When I look at this, all I can think of is the word "freedom." It's kind of ironic that she's holding on to the bars while I'm thinking this.

(Also, she looks a lot like a good friend of mine. Kind of spooky... the resemblance.)

I really like the colors because they aren't overly contrasty (is that even a word, ha) and I like the subtle humor in this photograph.

Great smile, love the body language and the light feeling to her personality. I wish, somehow her eyes were emphasized a little more.

Nice shot! I covered the left part of the picture with paper on my screen to make her in the center, and I like it just a little more. I too agree that more light in her eyes would be nice. Again, nice capture!

So eerie, I can't pull my eyes away! I love how the eyes are so dark that they are probably what is drawing me in. I also like the graininess of the picture and the composition is effective with the child not centered in the frame.

Agreed... dark eyes, wispy hair, and grain make this a bit magical. Nice.

She is a very beautiful person. Because of the background and heavy shadow this photo becomes more of a snapshot than a portrait. On camera flash rarely creates a pleasing light.

This is obviously a candid photo so much of what I'm going to suggest probably won't apply because it would involve some thought that wouldn't be possible with a candid image.

If you must use a flash indoors for lighting have your subject move away from any walls where the harsh shadows will be cast. Putting some depth between the subject and the background will eliminate or at least soften those shadows. If your background is less than ideal, such as here where it shows the kitchen cupboards and other objects, use the smallest aperature setting possible (if your camera has a manual mode).

Another thing you could try is to put a shear white cloth in front of your flash to diffuse it somewhat. This has to be a very light, translucent material though - cheesecloth or fine silks works well.

I completely 2nd what UNCOMMONDEPTH said. Good advice.

You've definitely got a beautiful subject/model... and I agree with Uncommondepth that it's the lighting that turns this photo into a snapshot. (Otherwise, it might be a very artistic image... especially with a shallow DOF... on maybe a 50mm lens.)

I'm not sure what kind of camera you have, but often times, when I'm indoors, I'll aim my flash at the ceiling. This bounces the light back down and creates a more natural-feeling light from above. It makes the flash seem less like a flash. It really is amazing what kind of a difference it can make.

Now, this next part might seem a little strange, but it actually works... If you aren't able to aim the flash on your camera, you can actually get a spoon and use that to reflect the light onto the ceiling. I first heard about this technique in an interview with Eliot from slower.net. I've tried it in the past on my little point-and-shoot camera and it really does provide noticeably better results. (Although, it takes practice to get right... sometimes you get strange spoon-shaped shadows.) ;)

I think it's because our eyes are used to seeing light from above rather than from straight ahead... It just feels more natural that way. Normally there's some kind of fixture on the ceiling and this simulates that.

Anyhow... she's a great subject. If she's good friend of yours, I'd follow her around with a camera a lot and see what happens. :)

I'm going to echo the other two critiques already posted - the setting and technique of this shot really makes what could be a beautiful candid portrait into a snapshot.

Also, the focus seems to be a little soft around her face, with the sharpest point appearing to be the edge of the sash under her armpit and across the front of her body.

a beautiful portrait and the prior reviewers have given a strong critique. In the future if possible one step back would have given you an uniterrupted "V" in her right arm which is clipped in this framing, on the otherhand I really like the closeness of the shot as it gives a sense of intimacy... so perhaps you could crop it even closer. Playing with your crop is one of those things that can always be done after the fact and give a number of different results.

very dramatic
maybe the sky fights the water as they are of equal strength visually...

very wide, nice!
the clouds look like a very low ceiling

very nice shot. the somewhat vertical lines in the water compliment the lines in the sky. Certainly helps to draw the eye into the photo.

As Elijah mentions, the sky is fighting with the water for attention. Had there been a boat to break this up, the photo would have provided a visual resting point.

All the same, a successful photo Dave.

Thank you for the feedback!

Verrry nice. This is really my kind of image.

This is cute. Captures the curiosity of youth.

really like the tones here as well as the lines on his sweater and behind. I like it!

He's a mischievous looking fellow!

This one made me smile. He's an ordinary looking guy with a real mischevious look, that may be a permanent part of his character. :-)

Thank you so much.
He isnt too mischievious, just an all around great boy. We were having so much fun that day!

interesting, although the vase seems to be sitting up there and feels unsupported...

The tilt of the composition is unconventional... I like unconventional, but it feels a little awkward to me here. In this context, I keep thinking that the vase is going to fall off to the left. If you were going for a kind of vertigo feeling, I think you've achieved it... although, I'm not sure what it really adds to the image. I would probably focus more on the light and the colors, rather than adding the tilt.

Also, it looks like you've created some halos from sharpening (around the plant leaves in the upper left.) Some people might consider that distracting.

I do like the nice deep blue color and the lighting. Definitely a subject worth exploring.

Something about the colors is really beautiful here. I like the angle. I like the colors and hues on the background wall. The shape of the plant frames the left nicely. Really creative.