Michelle Obama's official portrait

[NinetyWt]

I noticed that Michelle Obama's official portrait made the news today.

I don't know much about photography, but I like the composition of this photo. The dress, necklace, hairstyle, pose -all flows so smoothly.

I don't care for Barack's. It looks harsh or something.

[Giles]

I think it helps that the First Lady is rather better looking than the First Gentleman.

[troubleagain]

She's so gorgeous, and fairly stylish (although I don't agree with some of her choices in clothing.) You'd have to be crap photographer indeed to screw up with such good subject matter.

[Phalanx]

Is she an American? Where's her birth certificate?

[FriarTed]

As someone who voted for her husband's rival, I hereby proclaim that Michelle is a much hotter First Lady than Cindy would have been.

[Brewha]

not a big fan of the composition. Why is her head centered on that curtain? It looks like she's got a blue headdress on or something.

[NinetyWt]

not a big fan of the composition. Why is her head centered on that curtain? It looks like she's got a blue headdress on or something.

I think that it kind of helps bring the eye down along her torso. Looks balanced or something.

Yesterday, however, I noticed one of the flowers is covering part of her hand. That's just not right.

[Vox Imperatoris]

not a big fan of the composition. Why is her head centered on that curtain? It looks like she's got a blue headdress on or something.

Yeah, I agree on the curtain thing. The whole picture just looks weird; the picture somehow makes her eyes look really close together, her right eye is noticeably more closed than her left, which, although it would not be a problem in itself, gives the impression that she's looking up and down the same time (at least that's what I first noticed about the photo past the curtain thing), and her eyebrows curve up too much, almost as if they're fake (although I don't know if they actually are). And I don't like her hairstyle; it goes up way too high. I can't say that I've ever thought that Michelle Obama was at all attractive, though, so I concede that this picture of her might be better than most. Cindy McCain is definitely better looking, taking age into account. And Barack himself I'd say is much more attractive, even in that photo.

[FriarTed]

Cindy McCain is definitely better looking, taking age into account. And Barack himself I'd say is much more attractive, even in that photo.

That Cindy picture is pretty good. Most of the times I've seen her, she looks creepily Reptilian. Daughter Meghan is a total hottie! The Obama girls are won't be in that competition until what could be Biden's first term (God forbid!)

[Diana]

Though I (now) see all the composition problems with the Michelle picture, when I first looked at it, I didn't see anything that wasn't Michelle. I think she's gorgeous. I can see how other people don't think she's gorgeous, but I don't see how anyone can deny that she's striking.

Cindy McCain looks like a doped-up Stepford wife, which of course stands to reason.

[EthelMercaptan]

That's interesting. That's a different crop than the version posted at the Huffington Post. It improves the composition slightly though the flower in front of her hand still bugs me and the curtain looks like a blue mohawk instead of a Marge Simpson hairdo.

[pulykamell]

That's interesting. That's a different crop than the version posted at the Huffington Post. It improves the composition slightly though the flower in front of her hand still bugs me and the curtain looks like a blue mohawk instead of a Marge Simpson hairdo.

Yeah, the US magazine crop is probably how many photo editors would crop that photo to eliminate the distracting crap the photographer left in the background. That's what I wanted to do with the Huffington Post photo when I saw it. Sure, it kills the Jefferson painting in the background, but is it important to the picture? I don't think so. Still, with the negative space in the upper left and the awful curtain erupting from her head. Really now, I expect better.

[vison]

Mr. Obama looks assertive, calm, and tough in his photo, besides being very handsome indeed. Mrs. Obama is a beautiful woman. Mrs. McCain might once have been pretty, but all the work she's had done has left her looking awfully stretched. She looks as if she's made of brittle plastic. I can't help but think she would be better looking if she didn't keep trying to look 30 years younger.

But then, maybe not.

[Exy]

I don't see how anyone could even compare Mrs. Obama and Mrs. McCain. Maybe it's just that Mrs. McCain has lost whatever sparkle she once had, but I don't think she looks above average compared to other famous women her age. Plus she has tiny eyes and thin lips, which means she probably wouldn't have been competitive with Mrs. Obama even when she was young. Mrs. Obama is not a supermodel, but she's well above average in appearance; Cindy McCain probably looked pretty good when she was in the flower of her youth but I can't imagine she was ever anything exceptional.

Anyway, I love the portrait, despite the composition issues, just because Mrs. Obama looks great in that dress. She really has a very poised air and I think it's kind of nice that to have a First Lady who's into fashion (unlike the last two.)

[Queen Tonya]

Composition issues aside, no one but me desperately wants to reach in and tug on her dress to get rid of that wrinkle across the torso?

Okay then.