Wow ..... If I hadn't already taken out subs to your fab tutorials this would certialnly have me reaching for my purse ;-)

How long is it since I was last there? Fantastic shot. Like the original too

She's an adorable kid. Interesting post processing technique.

So great ! I love this picture !

Brilliant!

Nice one. The colours are, dare I say it, perfect... Have you softened/airbrushed her skin at all, or is it just an age thing? You get the feeling she's already learning the power of the gaze, or at least how to return it ;)

Very nice cool colour tones, smooth but keeping the detail. Well processed.

m: too long ;-)

boje: it's an age thing. As for "the gaze": she's a natural with the camera. I don't know how she does it - it's something I've never been able to do - but she can look straight through the camera as though it wasn't there.

She is beautiful and has a rare intense look. Cool color tones really fit her well.
Great portrait.

i like ur post processing. it makes a photo into art.

Vraiment excellent !!!

Remarque : une petite erreur sur votre nom dans la page "store" :
Baby Photography Now (by David J. Nightinagle)

Raymond: merci :-)

She is perfect. Such a soft portrait! And the colour of her eyes maches that of the capuchon (don't know the word in English ;-)) Nice!

I will love the next tutorial !
I don't think you have to worry. This one will be remembered. Her gaze is so magnetic and the colours make her look so cold and majestic.

I think you turned a snapshot into a masterpiece.

Wow indeed!

I've been following your RSS feed for over a year and this is the most stunning shot I think I've seen. Beautiful!

Very impressive PP work, one of my favourites of yours. If it wasn't for those 3 or 4 stray hairs over her eye I would rate this as your best. (That's a bit cheeky I guess, considering this is way beyond my own standards!). 8)

Paul: :-)

Classy portrait with lovely tones, Dave.

This is breathtaking. The tones are just great, it almost makes me shiver.

I can't imagine the time this took in terms of post-processing.

WOW!!! This may, indeed, be among my very favorites as well. The watercolor tones...that certain washed out grey-blue-green...remind me so much of the hand tinted B &W photos of my parents' generation. Absolutely stunning! And to think I loved yesterday's portrait of Rhowan. I'm curious to know what Rhowan's reaction was to seeing this one... As always, thanks for sharing.

Wow, what a difference losing a few hairs can make (as those of us losing them will agree!).

I really like this, it's very "Narnia". Nice.

PJ: thanks. As for Rhowan: she said, and I quote, "That's nice. Next time though can you take one that has all of me in and the flowers in the background. That would look good wouldn't it."

Paul: yes, I agree, on both counts :-)

you know, had i not seen this less hairy version, i would never have thought the "first draft" of this pic could have been improved upon XD good call, paul.

fantastic shot. rhowan's gaze is absolutely hypnotizing. it's funny that she reacted so nonchalantly to her portrait while the rest of us are so blown away by it.

doreen: I'll read the comments to her in the morning, and though I'm sure she'll be pleased, I suspect she won't be massively interested. If she was a bit older I think it would probably be a different story :-)

Great shot. I'll be sure to remember you by it as requested - what a nice thought.

My first reaction when I saw this beautiful photograph of your daughter Rhowan was, Oh Wow. It's a stunning photograph, one that you both will treasure, even more so as life inevitably moves forward.

Seeing your wonderful photographs of your family reminds of a website--and perhaps an annual project for you to consider. The website is The Arrow of Time.

You created an incredibly beautiful photograph of Rhowan. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Wow. It has been said several times but what word is left that is adequate? Rhowan so often makes such a great model. I hope she keeps her nonchalance and you keep capturing it.

Hi Dave, this is a great shot - the cool tones are a great choice, and the blurring around the edge isn't at all noticeable. All works really well together, looking forward to seeing your tutorial on LAB colour processing!

Incidentally, I saw your book in Waterstones in Oxford Street last week and bought one for a friend of mine who's both a keen photographer and a new father. I had a quick look through myself and found it very interesting reading, especially a couple of the tutorials at the back. Good luck with it!

I'm not surprised you're pleased with this.
Even by your standards, this is remarkable.

Simply beautiful. Definitely better with the stray hair cloned out. And it's great when you post the original shot... people like me can learn a lot by comparing them

I don't get the time these days to view many photoblogs, let alone comment, but I always try to drop by now and again. This just stopped me in my tracks and made me go...WOW! A great picture and amazing processing.

what were the camera specs on this photo? you usually include them....and i love it by the way!

This is excellent. The look on her face works like a magnet, attracting all my attention to her eyes.

Dave, the original is great, but the post processing on this shot is first class! I love this image, probably my favourite of all of your kids shots.

Nothing short of perfection.

One word "outstanding", one of those pictures your daughter will be proud of in years to come

Absolutely beautiful, mesmerizing

Very nice. I thought I prefered the b/w from yesterday, but I really like this version with the color. Nicely done.

A beautiful processed shot of a beautiful daughter

Thanks everyone :-)

Kevin: thanks for the link to the Arrow of Time site, it's definitely something I'll consider doing.

katie: the EXIF data was much the same as yesterday's - around 185mm, f/4.0 and 1/160th.

Beautiful shot! Makes me cold. I love the tones

This is one striking shot. It's those cool eyes that do it of course, their impact heightened by the similarly cool tones.

Breathtaking!! I actually gasped when I opened it. I love the work you do, I love what you've shared of your home world . . . you're a gifted and generous person. Big fat comments, I know, but ... simply true, and heartfelt. I know I speak for many, many people who visit your site (even those who only 'talk technical' - hah!). Thank you so much for the time you spend with us.

the colours are superb, it almost doesn't look like a photo, but an extremely well made photorealistic painting. top stuff

Lovely.

Wow, outstanding. I take a ton of pictures of my daughters so I know how hard it can be to capture a moment like this, even if your subject is relatively cooperative. Kudos!

Very good shot! Nice clean contrasts and colors!
She's beautiful!

Hi Dave,
It's been a while since I last commented, however, this one simply demands praise of the highest order. Rhowan's eyes are mesmeric, you feel as though you could fall a very long way into them, like glacial pools. If you can tear your gaze away from them, then the tonal selection is sensational. The blurring around the fur trim seems completey natural .
This one is iconic.

Just amazing. Not very constructive I know, but that's the first reaction.

Wow, this is SO GORGEOUS! First thing I thought of was "Ice Princess". =D I love how her eyes math her jacket. It's such a calm (but chilling) photograph to look at.

Absolutely beautiful.

A few times this year you didn't run a picture a day and left us with one for a longer period of time. You could have left this one for a good while. I like it more each time I see it.

I like the tones of this image... very soft and smooth.

Absolutely brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant! I reckon she looks like a snow queen or something :) Those gray-blue eyes are really piercing, too.

Wow David I have not dropped by for a while.... then I suddenly remembered I could see some good old British light here...... but instead like everyone else got kind of wowed by this image.... what a lovely little girl what an amazing image of her... nice one
cheers Jez XX

Beautiful work David. I really love the toning in this. I think the extra work on the hairs does indeed lift the level of this image. I think Paul was wise for chiming in.

I havn't been here for a little while and was flicking through the latest images and this just jumped out of the screen, it's just stunning!

Simply stunning.

your daughter is immensely infinitely beautiful, she makes a masterpiece of this photo