[hails]

hello all,
this is my first photo i have posted so be kind
I would like to know what you think. This is a picture of my little girl charlotte on a recent rainy day i have coloured a black and white image i have only coloured her hat but do you think i need to also colour her jumper as it is the same texture as the hat? your input would be fantastic cheers

[Don Schaeffer]

I think this is a sentimental winner. The coloration makes it look antique.

--Don

[matthew]

I think it's a great photo as is, and she's really cute. I like just the hat being coloured.

Colouring her jumper is tempting. I'm afraid that it will make the image lose its black and white feel, and the two sections of colour will distract our attention from her expression. I'd suggest giving in to the temptation, but do only a very basic job. The less time and effort it takes, the less you'll feel like you're supposed to like the results.

Since you have the model with you, there are some possibilities for a re-shoot. The blown out area in the sky keeps drawing my eye to the top of the frame, so if possible, re-compose (or crop) to eliminate it. Also, something to reflect the window light back into her face would help me see her beautiful face. (A white towel, book, professional studio reflector... whatever you have handy.) Flash would be wrong; you just need a little more light to fill in the shadows without destroying the haloing effect.

But, as I said before, it's a great photo as it is, good work.

[EnglishBob]

What you have works for me, great shot.

And Welcome to Shuttertalk.

[Petographer]

What Mathew said are some very good points that I don't think I could add to. Leave the image the way it is. I really like the monotone you have chosen and the pink hat. Well done and welcome to the friendliest forum on the web.

[Irma]

Welcome to Shuttertalk Hails,

I think the same as Matthew, he gave a very complete and constructive critique here. What I did with your picture was to crop top because of the blown out sky and a bit of the bottom to leave out Charlotte's hands. They are not complete in the original picture so I think it is better to crop this part of the picture. As she is looking at the right I cropped a bit of the left side to give more room to the side she is looking at and also to place her at the left of your picture. Unfortunately, the picture after the crop turned a bit square. I lit her face and pullover as well, to appreciate a bit more Charlotte's face.

Please feel free to disagree if you don't like my try.

Irma.

[hails]

i do like what you have done Irma thank-you it focuses more on her with less background around her
and thank-you everyone for your replies i will have to wait till it rains again and try another shoot or i guess i could just get the hose out and pretend its raining

[shuttertalk]

G'day hails, and welcome. Certainly a gem of a shot you have there - love the rainy backdrop and your daugther is very cute. Oh, and the coloured hat is a great touch - it's fine as it is.

I was going to suggest a crop something along the lines of what Irma did, but letting it go all the way to the bottom of the frame (so including the hands).



Something like this... I think having the body visible adds volumes, as you can see more of her body language.

[Schellamo]

I like her expression....it suits the rainy day. I'm not a real fan of selective colouring, but I like this. If you wanted to do the jumper too, you could do them both but make them both more desaturated and subtle....

I don't know, what do you think?

[matthew]

The various crops, while all helping to focus attention on Charlotte, lose something from the original. Children are small. With the tighter framing, the vulnerability is lost and it changes my understanding of her expression. If anything, I'd like to see more space, especially to her left. There's something to her right: the puzzle of what is part of the charm. Putting space above and to the left of her would increase the sense of her diminutive stature, without decreasing the power of her gaze.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into this...

Regardless, these are all questions of artistic choice and intentions. The photographer's message may not be the one I would have chosen with the same subject; this is to be celebrated. The choices being made differently does not make them wrong.

(I shouldn't type when I'm tired...I tend to speak in italics.)

[hails]

everyone has their own ideas and interpretations while looking at exactly the same subject its these differences we all have that make us individual and unique.
I love what eveyone has done with my picture I will have to try more things with my original before I get it printed and framed