Muddy
This photo was taken on 2009-08-29 when Catherine was making "tea" in the backyard. There are several reasons why I like this photo.
* Light: the primary light is coming from Catherine's back left. This provides nice highlights in her hair and provides reveals the contours of her face nicely. The background is very dark which makes her face jump out of the image. There was sufficient reflected light coming off the bricks of the garage to illuminate her face.
* Colors: Catherine's shirt provides a significant amount of warm color in the image. There are some interesting compliments, too. The pink of her shirt matches the color of her lips, and the peach of her shirt matcher her skin tones.
* Pose: Catherine's eyes are perfectly framed by her muddy hands.
* Focus: The narrow depth of field of my 85 mm f/1.8 lens allowed me to keep her eyes in focus and her hands out of focus. This technique further draws the viewer to Catherine's face which is the subject of the photo. At the time I made this photo, I took a series of 6 in a row. In some, her hands are perfectly focused, but those shots lack the drama of this one.
* Expression: Catherine's face has a rather flat expression which draws attention to the eyes. This image was the first in the sequence. In later photos, Catherine was clowning for the camera, but I think this one turned out the best.
* Imperfections: This was a very candid shot. She was playing in the dirt with some water, and I asked her to show me her hands. I released the shutter at just the right instant. But, her face has a bit of mud on it, and her forearms are dirty, too. I think that lends a bit of realism to the photo which makes it fun, even if her expression is serious.