My first portrait attempt

Like it says, this is my first portrait attempt . It wasn't planned, I just asked my girlfriend to go sit on the rock so I could take her picture. It was shot with my Xti with the kit lens. I took a bunch but this was one of the better ones. There is only very mild editing done and no cropping. I know its probally terrible, but I was just looking for some advice to make it better next time. This park is 5 minutes from my house so I can easily reshoot the same shot with given advice. Thanks

the first thing i notice, she's not looking at the camera. show us her beautiful eyes

secondly - the flash is reflecting off her eyes ... and makes her look a little pale.

looks a little soft and (for the most part) popup flash is your portrait enemy.

Use a tripod or a faster shutter speed.

Get the flash off-camera (or diffused), or use natural lighting to your advantage.

She needs a lot more light on her face. Notice how her face is shadowed in comparison with her arms and shoulders.

I think it would also help if she turns her eyes to the camera.

I'm surprised you got off so cheaply. I asked my girlfriend once to go sit on a rock, and she told me to go sit on a tack

That's better then I could do and I also learn from the advice given. One thing that does stand out to me is the eyes looking away. The head tilt is nice.

If you don't have a flash then I would suggest using just natural light.

Also, when I shoot portraits, I usually use aperture priority (Av) mode and set the f number to the smallest number possible (maybe 1 or 2 clicks above the smallest number - depends on the lens and situation). This helps blur out the background and gives me a fast shutter speed. If you're using a kit lens you're not going to be able to get the f number that low (3.5 - 5.6), but every little bit helps.

She is too dark. I would either use flash (not on board) or a reflector.

i like the pose but have to agree the face needs a tad more lighting but i'm not pro so don't take anything i say to heart