Thanks for your thoughts, Mark. I appreciate them a great deal.
You're welcome!
There's a bit of discussion starting WRT to the black mass on the left.
Just so y'all know, there is a bit of detail on the print, that's not showing on the scan. Not a lot, but it's there, just some barely visible loose strands of Lucies black hair, and yes, they do provide a bit of relief on the print.
This is only a working 8x10, I'm sure that you're right, and that a bit more detail could be burned out in future prints.
Just a little detail there to break up the solid black is all you need. When I pulled it into photoshop and lightened it I could see a bit in there.
I'm glad you noticed the grey area top left (I think it's an A/C unit or something - doesn't matter, it's there). I kind of like the way it balances things, too. Thanks for noticing.
Actually, I got my left and right mixed up... No problem with the top left though. But the other top left (top _right_) really reinforces the right figure as a strong center of interest in this shot. The lines all sort of converge and point in toward her, and then the eye gets swept into the strong horizontal composition, which is expressed in many mays (I just now noticed how the hand-shadow / lock of hair add yet another horizontal element.)
Ideally, a faint light area moving from the lower left towards the center will not only open up the shadow there, but echo/compliment/balance the design elements in the upper right.
Put all that together with subject matter that has amplified relevance (at least here in the states these days) and you've got one kick-ass image!
- MCC -----
Mark Cassino Photography
Kalamazoo, MI
http://www.markcassino.com
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