Photo critique

[Chris Saper]

The lighting is just lovely, as are the background and model. I love the simplicity and restraint in the distribution of the values. Because the face and hands are so dramatically light, the placement of the hands is really so important - I think they need to be either together or placed in a way that supports movement within the picture. In the top image, the hands are so far to the right, that there is a bit too much tension, at least for me to feel comfortable. In the lower image the hands read as isolated islands of white, and the splayed fingers are awkward.

I would recommend more photos, paying special attention to the hands. Backing up a bit will help the photo distortion. I think this will be beautiful paintng.