#169 of 365: Portrait of Christine Ferguson

So, what's the point of The 365 Project?

Not just to post a new portrait every day, of course.

The idea is to practice, and - ideally - perfect the art of portrait photography.

After a year of this, if I'm not as good as any portrait photographer who ever lived,

shame on me!

So how's it working out?

Pretty well, I think. False modesty aside, I was a

crackerjack photographer when I started this. In my first 169 posts,

I've had the opportunity to shoot portraits of all kinds of people,

from the very young to the very old.

And the people I've shot have been fantastic. Everyone seems to understand what I'm

going for and they are totally cooperative. And I'm really happy with the portraits I've posted.

Which brings us to #169, my portrait of Christine Ferguson.

Kind of a landmark, I think.

In fact, in my own immodest opinion, I think this is about as good as a photographic portrait gets.

Why? In part because of things under my control. The focus and exposure are perfect.

You may find it odd to speak of "skin tones" in a black and white photo, but they do exist,

and in this case they are perfect.

I also love the strong chiaroscuro lighting which puts one side of Christine's face almost completely

in shadow - except for the tiny glint of light in the eye on the shadowed side of the face.

(Sometimes what is hidden reveals as much as what is shown.)

But portrait photography is a collaborative effort, and it depends very much on the model.

I've had lots and lots of really great models in this project so far, and Christine is

another great one. Proud to have been able to record her serene beauty.

Check out Christine's blog at http://bluegrassblogger.com.