"Self Portait in Green"

Critiques [Translate]

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• parasbhalla (6093)
• [2009-08-04 5:49]

Good Morning, Linda!

Wonderful self-portrait! A great smiling beauty you are, I should say. Wonderful note indeed.
Simply superb composition!

Thanks for facing the camera :)

with best regards,
Paras Bhalla

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• Juliet (13538)
• [2009-08-04 5:50]
• [+]

Hi Linder,
What a great self portrait ! This looks like a Linda extression. Ahhh -- we may be getting older (I do the same thing when I look in the mirror), but we are still young at heart. Really a lovely picture. TFS Julie

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• fougere (280)
• [2009-08-04 5:58]
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• Urfaust (13105)
• [2009-08-04 6:04]

ciao Linda..
nice.. really nice to look at you.. ;)
really a good SP.. eyes and the green BG have an effective link..
i could say.. you have a special touch also in this kind of captures!
i like it a lot!
ciao Marco

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• ErikSven (2299)
• [2009-08-04 6:07]
• [2] [+]

Hi Pamela, oops! - hello Linda ;o),

I sometimes try to make self-portraits and am aware of how difficult that is (not only photographically spoken). So kudos for trying it out and showing the result to Mankind.

As to this portrait, however, whereas I like the fact that your face partially fades away in the shade (which provides for a suggestive touch), I personally would have preferred a shallower depth of field (cf. f/9.0). It could be due to my old and "wrinkled" computer screen, but I have the impression that the zone around your eyes and nose is not sharp. On the contrary, there is a much sharper zone around and left of your ear. Result: that "background" zone detracts from the key element of facial expression: the eyes (and nose, hum!).

Of course, this is just my personal way of looking at your portrait. Feel free to (dis)agree ;o).

TFS & kind regards,
Erik

PS: just before uploading this critique, I read your last sentence telling that you were just holding the camera in front of your face, which also might explain the things I noticed. You don't choose the easy way, Linda, but I'm sure you won't mind that I stick to my considerations, as it is the final result that counts ;o).

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• Ejtaan (11347)
• [2009-08-04 6:25]

hahhahah Believe me, Pam has wrinkles too!!!
just yesterday I saw a picture of some celeb's legs!!!! pffffff... compared to them my legs are...... enormous! hahahahahhahaha, but they are no worse or better than any other pair. So no worries dear Linda!
Besides, it's not the wrinkels, but the charisma that's most important.

So, I really like this portrait, although your left eye is a bit dark. From your eye(s) I can tell that you are a persistant person, strong, and fair.
Love the background, matches great with your eyes!
Good work!!!

Cheers,
Anneke

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• tracer (7924)
• [2009-08-04 6:46]

Hi Linda,

i describe your smile as a cross between mischievous and mysterious. ;o)
lovely light and shadows. only wish is for the left eye to have more detail
so to have more impact on those green eyes.

rgds

i a n

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• werdir (2655)
• [2009-08-04 7:31]
• [+]

Hi Linda,

Wrinkles are earned and should be worn as a badge of courage! The portrait works pretty well, but I think it is a bit on the dark side. Maybe that's what you intended, and it's just my opinion anyway. My wife's been bugging me too. Ever since I jumped back into photography, I'm not in any pictures. I guess I'll just have to take the leap, scary ;(

Best regards,
Werner

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• kinderlr3 (83)
• [2009-08-04 7:50]

Hi Linda,
Apples and oranges, no eat those, where's the cabbage;) Just kidding. I wish I could hold my camera that still. Would like to have seen a little more light on the left side of the face. Just me and shadows I guess. Have a great day and week to come.

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• wenqing (11857)
• [2009-08-04 8:01]

hi linda :) good to see you again infront of the camera :)
i think you photograph well :D should do it more often

koh

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• kickback (11315)
• [2009-08-04 9:55]
• [+]

hi linda, good job, i always find it interesting to see the people from t/l. very kind, warm beautiful eyes!
i hope all is well with you,
take care,
scott

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• RSK (7054)
• [2009-08-04 10:37]
• [+]

Hi Linda,
Hand held,then this is a good result, with a lot of detail, though the right side of your portrait tends to be a little softer & not as detailed,still if you wanted it to be perfect then you would have used a timer & tripod I expect.Did you do any PP work ,as the greens to the right seem as though they have that effect?I like the intellegent enquiring eye's & the
hint of humour in the smile.
TFS

Ron

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• rewshearer (20821)
• [2009-08-04 14:10]
• [2] [+]

Ha, well you know already how I feel about this one. It's great - and beautiful.

Beauty is all about how we choose to see it. For some reason, women especially are commercially "beautiful" only if they look like cartoon characters. Personally I absolutely cherish the details and so-called 'flaws' (read: features) that we all have, and that's a drum I'm not going to stop beating. :) Accept you as you are? Try celebrate you as you are!

Technically I have to say you did a good job, especially given the circumstances. A hand-held self-portrait is very hard to do, for a start the necessarily short focal length easily leads to wide-angle distortion but you seem to have been able to avoid that through aperture choice, despite the risks of the slow(ish) shutter speed. The aperture has also ensured sharpness throughout - it all seems adequately crisp on my monitor!

The lighting style here - you probably know this already - is 'short lighting,' and although it doesn't illuminate the front of the subject's face, it is an effective and evocative style that is arguably more natural than studio formula lighting.

One delightful detail about this is the way the green of your eye picks up on the green background.

If anything, I might have cropped a tad from the left and a bit from the bottom to further de-centre your face and eliminate the silver zipper below your chin, but those are minor details. This is a lovely, charming, warm and beautiful self portrait.

Rew

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• lisapw1 (8338)
• [2009-08-04 16:02]
• [+]

Linda, This is terrific! Your hair looks great with the curls reflecting the light and your eyes!! Oh my goodness, what a perfectly captured catch light and showing the Irish Green! Beautiful. Yes, it takes courage to take self portraits, but you have a terrific one here. The green background is a great choice. :D Lisa

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• rminkow (15273)
• [2009-08-04 18:04]

Hi Linda..nice tones and details in this portrait...good work.

Roger

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• wahclellaspirit (1881)
• [2009-08-04 23:12]
• [+]

Hello Mom,
You don't look a day over 30X? LOL. Good capture of yourself, the title fits your eyes well...
Steve

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• Sharpshooter (6920)
• [2009-08-04 23:23]

Hi Linda,
An excellent self-portrait. Never easy to take (especially when you don't use a tripod! Lol) but I think this has come out really well. I like the blend and balance of shadows and highlights, good pose here too. As others have said, it takes guts to post a self-portrait, so I think this shows how comfortable you are in front of the camera. You'll have to do this more often! :P. Nice work.

TFS,
Scott.

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• cunejo200 (17259)
• [2009-08-05 3:18]

Good morning Linda. This is a fine self portrait, there is a good eye contact and the image is well exposed. Seems like you dolled up for this session (hahaha), you look mighty fine, impressive big TX hair-do. I can't help but think that you must have broken a lot of young men's hearts growing up. Cheers!
Danilo

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• HienVy (646)
• [2009-08-05 7:41]
• [+]

Hi Linda
It's a very good self portrait photo.
From now on, If you go out and hear something like "Hi Linda" from an oriental girl you'd know that is Hien Vy :-))))
Have a nice day
Hien Vy

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• trampas (6972)
• [2009-08-05 11:51]
• [+]

this must have been taken years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!1

interesting pose and pov. i'm glad you are smiling in this.

god bless photoshop.(teehee!)

hugs,
iluvlukie.

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• dareco (15143)
• [2009-08-05 11:56]

This is beautiful Linda! I especially love how the colors of your eyes seem to match the bg leaves. Very nice lighting. TFS

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• messenger1 (4258)
• [2009-08-06 3:16]

Hi, Linda -
This is a really great self-portrait. Great, slightly mischevious expression and the tilt of your head really draws the viewer in. A great portrait manages to convey something of the character of the subject - yours says you are interesting, intelligent and fun. Wonderful greens. Well done.

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• Beger (19900)
• [2009-08-07 5:54]

Hi Linda,
My! You have a great look here!
The green of your eye repeated by the green on back drop is so beautifully done! Great contrast too making your autoportrait so intense!
What I like more here, is your teasing expression!
Excellent and meaningful note to complete this!
I would like to have your sense of acceptation!:)
Bravo! Annie

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• anducina (8227)
• [2009-08-14 11:20]

Hi Linda,
Beautiful portrait, the contrast of green and black works great and I like those smiling green eyes. Very nice-posture, expression, colors.
TFS,
Andreea

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• Janice (32970)
• [2009-08-15 0:53]
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