Portrait shot in Rio de Janeiro

[brtravers]

First day here on the site and my very first post. Here's what I can tell you about the shot. I used my Canon Rebel Xti, shutter speed of 1/160, aperture 2.8, iso 200 and a focal length of 28.mm on a tamron 28-75mm. i do like this shot a lot, i got very lucky with the light and the expression on her face. the lighting is vibrant because i caught it at the 'golden hour'...she glows for that reason i promise...my question is, should i crop it in more so she is bigger in the image or do you all like the large doors making for a smaller child? i am torn...any feedback is welcome!
thanks. bt

[ARBORGUY]

Very nice image...where was it taken??
I would crop the image so the child is the prime point of focus, and put her in the bottom leftlower third .

I think it would heighten my interest in her cute smile and her kinda peeking out of the door...
Just my .02 cents...
Bill

[calmaxgan]

I think they are two totally different photos. What you have at the moment is about - as you said - the perspective of the girl to the door. The weathered, interesting door is a character in itself. If you were to crop it in more, you would have a nice portrait of the little girl, but you would lose the perspective and the story.

I would crop it in, but keep both images for totally different reasons/purposes.

[sk66]

Lovely! I would be quite happy with this picture!

I agree with calmaxgan. The "context" of the tall doors works "as is". Cropped tighter would make a better portrait. However, her eyes are a bit dark and the focus seems to be sharper on the door.
I would leave it as is...maybe liven her eyes a touch, but maybe not.

[MAQ]

Originally Posted by brtravers

First day here on the site and my very first post. Here's what I can tell you about the shot. I used my Canon Rebel Xti, shutter speed of 1/160, aperture 2.8, iso 200 and a focal length of 28.mm on a tamron 28-75mm. i do like this shot a lot, i got very lucky with the light and the expression on her face. the lighting is vibrant because i caught it at the 'golden hour'...she glows for that reason i promise...my question is, should i crop it in more so she is bigger in the image or do you all like the large doors making for a smaller child? i am torn...any feedback is welcome!
thanks. bt

Beautiful shot ... I would crop it. I agree that the long doors accentuate the smallness of the girl, but her expresssion is so interesting I'd want to highlight her face. If you crop tight around her face, it won't be immediately apparent that she is in a doorway and I think the background will just blend, drawing your focus to her face.

Remember that the beautiful thing about digital photography: you can have both!

[brtravers]

Originally Posted by ARBORGUY

Very nice image...where was it taken??
I would crop the image so the child is the prime point of focus, and put her in the bottom leftlower third .

I think it would heighten my interest in her cute smile and her kinda peeking out of the door...
Just my .02 cents...
Bill

Hi Bill, it was taken on a side street in Rio de Janeiro, specifically in the neighborhood of Lapa. There is some interesting Portuguese colonial architecture there and I was snapping away when she peeked her head out and got that moment.
I will give cropping it a try and see how it turns out! Thanks for the suggestion.
BT

[brtravers]

Originally Posted by sk66

Lovely! I would be quite happy with this picture!

I agree with calmaxgan. The "context" of the tall doors works "as is". Cropped tighter would make a better portrait. However, her eyes are a bit dark and the focus seems to be sharper on the door.
I would leave it as is...maybe liven her eyes a touch, but maybe not.

Thanks! I will try it out!

[brtravers]

Thanks everyone for making the suggestions and for taking a look. My first few days on the site now and I appreciate the views and the comments, I can see that I will enjoy posting and viewing the work of others. Great site, very inspirational.

XXbt