This is a beautiful and technically well produced photo. Lighting is spot on. Colors, tones and hues are excellent. The wisps of hair blowing to one side is artistically an excellent technique to give a photo life and motion. If not done properly, it can become a distraction, but this photographer used it well and it actually adds to the image. This photo is extremely sound and well composed. It is definitely deserving of 2nd Place. Nicely done.
This is an amazing photo and definitely deserving of the top award in this contest.The lighting is perfect and brings out not only the tones, but also the texture of the skin. The photo displays a naturalness. Looking deeply into the subject's eyes, they tell a story of wisdom, courage and survival. Technically, this photo is near perfection lacking only a minimal amount of focus on the lower left side of the frame, but the rest of this image easily makes up for it. Congratulations on an amazing photo and earning the top spot in this contest. Nicely done.
Contrast is the key element to this photo. The subject's blue eyes stand out and immediately draw your attention. Lighting is well done and effectively highlights textures. The background dissipates into darkness which was used effectively to highlight the subject. This image is well deserving of a top ten finish. Nicely done!
The mirrored reflection technique is what earned this photo a Top Ten finish. Lighting is soft, but effective. Hues and tones are spot on. It's simplistic yet artistic and beautiful at the same time. There seems to be a light reflection on the top left of the photo which distracts the viewers attention slightly, but the attention on this minute issue quickly dissipates as you are quickly drawn back to the beautifully captured subject. Nicely done!
437 Photographers
1,000 Images entered
43,674 Ratings
I absolutely love this image. What made it so effective, in my opinion, was the way it captured my attention and kept me from looking away. The lighting is excellent and effectively enhances the skin tones. The use of blue surrounding the subject was an excellent choice as it brings out the blue in her eyes. Reflection of light is subdued yet effectively highlights the subject's lips and hair. The eyes stare at you as you stare at them. The only thing that kept me from rating it higher was the soft focus and lack of clarity on the face. More clarity would have provided texture which, in my opinion, would have enhanced this image. Overall an amazing job and well deserving of a top ten finish in this contest. Nicely done!
I love this photo. The use of soft-focus on the perimeters of the photo bring you quickly back to the subject's face; exactly what the soft-focus is intending to do. Tones and hues are incredible. The face could be lightened just slightly, but that's a personal opinion. All in all, this image has the "can't look away" factor. It captures your attention and won't let go. It's well deserving of a Top Ten finish. Nicely done!
The amazing use of light and shadows brought this photo into the Top Ten. Lighting was effectively used to highlight the features of the subject while shadows were used to give attributes their depth. I love the way the subject's head is off-centered in order to bring greater attention to the muscles and curves. The choice to use black and white was a wise one. While this photo is probably very beautiful in color, its real impact comes from the light and shadows which is only enhanced with the black and white technique. Nicely done!
Brief
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In this contest please enter your best portrait photos of humans. Your images may depict the face, head and shoulders, or full body. You may use natural light, flash or studio lighting, with emphasis placed on enhancing the natural beauty of your subject using light, shadows and textures. Images may be submitted either in colour or black and white.
Although I wasn't able to fit this photo into my Top 10, I thought it deserved some comments. I congratulate you for an excellent photo. Even though it was shot with an iPhone, you captured the essence of this child. The hues and tones are spot on. The phone limited you in achieving clear focus on the hair about the shoulders and on the sweater Sophie was wearing. Had this same shot been taken with a better lens, it would have scored much higher and probably would have made it to my top 10. I just wanted to say "Nicely done!" Keep up the great work!
This is an excellent photo and well deserving of the Top Ten. The effective use of light helped bring this image to life.The main subject was well focused and the background perfectly faded into the perimeter. That's a very effective technique. The reflection off the chest of drawers was the only thing that prevented this photo from rating higher. That brightness draws your attention away from the main subject. Overall a very good shot. Nicely done!