StS

In my impression it is up to every participant how competitive the participation in the challenge is handled. My personal ambition is to hand in a picture which is worth showing, so in the end I'm competing mainly against myself. Typically, the professionals are tough competition since they are much more consistent in turning available opportunities into good images, but if John (erl) won't come, there will be already one strong competitor less. Also, every challenge is different, Wetzlar was my personal disaster while I had ten usable pictures after ten minutes in Istanbul. In any case, it is an excellent photographic exercise, having several limitations, I have the feeling I start to recognize images I might have missed normally. Stefan

I met Ben in 2009, I remember he asked me how I liked the city. When I listed the museums and concert halls I had visited so far, he suggested to spend more time on the streets to actually experience the city and its people. Which I did then. This could have had some permanent impact on my travel style. May he rest in peace Stefan

Congatulations indeed and thank you for your continuous contributions - the forum wouldn't be the same without you. All the best Stefan

Well, if your model likes the picture as well, you managed to capture a bit of her personality, so this is more than just a picture of a beautiful woman. Stefan

Outstanding portrait, the concept works very well. Bienvenido al foro Stefan

Fully agree, the position of both is excellent. Stefan

Very well seen. Composition and tonal control are excellent Stefan

Outstanding portrait indeed Stefan

Difficult to say - in some cases I actually prefer the "before" version. Stefan

I'm starting to run out of superlatives, to add to the previous comments both composition and tonal control are excellent Stefan

Your usual extremely high standard. While the eyes are certainly the focus point, the frontal lighting with the dark background work very well here. Stefan

Absolutely outstanding indeed Stefan

You captured a brilliant smile indeed. Outstanding tonal control. Stefan

Outstanding profile portrait. I have trouble to decide between the two versions, they both work in their own way. Stefan

Nice out-of-life series. Stefan