The only things that I can think of would be to put a small amount of light on the mothers' face, since the incubator(is that what those are called?) is lit on the interior. Since I have no experiance with child birth, other than my own I don't know much about ICU units for babies. The only other thing, would be to make the lights have a soft glow to them, I think at least. You may want to apply tears to the cheeks also, it would highten the emotion of the image. Those are my only thoughts on how to improve it, the image already has the potential power.

awwwwwww soo bad and ecellent image!!!:)

My daughter fell off a horse and was knocked unconscious. She had amnesia. She had to have a CAT scan. I was never more afraid in my life. She is fine and all grown up now, but it was very scary. I like the atmosphere and lighting very much. Perhaps add a small story?

This image touches a nerve any mother could relate to. I have two grown up daughters, but the vulnerability of a child and the feeling of helplessness next to them when they are in trouble is not that far from my mind even now. It is a very strong image, and my only comment at the moment would be - if you let your feelings guide you a good image will materialize. That's the way it works for me, and it seems to work for you too. Best thing I've seen you do so far.

Powerful image indeed. If I may suggest a very dim light on her face. The incubator interior is dimly lit, so there would be a bit of reflected light on her face. Very dim though, to keep the mood. I like!

Very strong message and well posed. I agree with other posters whom suggested a little bit of faint light on mom's face. It would only make sese that some light is reflected on her face from the baby's environment. It would also make it possible to read her expression more, and really nail the image. The faded darker hospital background works well with the image's mood :) Awesome work!!!!! XOXO

Very emotional image. I agree with the others regarding the light from the humidicrib & also maybe a little glow from the monitor lighting.

This is a very powerful image. Though I don't have any children of my own (I'm only 19), this image strikes a chord in me. I agree with what others have said, and the only new suggestions I have would be to maybe have her back hand clenched as a sign of tension and/or have her biting her lower lip with anxiety. Other than those small details (which don't really need fixing) this is a wonderful piece.

I think this is really good. The pose and camera angle really work. I think the suggested light on Mom's face would probably be a nice addition; it would connect them visually, help reinforce your theme. This is a pretty unsettling image - which is a compliment here! You definitely have put across the atmosphere I think you were going for.

Great atmosphere. Never been their myself, but have had friends in that position and that was bad enough for me. I think you really nailed the posing and expressions to bring this to life. I agree a little more light on her might be nice, but since the light in the chamber isn't too terribly bright, maybe not too much of it. Do hope all went well with whatever inspired the image.

""Do hope all went well with whatever inspired the image."" Hmm, I should probably mention that it did =D. He's very healthy now. I am going to take Drifterlees advice and include the background story in the final upload. I'm still pretty undecided about the light on the mother, but with all the suggestion to do so - I might. My theory behind not adding it was I wanted to show her "in the dark" - and there is no light in that situation except the scary lights coming from the equipment. so many thinking it would help, I am probably going to try it. Thank you all for your responses.

A strong image and not much improvement needed to my mind. Very cool how the green instrument lights circle the top of her head, so that it is not lost in the dark. I agree that a little more light on the face (very directional) would add realism and drama. It would also make more of a visual/emotional connection between her and the infant. I would also be sure her hair is not in the way of her eyes and add little glints in her eyes as reflections of the infant and to help indicate crying or at least wet eyes. I'm a bit bothered by her upper arm - looks too curved or fat - as if pressed against a glass. Excellent image!

Great image, with real emotional depth. Yes, as other people have said, there a few technical issues that could be improved (aren't there always), but when an image carries this much emotion they really don't matter.

My two advices: - Some light i nthe mother's face - Some soft reflections in the glass separating them. (That could also help to see the mother's expression) But overall, I think you got the right mood in the picture.

Given that you've been drubbed about the lighting(for mom & glow on instruments), I'll merely add my voice to the chorus on that one. The reflections on the glass of the incubator would probably really help a lot. I tend to agree w/the comment that the mom's upper arm appears a bit too large, bulging as if she was weight lifting, plus if you do repose the hair to bring her eyes out in this, that could also make a difference. Aside from all of that, its a poignant image, and I am very much looking forward to the update.

I think the lighting is too flat.

I agree that the lighting is a little flat also, but it's a tight composition and I don't know exactly how you can improve that. This is much better compared to what I saw before, although what looks like some depth map artifacts have gotten into the scene in the top right (the striped shadows bit). If those are depth mapped shadows up there, try fiddling the bias a bit - typically those artifacts are caused by shadow bias being set too low. The props and whatnot in the background wall look very very good. The mother's hair is ignoring gravity though, and the only real solution is to have it hang in her face, which you may not want to do. You might want to just try a different hair that can move more, or find a way to get that hair to go completely over the shoulder. The gauze pattern on the baby's bandages ought to follow the shape of the bandage; hard to do if you're compositing that in in Photoshop (looks like you are) but easy enough if you make a bump map for the bandages and just do it in the render. The translucent little oxygen tube at the baby's nose is a really slick bit of work.

how beautiful, full of feeling. there is nothing i can add that hasnt been said. wonderful work.

Emotionally this is extremely powerful. Clean it up, spruce it up ( the comments already made are salient. I would add that the textures need a little work) and thereby make it great all around.

I can't add anything useful to the above points but that's a very good basis for an outstanding image. It already has the emotional impact, for sure.

You've hit it right on the head, JJ. The one thing that stops my heart every time is the thought of something happening to any of my nieces or nephews. +5

Beautiful scene and colors, wonderful lighting...