On Fish

The washed-out look is perfect for the restful mood of the image. The textures of the fabric, hair, skin, and book are complimentary to each other, and in combination with the blurred background they keep the focus on the foreground and the model where it needs to be. The line of the pose is nice and sedate, which helps enhance the mood. The pop of color from the lipstick is good-- it isn't vibrant enough to distract from the overall image, but it keeps the washed-out look from making the model look ill. The choice to use a warmer lighting effect on certain areas of the model while keeping the rest of the image in cooler tones was a wonderful idea. It draws the focus immediately to her face, where naturally the eye wants to start at the book. Excellent tactic to direct viewers where you want them to start looking.

I must say I'm not fond of the pillow detail seen between the book and the model. That little bit of pattern breaks the image flow at that point for me. The vibration of the fingers on the hand turning the page does it, as well. Everything else in that focal range is crystal clear, and the blurry fingers introduce action into the image that shouldn't be there. Next time, perhaps resting them on the book to keep them still would be a better choice. I'm also not fond of the eyeshadow... It's a good color, but there's so much of it that it looks messy. With such a clean image everywhere else, the sweep of the shadow onto the temples and bridge of the nose isn't really appropriate in such a dark color. I think maybe a lighter complimentary color would have been a better choice if the sweeping effect was wanted, just to keep in the same mood as the rest of the image.

Overall, the image is very interesting, and very thoughtful. Definitely a lovely piece of art! It was well-planned, beautifully shot and well-edited. The only reason I can't give more than a 3 on originality is because, let's face it, a woman reading isn't exactly the most unique image idea in the universe. Keep up the good work, though, it's definitely paying off for you!