It's an attention-grabbing angle, but the image is soft and lacking contrast. I think some more work in post could save it, but as is... does nothing for me, sorry.
on my monitor there is a strong magenta cast. I also agree it is too flat and soft. the background is very distracting, and the way her arm follows her nose is a bit of a put off for my eyes.
No need to apologize. This is what C&C is for. Contrast: I've tried adding more contrast to this image and it just doesn't seem to look right. I don't seem to have a very good eye for how much to use, and I think, in general, I rarely use enough...something to strive towards I suppose... Softness: I actually did that in post (using an inverted High Pass Filter)...I was under the impression that portraits SHOULD be soft...did I just go too far? I've looked at it on two separate monitors (although neither are calibrated), and haven't noticed any significant color casts; maybe it's time to invest in a monitor calibration tool... Thanks for your inputs guys! - Alex
Indeed; methinks Ann needs some colour calibration. I feel the pose is a bit off, and is that vignetting? I'm not a fan of vignetting, particularly in B&W photos. That may be adding to the perceived lack of contrast. It does still need more contrast though. As for the pose, her arm is too extended for my liking (see that bone sticking out, and it follows her nose), and her head is turned too far camera right; her neck is gone so it looks like her head has no foundation.
