Love and the Pearl

Alistair Wilson, 3 months ago

nice shot, i don’t know much about portraiture either but i like it!

Sarah Moore, 3 months ago

It conveys exactly the mood that was intended – her eyes are amazing! I love the fact that the light is on her face while his is in shadow.

KEITH R. WILL..., 3 months ago

very romantic

Chris Cohen, 3 months ago

beautiful lighting, well thought out posing, excellent in almost every way. my thoughts are these – her hand puts a divider between her face and his which is not good body lanuage; it’s a divider – a wall. if you had taken her hand (the same one) and placed it on the right side of his face (covering the ear – left side of the photograph) that hand becomes an encompasser, drawing him closer (apparently) to herself and not only making them more united but embracing of each other. here, he looks as though he wants her to be with him always but she looks as though she wants him in part i.e. she’s not sure if she’s as commited as him – she actually looks flattered, not commited, and if that’s what you wanted you have been 100% successful.

this is my opinion and you want feedback. many may disagree with me. a portrait of a couple in love is never a portrait of the people, but a portrait of their love and so the placement of their hands, faces, their expressions, the use of lighting etc is all used to accomplish this.
if you can get hold of a couple and experiment with things you will find out what works.

go down to the local park where couples make love to each other with their eyes and body language – observe it and emulate that in your portraiture. you’ll be a roaring success. be warned though, it can take years of practise to get it right. see my portrait of a couple in love – taken as part of their wedding photography here and see if this conveys to you what i have just said.

Chris !:)

zacco, 3 months ago

wicked m8

Geoff Coleman in reply to Sarah Moore’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks Sarah – I wanted to create the impression that she was “aglow” with their romance.

Geoff Coleman in reply to Chris Cohen’s comment, 3 months ago

Well thank you for taking the time to critique this image in such depth Chris – I really appreciate it. You make some very interesting points and I will definitely be alert to the more subtle body language of couples.

Douzy, 3 months ago

Hi Geoff. I really like the composition and lighting of this. I like the fact that she is in the light and he is in the shadow (a bit of yin/yang here…), although some people may argue that they should be both lit the same way – but it works for me.
I agree with the hand though (not that much that it creates a divider – which can actually be cute if in the early stage of their romance she’s a bit shy, although in this case I think she had been with him for some time?), but to me the hand looks a bit too “posed”. I mean who in real life puts their hand like this when embraced by their partner? The pose would look more intimate and natural without the hand. Apart fromt hat I really like everyhting about it, her expression is perfect and I like the muted tones of the background.

Geoff Coleman, 3 months ago

Thanks Douzy – very much appreciate you taking the time to write all that. The pose was Alison’s request – she’d seen it on the cover of a video “Girl with a Pearl Earing” from memory and wanted to do her version of it. I quite liked the idea because it emphasises the Mills and Boon romantic fantasy that she is making real in the image by having him there if that makes sense. The hand and head cocked to one side is the classic “daydream” pose.

george1208, 3 months ago

GREAT SHOT.

Rose Moxon, 3 months ago

geoff this is sensitive and wonderful