My Take on "Humans of New York"

Answers to Review Questions

• ISO: 200 for both of the photos that were merged
• Aperture: f/5.6 for both photos
• Shutter speed: 1/25 sec and 1/50 sec (merged)
• I asked my mom about the best piece of advice she’d ever been given. Her response adds to the photograph by giving insight about what she values and how she communicates with others. The fact that she is not afraid to just listen and does not worry about seeming powerful reaffirms her subtle sense of strength. My mom is an author, business owner, community leader, and feminist, and, although simple, her expression and posture in this photo help portray that. 
• My favorite aspect of this image is the soft lighting. I took it at “golden hour” when the sun was coming in rather directly at a side angle on my porch, so I hung a white bedsheet from this entrance of my porch (to the right of my mom) and moved the bench so she would be illuminated by diffused light. There are still some dappled shadows, but overall her face is very well-lit in my opinion and she has catch-lights in her eyes.
• If I did this again, I would take the photo vertically to capture more of my mom’s outfit and her positioning on the bench. 
• Post-critiques: One thing I did well was creating good natural lighting and catchlights in my mom's eyes. Something I could improve on would be cropping the photo differently so her necklace does not get cut off.