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Critique Me – Irma Baker
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Remember:
Read How to Critique a Photo
Make a critique sandwich – something positive, something you would have done differently, something positive
My rule: no improvement tip = deleted comment
This will benefit the person leaving the photo critique just as much if not more than the person receiving the critique.
If you would like to have an image critiqued be sure to read How to submit an image for critique.

Thank you to Irma Baker for submitting the following image.
Settings: ISO 400 | SS 1/80 | f/3.2
Image by Irma Baker

40 Comments
  • February 3, 2014 at 9:54 AM

    Beautiful expression and pose for this sweet girl! I would suggest either pulling back to show more of her (esp. her feet) or cropping in tighter so the close-up crop looks more intentional. I’ve always heard/read it is best to avoid cropping at joints (so ankles, in this case) because it looks more unnatural. So either pulling back to include all of her, or maybe cropping in more so she is not chopped at a joint. However, my preference for this photo would be pulling back a little to show her feet, so you also still see her hands holding her leg (which you’d probably lose with a really tight crop.) I would also suggest adjusting your settings to allow for a faster shutter speed so her eyes are super crisp. LOVE the soft backlight and how it is hitting her hair! Gorgeous pose and serene look/feeling to this image!

  • Joy
    February 3, 2014 at 10:02 AM

    Hey there! Great image in a lot of ways. I would maybe angle the whole picture slightly so you don’t have to turn your head to feel like you are looking at her face completely sideways. I’m not basking it! It truly is a great picture. Just think the eye naturally wants to see things naturally so maybe having her lift her head a little or just angling the picture would make it seem more natural for the viewer. You are doing a great job with your work! I don’t usually comment but I have seen Click it up a notch post some of your other pieces and you are advancing always! Keep it up!

  • Alex W
    February 3, 2014 at 10:03 AM

    Chopping of the limbs is a big no-no from my experience. I would have backed up a little more to include her whole body. I love the pose and expression! I agree with Valerie A about bumping up your ISO so the SS is faster – this will eliminate any camera shake and make the image as crisp as possible!

  • Ciearra Evans
    February 3, 2014 at 10:04 AM

    Beautiful model love her pose and facial expression. I would have pulled back so not to limb chop.

  • February 3, 2014 at 10:05 AM

    This is such a pretty photo!!! I would have changed my stance a little to the right of the girl for a slightly different composition, to be able to get the girls feet in… I feel like the eye is drawn to the void behind her instead of her. Her skin tone looks great!! But I

  • Amber
    February 3, 2014 at 10:06 AM

    It is a beautiful shot, and the little girl is just as lovely. I like the soft backlight. I feel that it is too tightly constrained around the subject though. I agree with Valerie above that I would back up a few feet and give some breathing room. A possible light brush (in lightroom or aperture) to take out a little of the face shadow. A quick tweak with the sharpening brush will help on the eyes or a faster shutter speed. The colors are lovely and I like how it seems to communicate a mood. I am still working on ways to take portraits that seem more natural, and this is a really great moody portrait!

  • February 3, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    This is a gorgeous photo. The skin tone in this image is just lovely. I would suggest stepping back from you subject to capture her completely. Having all of her except her feet is distracting. I know it is hard to get the hang of, but if you step back you’d be able to frame her in the right third of the photo to make a more interesting composition. Otherwise I think it is a lovely photo. I like the way the light is subtlety lighting her hair. Great job!

  • February 3, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    Sorry, I sent with out finishing… Her skin tone looks great! I may be would have warmed up the background a little bit. But overall it’s such a great picture! :)

  • Sommer
    February 3, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    I love this pose. I use it on so many of my clients. Her sweet little expression is so tender. I agree with the previous comment. I would pull back and include her feet. I also try to always pull girls hair in front of their ears. Ears are often whiter than the rest of the face and I dont ever want my clients eye to be drawn to the ear over the models eyes.

  • Jamie
    February 3, 2014 at 10:24 AM

    Love her expression! She looks very thoughtful and peaceful. I would have changed up the composition a bit to not chop her feet at the ankles and angle the image a bit so her head was a bit more upright. The way her head is bent makes me want to bend my head to look at her. I love how the light is hitting the crown of her head…it’s illuminating her hair nicely.

  • Nikki
    February 3, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    I love the pose in this shot. I do agree that pulling back a little to include her feet would have made it a more complete pose.

  • Vanessa
    February 3, 2014 at 10:42 AM

    I like the simplicity, solid colors, and blurred background. I definitely would not have chopped off the feet. I also would have used a faster shutter speed (and ISO) for more crispness. I also love how the sunlight is hitting her hair.

  • Cathy Goutierrez
    February 3, 2014 at 10:59 AM

    I love the pose, the sunlight in her hair, and you did a good job of capturing a little girl in thought. The only thing that I would suggest is the same as the others just step back and place her feet in the shot. Besides that I love it.

  • February 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM

    I love the expression in the eyes of this young lady. I do think I would have moved her arm from between her legs to the outside, she looks a little uncomfortable. Overall a beautiful image, nicely blurred background.

  • February 3, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    Great photo. Love the expression on the little girl and the lighting on the top of her hair. I would also have cropped closer as to avoid cutting off her feet! Love it! Good work.

  • fran
    February 3, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    Hi! I really like her expression and the relax feeling of this photo. I would have pulled her hair over her ear maybe as I find it a distraction from her lovely eyes. Also, the first thing I thought the first time I looked at the pic ” how can she be so relax in that uncomfortable position?” So maybe both of her arms around her legs would look more natural?
    It’s a great picture and I like the backlighting effect on her hair.

  • February 3, 2014 at 11:23 AM

    How the artist processed the image looks very clean (my phone wouldn’t let me zoom in to see better, but it looks good) I can see the sun on her hair, I would have positioned her so she was backlit by the warmth of the sun. I do like the outdoor environment she is in, looks peaceful.

  • irene
    February 3, 2014 at 11:35 AM

    Great pose for a female child. Love it! Love the sun on top of her head. Makes her seem to have an invisible halo. Bit plus for hair not in the face, but off on her shoulder down her back.

    Limb cropping, only bad part I can find, its right at her anlke joints. Suggestion take a half a step back from her and see if you get her in the picture minus limb crop.

    Great background nice and soft. You may have her turned the way she is for a reason, but try and turn her toward the light sorce for catch lights in her beautiful brown eyes or use a reflector.

    Great picture overall!

  • Chelsea
    February 3, 2014 at 12:03 PM

    You nailed the light and skin tones! Awesome! I would have framed this shot a little different though. I would have shown more of her legs and taken that blank space on the right out. Very nice job getting the little girl to pose! I always have trouble with that! :)

  • Mark G
    February 3, 2014 at 12:13 PM

    Unlike some of the others, I like the crop and your useage of the rule of thirds. It’s just a personal preference, but I prefer the subject to be just a little darker so that she really contrasts with the background.

  • February 3, 2014 at 12:57 PM

    The girl’s pose is amazing and I would make it in BW for a more timeless feeling. Black and white with a bit of grain in the shadows will give it a very nice classic look!

  • donna
    February 3, 2014 at 1:09 PM

    I would try to focus more on making the eyes sharp and maybe putting her feet in. That is my goal this year, to make the eyes sharp :) beautiful, photogenic little girl :)

  • February 3, 2014 at 1:15 PM

    What a pretty picture! I like the composition, and the processing–her skin tone looks beautiful! I also like the back lighting because it gives depth to her hair.
    A couple of suggestions for improvement: I would have moved back a couple of steps to include her feet in the picture and avoid limb chopping; the other thing I might have done would be to use a reflector or a very low intensity fill flash to brighten up her eyes and give a nice catch light. Thanks for sharing!

  • Anna Nguyen
    February 3, 2014 at 1:26 PM

    The picture is gorgeous!!! The only thing I notice that is unnatural is her feet being cut off and her fingers are in an awkward position. I would either crop it all the way to her knee or if you still have the original with feet in… I think the close up would make it a better image

  • Schanelle
    February 3, 2014 at 1:45 PM

    I adore the background bokah. I would have brightened the eyes a little. I like where you cut the picture at the feet.

  • Doreen
    February 3, 2014 at 2:32 PM

    This is a sweet portrait. Very natural and the background doesn’t distract from it. It might have been better had her who body been in the photo showing her feet and hands. I might have turned her in some way to feature her eyes a little more.
    I would not have cropped her closer in even is it wasn’t at her joints because she is adorable and I wanted to see her in total.

  • Patsy
    February 3, 2014 at 4:44 PM

    The girl is a beauty. I think the color of the picture is good. Perhaps the picture would have been better content wise if her arms had been on the outside of her legs and you could fully see her hands. Crop close to the end of the hands. Great job!

  • EJ
    February 3, 2014 at 5:15 PM

    What a perfect model to have, lucky you and great shot! The natural light is coming from left it seems as the highlighting on top of her head gives a lovely golden glow. That glow positioned down the side of her face and along flowing locks might have given this shot even more depth and some warmth. Maybe tilt her head up, hair down her right shoulder and capture more of the light, maybe with higher ISO and F/stop? Good work!

  • Tiffany
    February 3, 2014 at 6:03 PM

    I love the soft light in her hair. Very pretty. I would also recommend taking a step back so that her feet are in the picture. Also maybe have her hug both knees or knees up more so that she is not hunched over. Great soft background too!

  • Vanessa Seaver
    February 3, 2014 at 6:59 PM

    I love the light and the soft background. I would also take a step back to get her feet in the picture and maybe have her not be so hunched over.

  • February 3, 2014 at 9:25 PM

    Such a beautiful girl! I really like the the warm glow and casual, intimate feel of this image! As others have mentioned a faster SS and more expansive framing would have been of benefit. I would also have experimented with putting the close arm on the outside of the leg which would break the leg line which currently takes the viewer’s eye downwards away from the face. With the arms around the legs, they may create a visual loop which keeps the viewer looking in the area of your center of interest, the model’s charming face. Having her sit upon a blanket that more closely matches the value of her pants and the grass would also help keep us looking at her face, since then her face would be the main light value, along w/ her hands (the eye is always drawn to lights especially when the area near to them is a dark value – this can be seen with the face and hair combo, but also in the light spot under her leg and the dark jeans. The former being a good thing, the later is distracting to me). I would probably dull the strong orange glow in the top fold of her ear slightly. This is a picky detail, but again a slight distraction from her beautiful face. Finally, and most importantly, I feel any mom would love this image….such a wonderful keepsake!

  • February 3, 2014 at 10:52 PM

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  • Lisa Westerdahl
    February 4, 2014 at 12:10 AM

    Love this sweet girls expression of thought and how clear it is. I would pull back a bit to include her feet if I did this different. It is a wonderful pose, and a wonderful intimate feel.

  • Irma Baker
    February 4, 2014 at 9:55 AM

    Many thanks everyone!! I knew I should have pulled back a little more to capture her feet too but this was taken when my daughter was not too in the mood to model so I didn’t take another shot for that reason but i so appreciate your comments so much! Thanks Courtney for featuring my picture:)

  • February 4, 2014 at 6:29 PM

    I feel as though I am late to the dance…I truly like the fact that the young lady isn’t smiling…don’t worry, the moody gets WAY more awesome about 7th grade (thus why I don’t teach 7th grade anymore)…but I often find that expressions other than smile-y tend to be lacking in a lot of portraiture…and it’s nice to be able to look back and remember a range of “facial expressions”. Clearly, the cropping has been mentioned so I will leave that one. The shutter speed maybe up to 1/125+ to make the image more crisp…I don’t know if “more light” was available…as in, if she moved to another spot in the yard the light would have played even more with her hair and face. Consider the knees propped up a tad more so it doesn’t necessarily look like she’s practically laying across her body? She doesn’t look “comfortable” so if maybe her knees were propped up just a bit more…not only does it add her feet back into the photograph, but it doesn’t create the neck bend at that angle. Her skin tone is lovely…would like to see her eyes reach out more from the photograph…either through post-processing or the tilt of her head to catch more light? It is a simple composition, which are often the best…I have been working on developing my aesthetic and I find that while there are some GREAT photos of “staged” shots like kids at lemonade stands and the like…that’s not “me”…and this young lady looks like she’d be happier with straightforward, uncluttered composition…like what you have done here. :)

  • Rachelle
    February 4, 2014 at 10:35 PM

    I love how relaxed she looks, I’d maybe open up your aperture a little and focus more on her eyes, and maybe warm up the photo more. But I really love how relaxed and calm she looks, not to “posed” :) good job!

  • February 6, 2014 at 2:40 PM

    I love the picture as a whole! The only thing I would change is the pose, it hurts my neck looking at it, I naturally feel as if I’m supposed to turn sideways. I think the brain likes having things in order the way they’re supposed to be. But that is really the only thing I would do different. :-)

  • Whitney Barlow
    February 24, 2014 at 5:11 PM

    I love the sunlight on her hair. I probably would back up a little to get her whole body I think it’s the crop but it makes me want to tilt my head to look at her face. I might also warm up the colors a bit more but I do like the softness to the photo. I might have also tried to play up the catchlights in her eyes post process or turned her a bit more towards the light .

  • March 8, 2014 at 10:21 PM

    Have a gdaughter about this age so I’ve used this pose many times. Everyone has mentioned the crop position so I think you have that point. I don’t like really bright spots in my photos of people….things that compete for attention. So if this were mine I would clone some grass over that spot behind her shoulder. The other grey spots are dark enough they do not compete. Going to be a knock out teenager.

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