Help please, cropping and edges

Joan Breckwoldt · 02-24-2003, 04:34 PM

I have two photographs that I am happy with of a 3 year old girl. This will be my first commission. I had each 5"x7" blown up and lightened so I could see some of the detail in the shadows. Next time I'll use the big white board I brought along, though when I held it up to her face for some reflected light it looked like (to my eyes) that ALL the shadows on her face disappeared.

I would very much like to use these photos but I would like some help with where to crop them. I think I will do just a dark solid background, or almost solid. I also would like this to be a somewhat large portrait, but don't want to get a 'giant head' in the portrait. Seems I read somewhere that heads shouldn't be more than lifesize, nor should they be 'monkey heads' which I think means 7/8 or 3/4 of lifesize? I would like to make this portrait larger than 18"x24".

But, probably my biggest concern is how I am going to deal with that white dress against a dark background in the photo where she's looking at the camera. I don't want to have a line down the middle of the painting where the dark is separated from the light dress, though my gut tells me there is something pleasing about this vertical line if treated correctly.

I included the 2 smaller photos because they have nice color, when the photos were enlarged to 10"x15", some of the color washed out.

Thank you all, I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say.

Joan