Soft Focus Portrait

[Josh66]

2012021416 by J E, on Flickr

Taken with the Canon 135mm Soft Focus @f/2.8 with Soft set to 2.

Should have used a reflector (shadow under her chin is kinda distracting for me), but I didn't have anybody to hold it...

 

[timethief]

yes you've nailed the soft effect

 

[Derrel]

The soft focus effect does not quite work as well on this kind of lighting as it does on softer, gentler lighting. Her huge, wide pupils and the small pin-point eye catchlights make me think this is almost straight-ahead on-camera flash, or at least "bare flash"...It's hard to describe exactly why, but soft focus pictures made without lighting that matches the "soft" ethos do not seem quite right to me. Indoor candids, converted to B&W like this photo, versus outdoor, springtime-type natural light would be a good way to contrast the impact of this photo with a somewhat more optimal photo type and lighting scheme that many would consider optimal for creating the most-pleasing pictures using a soft-focus lens.

 

[MReid]

Sorry...to me this just looks out of focus.
Back off on the effect and bounce your flash off the wall or ceiling so you don't have that pin point catch light in the middle of here eye.