Blondie (cc welcome and much needed)

Hey everyone.
Took these this evening - right after a big thunder storm.

i really like number 2

the compostion: great, the line of sight of her head and the treeline works well and it splits the photo at the right spot.
colors: the earth tones work well together, her jacket and the trees and her face and hands lit to contrast the dark background
mood and model: i like both, you got the right pose

Number 1:
i think the sunglasses are a small distraction, looks a little too posed but i like the idea you had for the shot

Robert,
Thanks for taking the time to give me some input. Much much appreciated.

The sunglasses ended up on her head at the last minute to keep them from sliding off the rock. But I see what you're saying. They were huge glasses!

I like the second one, nice lighting.

i'm kind of good at the rule of thirds and similar composition techniques. it comes naturaly to me, but, i think it's something you can train yourself to look for, like a cop learns to look for trouble or a talent agent learns to look for talent. just be aware of it. like, i'm trying to learn spanish so i practice little spanish words in my head throught the day. if you focus on it it will come a lot easier, a habit.

another concept besided thirds is the golden mean. look up golden mean and photography on google. should make for nice reading.

ps - maybe also post over in the critique section in the "sharing knowledge" section

Like wise the second shot is my pick. On the first picture whats the very thin black edging around her hands and arms?.....Shadows from the flash?

The one on the right is well done. A posture that is hardly done well and you made it quite pleasant.

Thanks for all the advice.

There are shadows on the first one against the rock. I was using flash with the fong diffuser.