I shot the mayor.

[terri]

I think your second post is a great improvement; much warmer tones. She has a really pleasant smile and the lighting is good.

My only nit is that she is doing that "finger-gripping" thing that many people do when they don't know what to do with their hands. Standing at casual attention for a portrait like this (it can be seen a lot in wedding party pictures, too) causes people to reach for their own hands and grip their fingers, making them look uncomfortable despite their facial expressions. Men can sometimes assume a stance of placing one hand over the opposite wrist, but that can be seen as perhaps too masculine for women. If she is not comfortable dropping her hands at her sides, slightly turning thumbs forward, then suggest a small prop - a document, etc. Here, I would just crop it out and let it be a head and shoulders shot, letting the badge show - but that's a personal preference.

My two cents!

 

[Granddad]

I think your second post is a great improvement; much warmer tones. She has a really pleasant smile and the lighting is good.

My only nit is that she is doing that "finger-gripping" thing that many people do when they don't know what to do with their hands. Standing at casual attention for a portrait like this (it can be seen a lot in wedding party pictures, too) causes people to reach for their own hands and grip their fingers, making them look uncomfortable despite their facial expressions. Men can sometimes assume a stance of placing one hand over the opposite wrist, but that can be seen as perhaps too masculine for women. If she is not comfortable dropping her hands at her sides, slightly turning thumbs forward, then suggest a small prop - a document, etc. Here, I would just crop it out and let it be a head and shoulders shot, letting the badge show - but that's a personal preference.

My two cents!

I don't like the hand gripping thing either but it seems that's the way all the other mayors posed over the years. I didn't think about using a document - a scroll would have worked nicely! I tried to get her to go for head and shoulders but nothing doing. Thanks for the tip, I'll try to remember that next time.