Full-length portraits

I chose this for my first place image because it is a stunning full-body portrait with a little twist. The first thing your eyes go to is the woman's face and then all over her outfit. It's not just the position of the woman or trees in the photo or her expression or wardrobe that carries it along but the colour of the image. When creating images a photographer always makes a very important choice between black and white and colour to compliment the content of the photograph. Within the colour sphere, the particular colours brought out or altered can "make" the image. In this photo the blues, greens and red are particularly beautiful and compliment each other and the composition very well. It's almost as if the red scarf sets the woman apart as human, as alive from the nature she is surrounded by. At the same time it shows she's just as much a part of the surroundings as the elements around her.

The colour and light of this image coupled with the water and scarves gives the image a painterly effect. The woman's face is the most detailed and definitive part of the photograph so, once again, your eyes are drawn to it. Because the woman's surroundings feel softer and not as eye catching, they also give the image a more abstract feel, which lends to the dream like, surreal feeling of the photograph.

Altogether it is a very superficial image though, showing only a very thin layer of life, without any suggestive mystery.

As this is a photo contest to show how instrumental the human form is in portraiture, this image is effective in showing how communicative the body sans-face can be; which is usually where people get most of their information about another person. The girl looks lithe; suggestive of a lack of life, energy, conviction. The lack of commitment in the body compliments the lack of life suggested by the blue swirls coming out of her, which in turn mimics the sky it's surrounded by. Of course, her body position may be suggestive of a crucifixion. I feel like this image needs another layer to it or somehow parts of it could be added to or subtracted to create a more striking, communicative or beautiful image.

The human form in this image looks like one the sculptor that made the surrounding pieces would imitate. The person's body also resembles the aesthetic of the wall and staircase. It was a smart choice to make this image black and white as colour would only distract from the clarity of purpose in the image.

I feel like this image could either be cropped to be more effective, getting closer to the person/the focus in the center, or another layer could be added to enhance the photographer's objective.

Compelling photographs have layers to them. This image hints at a juxtaposition/story between the man and the commercial print; a good start to creating a striking image.

A few adjustments could be made like cropping the nose (of the woman in the print) out, making the man's skin tone a little more flattering and creating some contrast (as the image is a little flat).

It would also be cool to have the door a little more open to allude to a "something more"... that feature could additionally create another layer. Adjustments would certainly depend on presentation, including the size of the final image/print.

I chose this as second place because it does a great job utilising the full body as an expressive and communicative tool: the outfit the girl is wearing compliments her surroundings and helps define her location, her hand expresses everything you need to know about the crux of the moment, and the scarf over the face and dog out of frame lends itself to enough mystery to keep the image intriguing. The light in the photo keeps the viewer's eyes moving and the colour is both energising and comfortable.

This is another image of nature/the environment and the human form blending into and mimicking each other. The full body white suit strips the person of a lot of elements inherent in defining a person's identity, including facial expression, leaving it up to body position and muted flesh to be the defining elements... although a person choosing to wear a covered suit for a portrait is both definitive and mysterious. I feel like any great portrait is informative yet intriguing.

This is a great image of a woman in her natural state. She looks so comfortable and at ease yet we are immediately reminded that the situation is not natural as she is wearing something that looks like a nightgown a good 10-15 under the water. The photographer captured an intimate moment with the woman in what could almost be reminiscent of something prenatal. Some of the best portraits capture the raw and comfortable essence of the person being photographed.

Both the colour and light are complimentary to the image's balance, flow and focus.

Third place. Again, the first place my eyes go to in the image is the woman's face; there's so much there and you can immediately imagine what it must feel like, in some part, to be her in that moment. After I look her over my eyes go to the person in the back and then up to the trees surrounding her. The light coupled with the position of the surrounding bush and trees both cradle the woman and allow her to stand apart from the image; showing her strength despite appearances. The juxtaposition of the seemingly young person behind her and her position at the other end of the trail is suggestive of a life's journey. It also shows how much information is communicated from parts of the body that aren't the face.

Whereas faces tend to be the most telling part of a person, hands are certainly the second most expressive part of the body. You can see so much joy in the child's face and so much love in the womens' hands holding him. Technically speaking, the image has a lot of detail in it, but is a little flat. Some more or purposeful shadows and highlights could do a lot to focus the viewer. Also eliminating some of the more distracting elements like the white bracelets would be useful.

There is something pleasant about this photo. Some things could be different to make a better version of it though. First, it could of been taken earlier or later in the day so there wasn't such a contrast of light and loss of detail; parts of the photo are blown out... ie the "sky" at the top right. Also, because of the contrasting light, the sidewalk is too distracting and there isn't enough detail in the bush across from the water. I also would have removed the white shirt hanging from the chair.

This photo has some nice elements to it. The strongest choice is that the image is taken from below. Usually shooting someone from below is done in an effort to make the person look larger, more powerful, to show their strength or to show their importance. I don't know if shooting this woman from this angle serves the photograph or the intent of the photographer.

Styling is an important part of creating photographs like these and I believe a different shoe choice would of helped flesh out the image's story, as well as a sensical pose from the model.

This image is nice. Technically, some elements in the shadow have completely lost their detail and are stark black (like the front of the pants and shirt). A part of me thinks it would be nice to see a little more of the boy's face. Also, the bubbles look a little odd to me but I do like their presence.

The lighting from the window/back isn't inherently flattering but it works. Overall the photo is balanced and dimensional. Making the photo black and white looks like a good choice.

This photo is nice. It looks like it could work better if it were part of a diptych or triptych. I would like to see more space is front of the woman – perhaps crop it closer to the back of the dress to allow more space in front of her. I like the photo to lead to the direction the main focus is facing. Body language is very telling and the fact that her whole body is facing away shows how engaged/interested she is with the photographer.

This image has some positive elements. The colours are quite nice. The expression on the girl's face is good. That said this image is so digitally altered (and obviously so) that I'm not sure if I would call it a 'photograph' so much as a 'digital painting' or some such.

I feel like the image is trying to look natural. To achieve that I would choose a more natural looking butterfly to incorporate (or to incorporate one more naturally, like making it lit correctly and smaller) if that was an element the artist wanted to keep. I also think something besides colorful candy in the bucket would be a better choice. And to incorporate the light rays to look like they're actually coming through the trees and not like some streaks on top of an image.