#cycle20week7

This is by far my favorite shot in Nina’s entire portfolio, easily one of the best of cycle, and arguably the most baffling FCO snub of the competition. Nina is fully embodying the mystical/whimsical brief with everything she’s doing. Her face is absolute perfection, especially the wistful expression in her eyes. It’s definitely the most fashionable shot in the bunch, the dress looks phenomenal and she even remembered to model the ring. Nina’s pose is fabulous as well; I adore her graceful arm position, lengthened neck, and how we can see her legs through the dress. I know I said I wasn’t upset about Chris getting called first, but Nina really deserved the FCO this week. This picture is pure magic, plain and simple.

Chris’s picture is like a stronger male counterpart to Jiana’s shot; he looks like he was taken straight out of some dark fantasy movie. His face is flawless here, he’s exuding so much power with his expression and the angle is spot on for his features. The strength of his face is matched by his pose. He looks very powerful from the waist up and is skillfully modeling every part of his outfit. I much prefer Nina’s shot, but I can’t be too upset with Chris getting called first at panel because this is a badass photo.

I didn’t always love Renee’s shot, but it’s really grown on me over the years. The shape of her pose is really letting the dress shine and I love the delicate placement of all of her limbs. Her mastery of her angles continues to improve week to week; her bone structure looks incredible here, especially her jawline. The emotion on her face is stunning and her neck extension is glorious. Renee is really making her mark in the competition!

Even though this shot pales in comparison to Jourdan’s excellence over the past 3 weeks, it’s still yet another very good showing from her. The pose is great; she looks tranquil without being lazy, she’s filling the frame, and the pointed toes and offset legs are a nice touch. Her face is gorgeous, but I think she could’ve pushed herself more in terms of her expression. The dress also looks a tiny bit shapeless on her below the chest area. Those small issues keep Jourdan out of my top 3, but it’s another good week for her.

I’m glad Jiana didn’t fall apart after her elimination and this shot is a huge improvement over her previous two lackluster weeks. Her face is incredible here, she looks like some sinister fairytale villain. I’m not as crazy about her pose though. The dress looks good and she’s lengthening her body well, but the whole thing is slightly too limp/lazy. I’m still salty that Jiana wasn’t the comeback contestant as she was by far the best option, even if they had just limited it to one model like in Cycle 19.

Don kinda went overboard with the pose but it still works for me and fits the general vibe of the photoshoot. He’s bringing lots of angles and showing his entire outfit quite well. He’s not really doing anything different with his face, but his eyes are especially gorgeous and hypnotic here. It’s one of Don’s better shots, it just doesn’t stand out as much as the ones I have ranked above it.

I kinda really love the blue hair on Jeremy and something about the pose makes him look like he’s floating through the air rather than laying in a field. The body position is pretty cool overall and works for his outfit. Jeremy’s face could be stronger though, he’s just doing his usual squinty expression. I was happy with Jeremy being the male comeback since he was miles ahead of Phil and Mike both in terms of this week and the competition as a whole.

Cory is really working the styling they gave him and the clothes look fantastic thanks to his simple, realxed pose. However, his neck is overly tense and much too short. His head looks too square-shaped from this angle and his expression makes him appear uncomfortable. If Cory’s face had matched the quality of his pose this could’ve been a very strong shot indeed.