Five in a row

This is my first post, i'm trying to upload pictures that haven't been seen on the gallery but i'm struggling a little, this is my niece Mia taken at a family party, natural light.
F6.3 ISO 100 Tamron 18-200

Maria

I think that this is a lovely portrait.

I like the use of B&W and the shallow DoF. It's nice and sharp where it needs to be and has good catch-lights in her eyes.

The part of a bow on her sleave and the part logo on her top are a bit distracting to me. I would either crop a fraction higher to get them out or if the original has them in full, then get them all in. Also I would like a fraction more space at the top of the frame if possible to get all of her hair in the shot (unless there's something in the background that would intrude).

Phil

You do these so well Maria and this is no exception. Super portrait
As Phil said I'd remove the little distractions although I didn't see them till they were pointed out.

Thanks Phil and Stan, i'm glad you pointed out the bow and motif, i should have cloned them out, as for the head height there was a lot of commotion in the background i.e. a childrens colourful tent, one reason i converted to b/w, i always welcome cc and thanks for taking the time to comment

A lovely natural portrait Maria - and the b+w treatment is perfect for this one.

The distractions weren't a distraction to me until they were pointed out

Carl

Lovely capture Marie. For me perhaps a little crop of the wall on the left where it is out of focus? I know that is part of the DOF but it feels a tad distracting.

I like this a lot, Maria - it has a very natural feel and, as with David Storm's wifely portrait last week, I'm not worried about the peripheral 'distractions'. Cloning them out wouldn't harm the shot, but to me it wouldn't improve it significantly, either. I also like the DOF effect of the bricks, fore and aft, and the choice of mono. That might be a result of growing up with Kodak Tri-X, mind.

A flying start and I look forward to the next four.

A lovely natural image Maria, not much wrong with this one! To echo some of the comments above, I think it needs just a bit more 'breathing space' around the main subject and maybe the wall is just a little bit too prominent in the composition.

However, I suspect that most of us would have been happy to have this one in our own portfolio!

Regards
David

I like it and can't see much wrong with it. I'm doubtful, but would lifting the shadows in the hair on the left work?

Thanks for the input and kind comments gentlemen all cc is taken on board

I can only echo all the praise heaped on this delightful portrait by the previous commentators. The black and white quality is gorgeous.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

A very nice portrait, and the depth of field, as evident on the wall, is perfect.

If I was to nit pick I'd say the exposure on the face seems to be split into two zones down the middle. I'd think about bringing them closer together in terms of level. It's only a small point though and you would be quite right to say 'who cares'.

No 2
I got my son to hold and blow the seed head, i used continuous shooting and hoped for the best then converted to mono.
Lens .. Pentax-DA 1:2.4 35mm
Pentax K-5 f/2.4 ISO-200

Thank you also to David and Russell

Good idea Maria and it's turned out well.

+1