Hi Patrick,

The internet (especially Youtube) has lots of tips & lessons on all kinds of photography. Having said this, you with a camera in hand can be called a creative director. What appeals to you, may not appeal to another. Don't worry too much about the 'opinion of others' if you are happy or satisfied with your end results. We are all human & we will always have our opinion whether good or bad.

However, we can offer you suggestions which should ALWAYS be taken with a pinch of salt.

I was fortunate to train in advanced fashion photography & lighting techniques under Lindsay Adler (fashion photographer from NY) as I love trying out different types of photography. I am fairly good at it, but I am happier shooting wildlife & sports (as it enjoy them both).

First thing that we learned was 'how to pose'. If we as photographers dont know how to pose, our subjects (unless pro models) would probably not know what they were doing.

There is no right or wrong in your photograph, but I would have done the following differently;

1) Lighting - I would use an off camera flash. This would give me fair amount of control in the direction of light.

2) Aperture: I would NOT shoot wide open unless I want to blur everything out except the point of focus. Having said that, f4 to 5 is usually ideal if you are using a flash. This would help sharpen the subject & also give more contrast to the background (make it darker, but not blur it). If i keep the same settings as you have done, it would be for a portrait of her face (only), but the eyes would need to be in the same plain to stay in focus.

3) Posing: I wouldnt pose her like that. We need to realise that every woman wants to look beautiful / attractive. If you find that you can improve her pose, just show her how to do it. I wouldnt pose a woman square to the camera (as pointed out by someone else too)
A) I would lower her leading shoulder (left as per her body direction) & separate it from the chin. Women look better with an outstretched neck (not strained) as it gives them an elegant look.
B) I would get her to bend her leading leg slightly in front & get her to put her hand on her thigh.
C) I would get her to put her right hand on her hip with the fingers showing slightly in front & get her to arch her back a bit while pointing her elbow outwards instead of sticking to her body. This would help make her body a bit flattering.
D) I would position her a little more to the right so that her fingers dont blend with the background. The orange/ red brick wall could give her fingers a little contrast when compared to the brown wood.
E) Surroundings are critical while taking images & every photographer needs to be aware of this. I am NOT referring to the background, but the floor. I would NOT keep little pieces of wood or scrap lying around near her feet. The little items tend to merge with body parts & if cleared earlier saves you trouble with post processing.

Please note that this is what I would have done differently & I am not criticizing what you as an artist have done.

Keep trying different things & have fun. Everyday is a new learning experience for me too & I'm having fun.

Best regards,
Keyur

I can understand your asking.
Here's a few suggestions I've leaned trying to do portrait photography:

1) Establish eye contact between the viewer and the subject.
2) Avoid annoying shapes and lines (such as the vertical lines of left side and the diagonal ones on the right side.
3) Eliminate anything that would compete with the subject.
4) indoor lighting without a nearby window can be tricky and requires the photographer to play around with different lighting combinations.
5) Try different portrait sizes: full body (as in your shot), head and shoulders, head only, top half of body, etc.,
6) Try different bodily poses: facing left or right, or off-center).
7) Provide sufficient space top and bottom, left and right, so the subject doesn't appear to be cramped in the frame

I'm sure you'll receive other suggestions, so thanks for the thread.

With due respect, I feel the background is too dirty for the clothing the model is wearing. It is also cluttered as evidenced in the piece of wood on the floor between her feet. There is also a piece of something that appears to be piercing her left foot. The area where the model is standing is also too busy and distracting. I don't care for her pose with her legs open as they are. It just doesn't strike me as a natural pose, at least in that environment. If the area was cleaned up to be not so distracting and the chimney was farther behind her and somewhat out of focus it might be turned into a good photo back drop.

Good luck with your photography,

Dennis