Sensitively done. Soft and thoughtful expression. And the light works well to enhance that mood. Nice portrait.
More shaprness? Maybe. That's an artistic choice the photographer might have made to create a slightly different mood and feel in this portrait. Personally, I can't say what is there now should be different than it is. If this portrait were sharper I might like it more, but it's hard to be sure. What I do know is that I like it now.
Giving good critique is difficult to do. And to a degree it is bound up with the critic's subjective preference; beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all of that. In giving critique I try to talk more about what the work is, rather than what it is not. Any artistic work is "not" a great many things. What do you like about what the work IS? There is value in understanding why someone connects with in an image. What did you communicate to them through the image?
That said, suggesting changes to an image or describing how it could have been photographed differently can create a VERY valuable learning experience for the artist, and for the critic too. Especially when the critic is an artist as well. As artists, we benefit by sifting through the critique for new ideas or alternate perspectives, and by considering different approaches than we took to the image. The essence of growth as an artist involves change, and helpful critique is a valuable instrument of change.
Thank you very much for taking the time to comment! Indeed in preparing and sizing the image for the web it got a bit mushy on sharpness. However, your comment gives me the opportunity to comment on a great many of the critics I read on other people's work my few short days being on this web site.(Not comments you have made, but comments in general)You say the image lacks contrast and sharpness, but how can that be if that is the way I intended it? I know this is a forum for critic, and I do genuinely than you for yours. I do think we need to be open to other views of a subject too. That doesn't mean we have to like what others do. I can understand why you might think my image flat, I notice most of your images are contrasty and sharp. I tend to like my landscapes that way but not my people. Just one of those matter of taste things that makes it wonderful to be alive! Thank you again for taking the time to comment. Best wishes.
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