Mercedes

[DanOstergren]

One of my favorite shots I took of my friend Mercedes the other day. I find the raw and powerful emotion to be incredibly beautiful. I wish I would have arranged the flowers in her hair to be a little more aesthetically organized though.

 

[bribrius]

the one in her mouth isn't really working for me. Actually none of it is. But its nice you are helping a friend in need good job with that.

 

[mmaria]

Everything in the picture states that she is clearly going trough some difficult times. And all I get is sorrow, pain, suffering... She is beautiful but the emotions shown, the place where you put her, the way how you capture her, are so strong that "beautiful" is not what I read here.

Have you done some pictures where you captured her smiling? where perhaps the hope is captured?

jmo of course

 

[DanOstergren]

Everything in the picture states that she is clearly going trough some difficult times. And all I get is sorrow, pain, suffering... She is beautiful but the emotions shown, the place where you put her, the way how you capture her, are so strong that "beautiful" is not what I read here.

Have you done some pictures where you captured her smiling? where perhaps the hope is captured?

jmo of course

My idea of beauty is sometimes just not what would typically be considered beauty. I find the raw emotion and lack of a happy "mask" to be where the beauty comes from in this shot.

 

[DanOstergren]

the one in her mouth isn't really working for me. Actually none of it is. But its nice you are helping a friend in need good job with that.

Sorry you don't like it. I'm assuming you don't like the lighting or processing either?

 

[mmaria]

My idea of beauty is sometimes just not what would typically be considered beauty. I find the raw emotion and lack of a happy "mask" to be where the beauty comes from in this shot.

My idea of beauty also isn't what would typically be considered beauty.

Because you said she wanted to feel beautiful. I put myself in her position, as if I was going trough divorce, and told you my opinion based on that feeling. If that was me on the picture I would just see emotions because they're so strong. Two years from now, when I see the picture, again, the first thing is emotion and then beauty.
I'm highly emotional person and all I'm thinking about are her emotions. She is beautiful of course, but the amount of her true feelings is overpowering. I repeat, this is just me.

Maybe I shouldn't write this in the first place because I couldn't see the picture objectively. Someone else, who wont be that "story oriented" will agree entirely with you.

This all doesn't mean that I don't like the photo, don't get me wrong. I think it's a very strong and powerful photograph and I like it very much.

 

[IzzieK]

For me the processing is really good nice and sharp. It is the expression of the shot that is very disturbing...to be beautiful inside despite the pain is sometimes very hard to put out there but the flower in the her face doesn't do justice to the beauty that she is physically. Just my opinion. What do I know...???

 

[DanOstergren]

My idea of beauty is sometimes just not what would typically be considered beauty. I find the raw emotion and lack of a happy "mask" to be where the beauty comes from in this shot.

My idea of beauty also isn't what would typically be considered beauty.

Because you said she wanted to feel beautiful. I put myself in her position, as if I was going trough divorce, and told you my opinion based on that feeling. If that was me on the picture I would just see emotions because they're so strong. Two years from now, when I see the picture, again, the first thing is emotion and then beauty.
I'm highly emotional person and all I'm thinking about are her emotions. She is beautiful of course, but the amount of her true feelings is overpowering. I repeat, this is just me.

Maybe I shouldn't write this in the first place because I couldn't see the picture objectively. Someone else, who wont be that "story oriented" will agree entirely with you.

This all doesn't mean that I don't like the photo, don't get me wrong. I think it's a very strong and powerful photograph and I like it very much.

I think I'm just going to change the description. We all have our opinions about WHY a photo is taken and how beauty and feeling should be conveyed, and in my opinion I don't like to cover up the emotion of how someone is feeling. To me it would be a dis-service to her to cover her with a facade that isn't true to her feelings or what she is going through right now. I think it would be a failure as an emotive portrait to just capture something that doesn't reflect both the photographer and subject, and to me capturing the raw emotion (which is truly one of the most challenging aspects of portrait photography) is highly important. My style as an artist isn't just to tell someone to look over their shoulder and smile at the camera; maybe 3 years ago I would have been satisfied by that.

As for the flower, it will resonate with some and not with others and that is perfectly fine. I like it, but what do I know?

 

[mmaria]

One of my favorite shots I took of my friend Mercedes the other day. I find the raw and powerful emotion to be incredibly beautiful. I wish I would have arranged the flowers in her hair to be a little more aesthetically organized though.

With this description, the picture is everything you wanted it to be and if this was the description in the first place I would just say : It's a beautiful photograph and you did a great job showing her!

We all have our opinions about WHY a photo is taken and how beauty and feeling should be conveyed, and in my opinion I don't like to cover up the emotion of how she is feeling. To me it would be a dis-service to her to cover her with a facade that isn't true to her feelings or what she is going through right now.

With the original description or with the description on how and why the photo is taken (not just for this picture, but in general), a viewer see much more and understand much more. I couldn't be objective because I sympathize with her.

Even now, when you edited your description, you influenced on a viewer in a sense that now he/she will certainly see what you saw and wanted to capture. There is no a personal story about your subject and I can see her as a subject of a photograph.

I hope I explained well.

One of the reason I like your photographs is that you show true emotions in a person.

 

[manaheim]

I'm saying this with no mean intentions at all... just being honest...

My instant reaction was "It looks like she just ate a ton of flowers, has them crammed full into her mouth, and is thinking about throwing up."

Dunno if that matches your unique view of beauty, but...

 

[DanOstergren]

I'm saying this with no mean intentions at all... just being honest...

My instant reaction was "It looks like she just ate a ton of flowers, has them crammed full into her mouth, and is thinking about throwing up."

Dunno if that matches your unique view of beauty, but...

LMAO! That's hilarious!
I don't see that, but to each their own... Have a nice day now.

 

[runnah]

I am not sure on this one Dan. Normally I get it right away with one of your shots but this one seems to be a bit dis organized. The concept is there but I think it wasn't fully realized.

 

[pixmedic]

aesthetically i can kinda dig this one, I like the setting, I like the lighting, i like the subject.... but I do have some issues.
I find the OOF flowers in her hair distracting. my eyes keep going from the in focus flower in her mouth, to the OOF flowers in her hair.
I think if the flowers in her hair were meant to be important, then they should have been in focus.
the other weird bit that keeps snagging my attention is the fabric over her right shoulder. (camera left) It got bunched up when she leaned against the stone, where it is not on the other side...i dunno...it just keeps my attention away from her face.

honestly, im just not seeing the "wow" you are seeing here Dan. I see emotion here, I see beauty, but it looks to me like she just sorta plopped down there, tossed a few flowers behind her, and had you take a picture.

 

[kanuski]

Although I like your style and many of your photos are favorites of mine, this is not one of them. Maybe because I don`t understand why she has a white flower in her mouth. Aside from that there are three questions/comments I have about this.
1. Why the orange print shirt? I think the shirt and her pose make her shoulders like big and distracting.
2. Would narrow lighting make her look better?
3. Why is she looking at the camera? It kind of makes me uncomfortable. Maybe because I don`t understand why she is looking at me with a white flower in her mouth.