I think you've captured an interesting and natural gesture. From a technical point of view, I would attempt to clarify the dark side of the eyes and upper lip, and in return, I would obscure a little the brightest parts of the hair.

You did a nice job of isolating the subject and getting good exposure in spite of the wide range of contrast.  Her expression is a bit intense, but I do think the portrait smoothing worked well.

You captured an interesting moment—not a smiling face, but an intensive expression. I learned something from this about which moments to shoot.

         She certainly has a different expression than the usual smile.  I would dodge the neck area just to help the portrait.  She certainly has a lot of hair.  Good image.

Everyone likes a pretty young girl, and this is a likeable one.  It’s obviously a bright sunny day as one can tell from the shadows, which are not appropriate for a portrait, but this is not a portrait, so:  OK.  The stark black of the jacket really makes the features and hair stand out, and the lights are not blown out.  Nice image in a difficult lighting situation.

I have been in love with photography all of my life.  I started when I bought a used Rolliflex from Willoughby’s Camera shop in New York City when in High School. In those days I processed my work in a basement darkroom and joined my first Camera Club in 1953. From then until now I have been a member of various camera clubs shooting and competing.

      I enjoy the process, the creativity and the idea of competing in photography. I feel the competition makes me strive to be better.

      I have spent the most part of my professional and personal life working in one art form or another. I owned a textile design and manufacturing company and have won numerous awards for design and color. In my spare time I have worked with many mediums from paint to copper sculpture and many others in between. I have found that my most enjoyment is with the camera.

      I am now retired in Southern Florida and am a member of the Boynton Beach Camera club.

      I use a Nikon D-90 with primarily two lenses, the Nikon VR 18-200mm and the Nikon VR 70-300mm which gives me the versatility of the shoots I enjoy.

      I also enjoy the creativity of Photoshop and all of the other rapidly changing technology.

  I am looking forward to our new group and developing my techniques in Monochromatic.

      I am also active in the Star program in PSA and go to the seminars given by NAPP.

      Living in South Florida I find it is difficult to find subject matter, so my Wife and I do a lot of traveling with my quest to capture the shot.