This is one of my favorite portraits from the India gallery I recently posted.  I'm not certain, but I believe the girl had some sort of vision impairment.  Others seemed to look after her more than most, and she didn't generally react to my gestures and facial expressions the way most did.  But her smile was winsome, and she happened to be perfectly lit by the light coming from the doorway. 

It was difficult to photograph her, because other people kept standing over here or sticking their hands in the frame to adjust her hair or clothing.  I shot what I could.  I set the camera to a very small aperture to limit the depth of field as much as possible, thereby reducing the distraction of those standing nearby.  This is one of the few times I've used aperture priority on my camera.

Given the small aperture and relatively low light, I knew the shutter would be slow.  Blur was a risk.  To minimize the affect, I sat on the ground.  I also made plans to allow a slightly under-exposed photo, knowing I could make minor adjustments in Photoshop and still retain the tonal range in her skin tones and vibrancy in the colors of her dress.

This photo is very captivating as an 8x12 print.  I've been so happy with the results that I've ended up printing almost all 98 of the portraits.  

More photos like this are in my India album.