give me a general opinion of the strengths and weaknesses you can identify, that would be great.

So here's the photo & EXIF data and a link to the rest of the set below.

EXIF
1/125sec at f/7.1 (exposure bias -1/3 EV)
Flash on (built in, no flashgun or diffuser)
ISO 100
18mm

(The light was very strong and I tried using the flash to fill in the shadows a bit as the light source was more or less behind the model)


Ariel pictures by r-r-ronna - Photobucket

P.S. Whenever I view images in software, the colours are far richer and the image is much sharper - but when I upload, all of that goes. Any suggestions? Link to a higher-res version of the image: http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1306731011
Thanks.

[xxrayna]

The composition of this photo is good but the models pose looks unnatural.

What exactly were you going for when you took this picture?

I also find the color off, the ground is very bright, yet the model appears to be in the dark. (this may be an issue with you seeing this photo one way but then loosing the brightness when uploading). I also find the shadow to be a bit distracting but you may have intentionally left the shadow, so that could be a matter of opinion.

I did look through the rest of the shots and you have some very nice shots in there. This one is my favorite:

Ariel :: 08-1.jpg picture by r-r-ronna - Photobucket

[oneronnalee]

Thanks for the comments xxrayna.

To elaborate: this was actually one of the test shots done purely to see how the light works. So there was no posing or anything, nor was the shot very thought through.

I then ditched the light here it in favour of photographing the model in the shadow - you're right, on my display it came up far brighter, but after uploading I liked the way the light hits her skin here.

The reason she appears to be darker while the ground is very bright is because the sun was behind her - without the flash she would be little more than a silhouette.

Also I see what you mean about the shadow, it is distracting, although I really liked it as a feature of the photo because of the natural gradient and fading focus. Maybe if I cropped so the focus would be mostly on the shadow - could that make a more powerful photograph?

Again, thanks for the input