:)

I would agree with others that it is cropped too close on the left side. It makes the viewers uncomfortable (for lack of better words) when they can't see what the subject in the photo is looking at when cropped too close (if that makes sense). I've attached an example for you. Although may not be the best composition photo for this example I think you'll get what I'm going for. :)

incorrectly cropped


correctly cropped

too funny

Awesome!

Although it's not a "rule" per say...the silver is used more for flash photography, the gold is used for outdoor photography and the white is used for either. You want to match the reflector to the type of light conditions you're shooting in to keep the color (light color) balanced through your shot. The exception would be if you're trying for something a little different or some other effect.

Read your camera manual FIRST. Then like everyone says here, take LOTS of photos. A great resource, however, that I found very useful back in the day is Bryan Peterson 's "Understanding Exposure". He does a wonderful job of explaining how ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed work together. GREAT book. You can view/purchase it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328449957&sr=8-1#_

Welcome to the forum!
Happy shooting!

I LIVE on Coke :)

Well that's a pretty bold statement. I would have to disagree completely. Unless it's a fact that the first time you use manual mode you're supposed to be an expert and can never make a mistake. Even the highest paid "pros" in the world are going to make mistakes once in a while. Could you imagine if the world never made mistakes on things they try? We then wouldn't have sticky notes, french fries, coke-a-cola, pennicillin, plastic and many, many other things. For example, coke was accidentally made by a pharmacist who was trying to make a cure for headaches...but eventually, a headache cure was found.

So I guess my point is, just because you made a mistake, doesn't mean you look at your work as failure. Embrace it, learn from it and heck, it may even be worth something!

I have an epson Artisan 835 and love it! But it is also a scanner, photocopier and runs on the wireless. I feel Epsons are fantastic printers.

Thank you. I actually did crop it after I posted because I noticed the same thing :) I got rid of the grass to her left and now follows the rule of thirds better.

Adobe Photoshop CS4

Yes! I've had others say she looks like a "Twilight" girl :)

Well thank you so much! Yes, she is very beautiful!

The b&w does look nice. I'll play with it some and repost later. :)

Haven't tried b&w yet but I'll have to give that a try. And yes, her skin seems a bit pastey. I think the light was just a little flat so that doesn't help either. Thanks for your input. Happy Shooting