I wonder if you realize how much your title is a double entendre. (You will find out soon enough).

I'm not hip but I fit the older category. You might need a very long lens though what with being in a different continent and everything. This is a fabulous shot Elisabeth. It unsettles me as this little girl appears to be on the brink of something. As a father of a daughter myself I know how scary this can be. The quality of the portrait is very good - you appear to have boosted the contast or saturation a touch that gives it an otherwordly light that adds to the spookiness. Great one - and good to see a shot of yours again.

Excellent shot...i like the angle,the tones and the girl's sweet face and expression.Beautiful work. Regards,H.

Absolutely wondeful Elisabeth!

What you did to the colors is superb...a great shot.

Better to have such a photogenic model who's willing than to have many unwilling ones LOL ...very nice and candid photo indeed ;-))

Absolutely gorgeous light foreground-to-background, and a lot of tenderness in the treatment of the subject. Still, the push toward green here is less than salubrious and I think it wreaks a little havoc on the shot. Not that havoc is a bad thing. In this case, the color treatment indicates an intention I'm not sure you had: it distances us from the subject because it deadens human skin and serves to keep us at arm's length. It's almost as if we're already viewing her lifeless body underwater (especially with her hair afloat as it is), which isn't fully consistent with the way the lens caresses her. At the same time, maybe this is your point. I like the ambiguity quite a bit, but I'm not sure it's what you were going for.

Insegredious--yes, I chose the title for that very reason. Glad you picked up on that.

Adrian, that would be quite a lens, lol! Glad you like the shot, even if it is (or perhaps because it is) a bit unsettling. It is scary sometimes to think of our kids growing up so fast and being on the brink of something new with almost every passing day. Scary, but exciting too. I've been playing with some new post processing techniques and this came pretty close to what I wanted. Glad you like it, and thanks as always for your comments!

Hakan and Vaggelis, thank you, too.

Lourens...wasn't sure if anyone else would like the color. I worked on this one for quite a while and would find it hard to retrace my steps completely. But if you are interested, I could try to create an outline of what I did (probably need to do this anyway so I can try this technique on future images).

Dee vee, yes I see your point! Thanks for the nice words.

Ferd, very nice indeed to get such a detailed and honest critique from you. Yes, the color has wreaked a bit of havoc on this. But it was intentional. I seem to have this predeliction for trying to create the sort of emotional distance you describe. My goal with these kinds of images is to create something that straddles the line between real and surreal, and where the subject becomes more of a symbol or metaphor rather than a "real" person. I also seem a bit biased toward photos that have a bit of an unsettling element to them. I really wanted her to look almost inanimate, like a porcelain doll, hovering on the precipice of something scary (falling in the water, growing up). I actually felt gratified reading your feelings about this image, since you described what I hoped to convey. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, I realize! I guess that one reason I like to keep the subject "at arm's length" is that I suspect you all would get absolutely sick of seeing straight snapshots of my smiling, goofy kids over and over, lol. Anyway, thanks again for the detailed comments--they are most appreciated!

I like your picture. It made me think of Loretta Lux’ pictures of children (don’t know if you are familiar with her – here is a link: http://www.lorettalux.de/). To me her children look like they are somewhere between life and death (maybe like ghosts who have been around for a while). There is a distance between me as a viewer and the children in her pictures – just like there is in your picture.

very nice! I like her position, the light and the fragile pose. And what a lovely child. The hair and dress suggest some breeze wich adds to the scene. Maybe the background with the bench and park are a bit dominant, but nevertheless a wonderful shot, very nicely done.

Yes, unsettling and at same time very pleasing. The colors are JPD'ish which is of course good. The BG is so grouded and works so well here because it draws you into the world of you and your kid. Pose (the enlarged hands and feet !) and POV work superbly. In short - love it. Klaus

This reminds me of when I was a child, and couldn’t bring myself to jump in the deep end of the swimming pool! Love your treatment here, looks very surreal :-)

Elisabeth, I looked at this quickly when it first appeared and formed an opinion. It's interesting to come back and see the variety of comments that it has elicited. Ferd's strikes a chord with me. Your daughter obviously has beautiful skin, but the thing that striuck me immediately was that this looks quite surreal, like something from the waxworks. And I like that surreality. It very much reminds me of a movie poster kind of image (a suspense or thriller): you know it's a photograph but it looks almost like a painted illustration. That this effect was intentional tells me that you are quite at home tweaking in PS. I like the compo, which surprises me a little because it is centralised. I think it works well here. And I like the table, its sheen and rounded edges, with your daughter's toes moulding around the curve. That small detail makes the double meaning slightly more acute. I applaud the effect of the whole photo even though it's not the kind of image I'd want to hang on a wall.

alright!! look at all these splendid comments!!! :))

as far as adding much...? BUT! Please don't think we get tired of your subject!! She is a beautiful young lady...I often wish I had young kids to photograph, but that day will come I'm sure. until then it's hip kids and mostly Miss Hollie Harttmann :) Meanwhile... post more of her! I've seen some smackers in your other gallery you've kept from us :) Love your processing...and the poses you seem to catch are always so natural...like you're subject pays little attenion they're being photographed, but maybe she's use to it ;)

great one! - JP

Caroline, really nice to get a comment from you. Yes, I do know of Loretta Lux! I've had her website bookmarked for many months (my sister, quite an avid photographer, pointed me to her site earlier this year). I have been trying to achieve a similar sort of effect on my own, but always seem to fall terribly short. I'm really glad this reminds you of Loretta's images--that really makes my day!

Theo, thanks for stopping by and for your nice words. Yes, I wondered if someone would comment on the background. I'm sort of ambivalent about it myself, but had to make do since I can't ever seem to set up my shots ahead of time and am always reacting to the moment at hand instead.

Klaus, yes, JP is a definite influence in terms of color and style! That's a real nice compliment. I made some very slight distortions to her body beyond what was already present from the 14 mm focal length; glad the effect works for you.

Nicholas, thank you, too.

Rob, always appreciate your detailed comments and the time you take to reason out your feelings. Your reference to a movie poster hit the mark for me, as did your comment about her feet/toes (one of my favorite parts of the image, even though I don't normally like important elements so near the edge). I understand the comment about not wanting this on your wall; I might not even want it on mine ;-). I'm happiest when my photos stir up feelings, unsettling/thought-provoking ones being perhaps more rewarding than purely pleasant ones.

Sorry I missed your comment as I was typing, JP. Thanks so much! You've got quite a model there yourself, with the inimitable Mollie H, who also seems to be an excellent photographer in her own right from what I've seen so far. You guys must be having a lot of fun! And thanks for the comment about processing. Your images are always near the fore of my brain while I'm working on mine, and your style resonates with me very well--a definite positive influence for me.

The first time I viewed this photo, after my initial typical grandmother reaction of 'watch out that she doesn't fall off of there' was that I liked it very much. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was that made this photo so appealing other than that you have a beautiful photogenic daughter. After reading all the comments it becomes apparent that there is more to the process than just a good photo. I may not understand the process but find that the end result is what makes this photo stand out.

I am obviously a bit late to comment on this excellent, kind of surreal image, cause it has all been said, and I agree with all of the above, beautiful.

I like it for all the reasons given plus more ...

For me this kind of represents children developing at a rate faster than when I grew up, so to speak, if such a thing is possible, and if I'm not falling into some kind of urban myth. What I mean is that for sure she is a child but somehow or other the processing renders her as somewhat older to my eyes. I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all, but perhaps something I notice with children in general these days. Yet underneath it all, I see and detect that quintessential children's innocence accompanied with that sense of vulnerability that intrinsically goes with being a child. Does that make sense at all?

And did I say that I like this photo ? Well!, of course I do!

A great shot Elisabeth.

PS, I followed Caroline's link and loved those photos!

means the most is said :-(( But I though would like to ad my admiration to your work. Yes, your girl looks also to me a bit wax like. Yes, I like it too :-))

Best wishes,

Marianne, Trond and Eugene, thanks so much for your nice comments.

Eugene, don't worry, I understand exactly what you are saying and tend to agree with you. I'm glad you like this one. And aren't Loretta Lux's images interesting? I love her style. Thanks again for the detailed comment.

Sorry, Horst, we must have been typing at the same time. Thanks for looking and commenting. I didn't know if this would be to anyone's taste but my own, but it's nice to know I'm not completely out in left field, lol.

coming late on this too but without a doubt this is a one of best child picture that i seen...i will not analyze this ...the only thing i could do with this is to enjoy lookin....

Hi, Denis. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Means a lot to me, and I'm glad you like it.

...easily a "Hall of Famer", for me...

Congrats again Elisabeth! Another well deserved hof image.

it was lovely then and it is lovely now; Congratulations Elisabeth; well worth it!!

Elisabeth, well deserved.

Best wishes,