Thank you for telling me it is all about tobacco because I would not have guessed on my own. Now, I love the way you have captured hands at work, the colours of the cloth, etc., but, instead of focussing on the piece of cloth in the foreground, you should have aimed at the tobacco, or at least have shown a relationship between it and the subject's hands. Take a look, your background is too well defined in relation to the main subject. Now, it is evident you have an excellent choice of photographic models. Keep up the good work.
Paul

I like this futuristic "mise en scene" save for a couple of problems having to do with the way your coloured spotlight (I presume) strikes your model's arm. It seems to distort it by fractioning it at the elbow. Then, as I move down the arm, I am struck by the position of the clenched fist. It simply does not seem to coincide with the serenity shown in your model's face. Also, I quite understand the mood you wanted to create with the spheres, it is just that some of them leave a strange colour-cast. Again, I repeat, I like your shot. The facial expression, and general stance of your model, is just so expressive of the theme you wanted to convey.
Paul

Certainly deserves looking at. I prefer the B & W conversion. Here, everything looks good, save for some details that burden the shot. It if were possible to erase the boats that cluster around the masts, one in the middle and the two others at the side. It is also difficult to explain the bright light just about the top of the middle boat. I am quite impressed by the immense low tide. The man on the pier, unfortunately hidden, give a sense of the proportions. The other thing is the sunlight coming from the left leaving a nasty shadow on the man in the yacht. I hate being so picky, it is simply because I like this shot and would like to see it improved to the maximum.
Paul

Under the conditions, this is a technically difficult shot. Like you, I am bothered by the unnecessary multiple-coloration of skin and white dress. Furthermore, the flash bounces too strongly off the dress, then off the knuckles, the right eyebrow, even the fingers and white nails. The low angle of the shoot is not correct, etc. The two-tone background just about impossible, etc. I would also draw attention to hair-details, etc. But then, you say it all in your critiques, guys. On the other hand, I agree, a perfectly relaxed beautiful subject with an eye expression that would melt an iceberg.
Paul

Rather excellent photography playing on black and white contrasts. Not easy to achieve either, but this is near perfect. Two items caught my attention: the highlights on the model's right hand contrast slightly too much in relation to her ankle;a better shoe alignment might have avoided the straight down line as opposed to the shoe's gentle curve. But what can I say, this is great stuff. Kudos to all three of you. Paul

Lovely! Now, for the little problems: the lamp on the right side does not add much to the shot. Crop it. There are also a couple of distracting things that ought to go the same way: light reflected, bottom left, a black circle in the right-side model's hair, and another one, left-side edge. I like the way you have illuminated your models, but you should give a little more definition to the left-side model's hair. I know fingernails like that are fashionable, but boy do they look strange viewed afar!

There is something here, largely because you have an excellent subject. I can see you tried to emphasise mood in this image, and the picture does emerge. Now, there are problems! You can see light falling on the forehead, and this is good, but when it falls on the nose, reflects in the eyes and beard, it is something else. It must be toned down. On the other hand, there is a need to restore some light in the darkest areas, particularly as you get to the beard, it will help eliminate excessive reflections. The same can be said of the model's left cheek, below the ear. I do like the skin tones, but you must expand all this to improve the overall shot. 70 mm is a good focal length for portraits, obviously. Good attempt. Paul

I think you are showing amazement. Good shot, nice rich colours, well-framed. Watch the bottom left corner and the neck region, it needs a little work to restore hair definition as elsewhere. Otherwise I do like this portrait. Paul

Yes, you've got something interesting! Too bad the flash flattens the subject and creates a strange shoe-shadow (I understand this is not the best location because light reverberates from all points, but it is possible to regulate the intensity of the flash more than that). Cropping just above the shoes, or below the left one, might help overcome what appears to be an unnaturally twisted position. Mind you, I like the idea of the foregrounded shoes because they do bring a surrealistic twist to the image, but, as I see it, the subject's facial expression alone does express the shot's title. Paul

Great photo, though I am not certain cropping helped set the atmosphere described. A colorized vintage photo of two old friends meeting in the street, perhaps. I could not tease out the atmosphere other than that expressed by the couple. Just wondering what the original shot would have revealed. Also, is there some highlight clipping, the right side of the subject is so bright!

Now, I kind of like this shot. The subject is absolutely stunning. Even though the flash striking the white t-shirt distracts, the face and hair concentrate the entire attention. I also like the cardigan's details, but there is a problem. The road fades away as it should, yet the very strong contrast between background and foreground spoil the image. The photographer's comments make it clear she sensed that. This problem leads to some kind of artificiality. Even the subject's hand on the back of the neck seems artificial. There is also a distracting detail showing on the right side of the subject, from the arm to the belt.
Why the overall problem? I think it occurs because the intensity of the flash sculpts too much, and also because of the artificial position taken by the model. A remedy? It is possible to crop out as much as possible of the road, and to cut just above the subject's belt. This eliminates much of the problem. If you do this, you should also soften the skin colour of the forehand, otherwise it draws too much attention away from the face. Also, adding a little more hair detail on top of the head might help. You have the eye and a good sense. Happy photography, Daniela.

Could become a great portrait with a few changes. As it stands, it is too posterized, thus creating very strong details and making the skin and clothing appear unatural. Flash photography is not easy if not controlled. Here, the flash catches the hair and creates a shadow in the chin region. Yet, it appears that hair, eyes and the child's expression are key features. Cleaning up the shadow with the clone tool in PS is simple. Leave out the ornamentation, no special effects. On the other hand, you must tone down the overall brightness. Hair sharpeness is just fine. Eventually, you will have an excellent portrait of your daughter. Good luck.

There is indeed something very appealing in this portrait. I like the way you have captured skin and cloth, and particularly the model's expression. Overall, I'd say you are showing the softness inherent in the portrait as against the intensity of the model's eyes and gaze. This being the case, I wonder if a little more detail in the hair region would help clean up this shot. What do you think?

Professional studio lights, to be sure. The excellence of the shot, that is how light sculptures the model, is marred by what I deem an unnecessary accent on the model's head particularly in the ear and hair region. The elbow on the left also needs some slight retouching. In short, less light and a slight retouching might have corrected the flaws. Otherwise, the shot is classical and deserves praise.