Hi all,
Not gonna say a word about this picture till I get some feedback on it. All I will say is that this is a shot of my friend. Feel free to tell me whatever you want when it comes to outfit, pose, lighting, mood, and what the picture says to you (if anything). Thanks!



UPDATE 7/6/2020: First of all thanks for all the comments. Now let me give some background on this picture. So I got the Godox AD400Pro, an outdoor flash, and I've been slowly testing it out. The other day my friends and I decided to go to the beach, so I asked Melissa, the girl in the picture, if she wanted to model for a test shoot since she has done it before. She agreed.

Anyway, Melissa showed up wearing that dress and I told her that I had no idea what the pictures would look like, since at first, I didn't really see the dress as "beachy". Then, as I started shooting, things started popping into my head. First, to me she kinda looks like Christina Ricci from the Addams Family Movie, which is something I have told her before and she's heard many times. Second, the water sparkling like that reminded me of The Little Mermaid. Third, I knew I wanted to create something dramatic.

So I asked one friend to hold the flash with an umbrella on Melissa's left side and another to hold a reflector on the right. Then I used HSS to get the shot, not an ND filter. The result really amused me, because it all looked so over the top on the back of my camera, so I took a few shots. When I got home, I flipped through the images and the one you see here stood out to me the most, because In my mind, it looks like a poster for a TV show about someone with a dark past or something. Maybe for a dark comedy. I also liked how on one side it was light because of the sparkling water and the other was dark, like two sides to this character's personality. That's where my brain went so I posted it here to see what people would think.

I'm glad most of you got what I was trying to put across. I wasn't sure what people would say at all lol. Anyway, if anyone has any other feedback feel free to leave it. By the way, to the person that stated that because I have a degree I shouldn't ask any questions, I disagree with that. I ask questions so I can continue to learn and grow.

Any image can be picked apart for any number of reasons.

I would have placed Her left of the frame so Her gaze is into and across the image but overall I like it.

AD400 Pro?

If you move the model to the left, you lose the sun reflecting off the water. That could be remedied by a complete shift of camera and lighting and in that setting it might be difficult t change on the fly IMO, it's a small fault that is compensated by the lighting effect of sun on water. It's an interesting image. I like the use of light. Very moody.

As for the model herself, it's not a flattering image, though that's not always the purpose of the image. The dark under her eyes is a little heavy for my liking, but it kind of goes with the dour expression.

It all works  to project a dark foreboding mood.  Reminds me of a book cover of a mystery novel.

The sun reflection on the water is a good point. I would move her a bit to her left, maintain her slight turn to her right, and have her look to her right.

Then I would place the fill flash on camera left. I believe that would complement the ambient light rather than fighting it.

I like the shot, even though the model is stationary it feels dynamic in her pose with the wind moving her hair and the wave movement at her legs which brings me to the her other leg it feels really too dark imo, and the crop might be a little tight but oth?

technically the picture is great! the sense of motion and richness of color and shadows is awesome,
the expression on the subjects face, is... slightly off putting but at the same time thats something interesting in itself.
it reads to me like a kind of like a frown / dont like what im looking at expression. which is uncommon with that sort of scenery. nothing wrong with that. its what makes the photo atypical

I like this image!

There's a lot that's good technically, but her facial expression really disturbs me.

As I don't know the context of the shot, nor what it is meant to convey, I don't know if that means that you were successful at what you were trying to accomplish, or not.  But it does attract attention...

Just my two cents worth!

It looks like the blacks have been crushed pretty hard, a heavy ND filter. and a fairly hard flash.  I'd guess this is not as-shot.
'Kind of interesting.

As a model, I love the pose and setting, and the model is quite attractive with a nice figure and her dress shows that shape off really well.  I'm with the others who find her expression doesn't really suit the pose, since she doesn't look happy. The photo leaves me wondering why she has that expression. If that's what you were going for, then it's a great success.  I've sometimes been asked to present poses or expressions which are somewhat out of the ordinary expectation, so I can easily see how well this photo works in that regard.

I really like it a lot. I agree that where you put her in the frame works for this shot, but usually I use the model's gaze for a guide. I like the light a lot, though her left leg/dress is a wee bit too dark.

The expression is definitely not happy or even neutral. She does seem distressed. But, it actually adds to the picture because it gives the viewer something to think about. It looks like a REAL expression, not "I'm posing for the camera." When I shoot, I am always trying to get into the model's head. It is always my hope that a picture conveys something about the model other than her bodily appearance or fashion choices.

I think it's a great shot in terms of lighting and composition. There is a narrative aspect that makes me want to know more about this woman and the photo.

You guys are really nice.   Its a horrible photo.   The model looks awful (not saying she isn't attractive) but she looks bad in that image.   OP you have a degree in photography and should never have to ask anyone what they think.

UPDATED THE ORIGINAL POST :-)

Read through all of the posts and the update and I think it is a great photo!  It conveys an overwhelming emotion but the viewer is not sure what that emotion is!  Anger, determination, a dark purpose, disgust, etc.?  The model conveys it so well (even if unintentional) that it seems to have disturbed some of the commenters!  It should be a compliment to you and the model for sparking conflicting comments, you provoked thought!

Great capture for a hardware test!

For me this photo shows her off best

I wish you well

It adds a touch of mystery. I personally am not a big fan of 3 to one or 4 to one dark/light contrast ratios. I personally prefer even lighting on both sides - well almost anyway. I like one side just barely being just a touch darker the the other. As far as this photo goes I would have had his red lit red side look as though you are appearing at it through the  keyhole of a door (peekaboo I see you) - you know ---  an old fashioned door keyhole  whose shape sort of resembles  a vertical line at the bottom and rounded looking area at the top).