I agree, if there's a positive thing to be mentioned it's her smile in #2. Other than that, DareDevil, just to be honest, she's not very attractive or photogenic at all...
The shadows on her face are a little harsh in most of them also...
I don't think it's that she's not photogenic. It's more about the lighting. The soft lighting on the face in the second one looks really nice and makes her look pretty. Contrast that to the harsh shadows that arise from the side lighting in the third and it looks totally different. Be careful with shadows from your flash like in photo 2.
Photo number one is a good idea, but the up the nose look isn't very attractive. Oh, lots of jpeg compression is noticable.
Number two, the crop along the bottom is annoying. The lighting and facial expression is the best out of any of them though.
Nice gold lighting on three. Add a fill flash or reflector on the right to fill in the shadows and that would help tremendously.
Number four, the horizon through the head is fine. I'm not sure why it bugs you, but it's all our own taste. Feet are chopped off. Have them either definitely in or definitely out. Not chopped off just above the ankles.
Cool look on number five, though a tough more foreground at the bottom of the frame would be nice.
Thanks, Ariel. That's the kind of critique I was looking for!! Some of the crops are a bit odd, but thats what you get when shooting with a prime in a rocky area: sometimes you just can't back up any further!!! Can't wait for that 28-70 2.8 to come in...
Sports is more my cup of tea, but I like to try new things from time to time. Lots of things to remember in portraits.. and you find out about most of them after the fact!!! I'll be shooting more this summer, and hoping to get better, both shooting and processing wise.
Katie had a baby 7 months ago, and I'd say she looks pretty darn hot!!
Jason: It is more than obvious that the success of good model photography is highly dependent of the model. She is inexperienced, perfectly fine for someone who is starting, and she needs to trim her body now if she expects to see a future in modeling.
Now let's talk about the photographs. I simply hate not being able to see the whole body of the model. Shots No.1 and 4 are in need of showing the whole body without amputations of the legs. I can live with the other posing. No. 5 is too tight a crop and she needs some room for her legs. Cropping in No. 2 could have been better and in general, posing is not very pleasant to the eye. That is your job, not hers.
Just my opinion.
William Rodriguez
Miami, Florida.
Jason: I think your model did a fine job. I think the problem with the pictures is that you approached the session with "model" poses in mind and they just aren't working for her. Every model has their own set of problems, you have to approach each shoot with posing that fits the model you are photographing. Like on #1, this would have worked if you had a sz 2, full chested woman with flowing blonde hair in front of your camera, but instead you ended up accentuating this models less than perfect stomach and her smaller chest. #2 works because you have her turned so that her attractive curves are highlighted and she is smiling naturally. #3 kind of makes me cringe. Not a good look for her. A - it brings too much attention to the largness of her upper arms and B - you can tell that she is trying to look sexy but that doesn't seem to come natural to her, so you should have scrapped the sexy look and went with something more playful and natural that she excelled at.
I think the constant in your shots is that she just doesn't look natural and comfortable. Everyone goes into shoots hoping to get certain shots they have floating around in their head, but if they don't work for the person you are actually shooting, then they don't work. In conclusion, all people have beauty in them, the real job as the photographer is to find it and capture it.
Really, these aren't that bad, but after looking at your gear list and your website, it is clear that you could have done far better. Hope this helps.
localandbitter wrote:
that's not very nice for you all to be saying
I think what everyone meant is that she is the most beautiful girl in the world and the photos far surpass most pictures that have ever been posted on FM.
I'm going to step-in and give you some blunt advice Jason, mostly because I don't appreciate some of the borderline cruel remarks I'm reading here. Better you get it straight than all these off-the-cuff jabs.
This model/glamour type photography places the burden on the photographer to make the model look her best. You're expected to achieve that by emphasizing her attractive features and concealing the less flattering ones. In that regard you did poor job. You also display a lack of understanding of the female form and what about it is considered attractive.
Again, being blunt here, your model has feature deficiencies. She lacks curves, especially at the waist, she has thick upper arms and a pudgy face -- all of which are strongly featured in your shots. But she also has straight legs, smooth skin and long hair -- none of which are emphasized in your shots.
Dress her in a short, bell-shaped dress (not a skirt) with short sleeves (not sleeveless) and a puffy bra, to add curves. Take some shots that highlight the legs and deemphasize the arms, find that angle that flatters the face best. Do something with the hair and makeup. Take some test shots and develop a strategy. If all else fails, use light and deprivation of light to create the right focus. But by all means, don't take some snapshots in wannabe poses and post them expecting a good response. It shows your lack of respect for your work, and it elicits lack of respect from others.
Some blunt critiques here, but I have thick skin. How can I grow as a photographer without knowing what I'm doing wrong if everyone is so afraid of offense that they sugarcoat all comments?
That being said, Katie is a first time model, and portraiture really isn't my strong suit. I'll be working with her more this summer, and am looking forward to more shoots to increase my skill as a portrait/glam photog. All comments are appreciated, even if they don't have a thing to do about my photos.
Good attempt at this.