Not diggin' this one so much ... the detail in her forehead kinda tells on the blown out areas of her face for me.
imo ... natural lighting (shaft of light vibe) wouldn't have that kind fall off such that someone walking upon her would be able to discern forehead detail, but not facial detail. It leads me to wonder if it is "overcooked" just a bit. Any chance the original has the detail such that you can pull it back a bit to make the cheek/nose area a bit more congruous with the forehead area?
What I was getting at, in my oblique and incoherent way, was to pose the question, what's the subject's story? Is she a crime victim? A tired commuter? A bag lady asleep under a bridge?
AuntiPode wrote:
What I was getting at, in my oblique and incoherent way, was to pose the question, what's the subject's story? Is she a crime victim? A tired commuter? A bag lady asleep under a bridge?
So I guess one question is, does the image stimulate enough interest and curiosity about the "story", or does it need something more to suggest a particular story?
Backstory: taking during the Composition Intensive Workshop in Savannah in the fall. Broad goal was "portrait" images and most of us chose the Lensbaby challenge. I may share a few more Lensbaby portraits of Rosemary, my "partner" for this exercise. You have previously seen a cute little girl with red ribbons in her hair, taken during this shoot.
You've placed a question mark after your title, so I will answer by saying that the clothing didn't match the title for me for it to be Film Noir.
My first impression is that of a woman soaking in the sun on a cold day. She's getting some good old-fashioned vitamin D; something I can relate to. But, I also see where there's room for the interpretations already mentioned.
Maybe a bit more environment in this portrait would clarify, unless of course you are after a bit of ambiguity, which I can also understand.
It leaves me with my classic "What's your point" that you are trying to achieve/present to the viewer? If you don't know what it is ... then how is the viewer supposed to know what it is, if you didn't "establish" it in your image first?
For me, I never could establish what I thought "your point" was on this one ... yearning for an additional "clue" or two. It has a bit of visual interest ... but it leaves me "out in the cold" with little direction.
When I look at her forehead, it seems to have a tenseness to it. When I look at her lips, it seems like she is relaxed or trying to hold back a smile/grin ... as if she's pretending one thing, but can't contain quite contain it. I'm not sure if she's trying to be relaxed, but isn't ... or if she's trying to be serious, but finds it funny.
I may be reading into it too much, but it also adds to the confusion for me ... without the benefit of more info to clarify your point.
Tim and Kent,
Thanks to both of you for further feedback and detailed observations.
Kent,
I think your thoughtful analysis is right on target. Something missing contextual and perhaps some conflict between style/expression and processing.
