live and suffer

I really like the way this photo is working. The combination of the contrast and lack of focus is very effective. With the lack of sharpness, the subtle shift in shades of grey is a nice parallel. I actually love the large open space, what it really does for me is make the figure seem more like it's background, as though the viewer is actually staring into space and the whole of the image is happening just out of the corner of one's vision.

I love the cropping too. Since the image is very softly focused, cutting out the usual "focuses" of the figure (eyes, hands, legs) it makes the whole piece feel like an implication, and this is a feel I really love in photography. There's also this sense of modesty and shyness that's emphasized by the focus and the cropping.

I would say I actually really dislike the greyish border that outlines both sides. It's a slightly different tint than the image, and while on the right side of the image, it adds this lovely additional bit of open space, I don't like that it extends the left side of the image instead of just allowing the cropping to stop that side. Since it is such a harsh crop, the extra border only softens the image, and I liked that play of harsh edge and soft model and soft photo, it's a nice balance.