*** by Mark-Meir Paluksht

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Photo is excellently composed. We see the face and hands, which are most important objects in the portrait. By the way model has very nice hands. Skin is not blurred, so photo is more realistic, we see the real person. The photo is B&W, probably trying to achieve old age effect. It would be better in color. B&W tone is depressing.

I like the idea expressed in this picture but I don't like the execution. This is a very attractive model and the costume and props are fine. Even the de-saturated effect post processing looks good. The specular highlight in the eye gives a nice focal point to the image. The composition is balanced well enough although the overall effect is one of heaviness.

What I don't like is the camera angle which not only makes her strong chin even more pronounced but I'm looking right up her nose, which I might add is very bright via the lighting. It's a very strong point of contrast and my eye keeps going right up that nostril. I am going to take liberty and assume the dark, dingy background, frayed shoulder of her dress, unkempt, almost dirty looking hair are intentional for effect and I think are fine. However the completely un-retouched condition of the model skin I find disturbing (I did zoom in a bit). Clearly, heavy retouching would out of place, but some would make this image easier to look at and linger. And what's that thing on the wall behind her mouth and white line through her index finger knuckle? This is a very nice idea that didn't quite jell for me.

Very nicely composed & exposed with a pensive expression. I like the toning as well. There seem to be artifacts in the background, especially behind her, though

A beautiful model. I like the pose, but the de-saturated or b/w effect takes away from the overall photo.

The square format works very well in this pose. Initialy I was turned off by the colors of the tone. However while viewing the image and listening to the feelings it invokes, I grew to like them. Although the camera angle does lengthen the nose and chin, it also accentuates the models lovely long neck. Facial expression really helps make this image. Very good colaboration of artist and model.

A little bit of touch up would help this wonderfull image. The light spot above the upper lip, and what looks like a dust spot on the neck. Over all I really like this image.

Steve

It's a sedate portrait. The angle, for me, is evocative and does accentuate her neck and chin, which I like. It also captures some beautiful lines and sensuous curves. Her expression is soft, the light travels nicely to her eye, which is demurely framed by her bangs. It's a kind of set piece. I get a feeling of old time photograph and a more universalized sense of something womanly, thoughtful, a bit seductive than I do that I'm getting to know THIS woman. That's a fine way for a portrait to work, IMO.

The toning feels off in that the purple really comes through quite strongly in places, like the top of her hat and, in some places like on her hair just under the hat, it feels more like a kind of unwanted film than something coming from the photo itself. I don't mind the toning per se, just the quality of it. Though I like the perspective, particularly the angle and shape of her neck, I don't like the shadows on her neck. They seem to dirty her skin rather than shade it. Part of that is because they are so gray compared to the redder areas but part of it is just the quality of the shadows and the way this was exposed and processed. I agree that the tip of the nose could be toned down some. Not all portraits suggest perfect skin or a better makeup job (the face feels a bit cracked and pasty), but this portrait does seem to want a softer and more even approach to the skin, however that would be accomplished.

Mark's portfolio shows a committed vision to a kind of iconic, statuesque, almost mythical view of his subjects. This photo has that tendency but is also on the more intimate end of his work.

The various curvatures in this shot are so subtle that one has to add them up to realize their impact. Well conceived and completed photography.

To my way of thinking it is badly unbalanced, untidy with the chair distracting, and the hand is badly attention grabing out of proportion to the face. Beautiful image quality wasted.