These two portraits are taken of my friend Sophie who I've known for number of years. We met in about sixth grade and have gotten very close since then. She is always laughing and smiling and is very outgoing with everyone. The photo on the left ,"Red Beauty", captures her smiling, and the photo on the right, "Sweet Laughs", captures her laughing in the moment, which both reflect her personality. While shooting these photos, I used the background to enhance the subject. For example, with the photo on the left, the white flowers on the green bush add to the effect of the picture as a whole. In the photo on the right, she is laying in the ground, so the background is the grass surrounding her, which has different highlights and hues on different parts of the grass. When creating these images, I wanted to show the use of balance and contrast. Both of these images can display contrast by her hair. In the photo on the left, you can see the contrast of her vibrant hair against the darker green leaves. In the photo on the right, you can see the contrast of the different highlights of her hair, and her brighter face and skin, as well as the darker background. "Sweet Laughs" showcases the use of formal balance as well. I feel that some struggles I faced while taking these portraits include getting the right angle where the light hit just right and getting the right focus. I needed to take the photos in a way that didn't make too many shadows or highlights from the sun in the wrong way. I believe especially in the picture on the right, I achieved the correct use of highlights and shadows and this made the focus even more clear on the subject. These images showcase her personality, and highlight many of her features, also by use of the environment she is in.