Comments on a candid shot

[Boosting1Bar]

Hi gang, I'd like your opinions and advice on this shot. I basically just snapped a few shots of my gf on the porch this afternoon while she was sitting out there. They turned out okay, but I'm always up for advice on getting better shots. Thanks for comments or critique you can offer!
http://webpages.charter.net/brandonw/carmen.jpg

[new girl on the bloc]

i would like this photo a lot more if her eyes were looking a different direction; either at the camera, demurely downcast or not quite so far off in the distance, which makes for an awkward pose.

the vehicle in the background also adds a distraction factor as does the stains on the siding of the house, imo.


the lighting on her face is very nice and warm :D

[motophoto]

I'm all about tight cropping. One thing that i have learned with shooting candid portraits...you are never too close.

I do also agree with New Girl in saying that the subjects eyes seem to "wandering" It would be nice if they were turned a little closer to the camera.

Also, next time, try and cut back on the background. either drop that DOF to blur it, or shoot with less stuff back there.

Keep Shooting! The best thing is that we are digital! If we dont keep taking pictures, we will never learn!

[motophoto]

i messed with your picture a little bit, I hope you dont mind.

I tried to eliminate as much ambient stuff as possible and also tried to draw focus towards the subject.

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=2905433&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1

[Boosting1Bar]

I took quite a few more and this was the first I pulled off. After I started snapping some I brought her eyes more towards the cam and a few with her looking down. They are better, but the lighting on them is horrible, the sun had gone down and the flash was making it too false looking. Oh well...

[Mark Kemp]

A minor point - its not really a candid if the subject knows you are taking the picture.

If they are posing, as she obviously is, then its a portrait.

As a casual portrait its fine, well exposed etc. genrally decent quality.

The eyes out of picture pose is something that you wanted and maybe is something she does and you find attractive, but it doesn't have general appeal.

But the main thing (as motophoto has shown) is the cluttered background. If it was a true candid, snapped on the fly without your subject being aware, then you get what you get. A posed shot like this, if it is going to be more than a family album pic, should be set more carefully. For example she seems to be next to a board wall which is a fairly plain colour, could you have moved round and used that as the background?