Dear Agony

All of the aspects of this piece--composition, pose, etc.-- are impeccably executed, but what really impresses me the most is the lighting. It would be easy--and certainly understandable--to resort to the same old dark and gloomy lighting scheme that would seem to suggest itself from the source of the inspiration for this piece. However, you have defied convention and while maintaining the emotion of the source material have conveyed it to the viewer in a beautiful, positive way. The overall effect of the lighting is so dreamy and peaceful, it seems to impart a very soothing effect, as if she knows she is making the right choice for her because she is so at peace with herself.

The technical aspects of the lighting are excellent as well--when working with rim lights, it is dangerously easy to get carried away, and end up blasting the portions of objects that receive the full brunt of the light. However, here you have a perfect balance between all of the lights in the scene, and they work together beautifully to further enhance the dreaminess of the scene and accentuate the cool elegance of the colors.

As gorgeous as the lighting is, I have to say that I feel like its effect would be lost if it weren't for the beautiful environmental effects added in the postwork of the piece. The cloud at the bottom of the frame adds a sense of height to the environment, and the heavenly rays of light and the little glowing motes surrounding her, combined with the dreamy lighting and the colors and composition of the scene, create a feeling of ascent rather than falling. May we all be so lucky in our agony.<img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h…" width="15" height="13" alt="" title="Heart"/>