Douglas Gerdts  


Side glance by Douglas Gerdts

November 2024 - Side glance

About the Image(s)

This is a photo I took at a party and the young girl was scoping out the birthday cake. I did a fair amount of work in Lightroom to clean up background distractions and also fixed the lighting.

Hope you enjoy it!


This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted




Sylvia Williams   Sylvia Williams
Great shot! I LOVE her expression. I feel like maybe you could have used a wider crop to fully include her ear.   Posted: 11/07/2024 13:52:11



Sabine Nehls   Sabine Nehls
Doug, cleaning up the background was a good idea. Now the viewer's gaze can focus entirely on the wonderful portrait. You've captured the right moment, the look says it all. I like the shy, expectant look. There must be something special in the girl's line of vision, otherwise her gaze would have wandered to the camera.

Just a little tip: there is a way to add the missing part of the ear in Photoshop. Maybe this is also possible in Lightroom.
Thanks for the image, I really like it.

  Posted: 11/12/2024 14:23:51



Yvonne Cary Carter   Yvonne Cary Carter
Doug, Quite the pensive little girl. I very much like your close crop. It allows the viewer to build their own story. Never would have guessed she was focused cake. Great portrait.   Posted: 11/13/2024 13:16:10



Randy Bell   Randy Bell
Doug, this is a nice candid photo of a little girl. Because of your crop, there is mystery of what she is looking at. Knowing that it is cake, I am now curious about it. I am not sure what distractions you took out, but the result is a good, clean background. Nice image.   Posted: 11/16/2024 23:06:47



Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Dough, great candid capture of a cute child with a very determined gaze. I like the kaleidoscope colors in the upper right corner, adding great color and interest to your photo for me. I'm a fan of AI in photoshop for photo restoration, which would work great here for the missing part of her ear. Nice shot   Posted: 11/17/2024 20:08:59



Linda Mui   Linda Mui
Hi Douglas, The little girl's side glance is adorable and adds a sense of curiosity to the image. The edits you made to clean up the background and adjust the lighting work well to keep the focus on her expression. While I noticed the cropped ear initially, it doesn't take away too much from the overall feel of the photo. I experimented with a closer crop and slight adjustments to saturation and sharpness, which I found gave it a bit more impact. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on those kinds of tweaks!   Posted: 11/19/2024 22:10:45
Comment Image
Douglas Gerdts   Douglas Gerdts
Hi Linda,

I love your cropping! As I look at it I realize that the answer to my ear-clipping (and it wasn't a crop issue but how the photo was taken) was to eliminate all of it! I often feel as though I crop too harshly but your approach is exactly what was needed! Thank you!   Posted: 11/19/2024 22:14:32
Linda Mui   Linda Mui
Hi Douglas, thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you appreciated the cropping-I feel like sometimes less is more when it comes to composition. It's always fascinating how small adjustments can completely change the feel of an image. I'm happy my approach resonated with you!   Posted: 11/20/2024 07:58:35