Can I get a critique on my portfolio?

Okay, I have taken some time to simplify the portfolio. I think it shows a more definitive style, with much fewer photos being shown. Also i think it shows more directly what I want to do. Got rid of the blog link on the index page because it wasn't needed. I think I am only showing what I truly believe to be my best work. I am still expecting some harsh criticism, but if anyone would please take the time to critique it again, it'd be much appreciated. I believe it is very important to get feedback from others in the photography community. bgfphoto.weebly.com <-Contains images NSFW!
 
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You have got to warn people that the link is still NSFW!!!
 
Critique: The blonde woman to open the portfolio is just not a good image: in the above contact sheet, there are multiple photos that are more interesting. And the man in the suit jacket looking left into empty space: that image as well is not interesting enough to hold the #2 photo spot. The two laundromat images, or the woman behind the elevator door would be better as opening images.

We read and see things mostly left-to-right, and those images guide the eye off into empty space in a way I find disconcerting. The portfolio has been simplified, yes, stripped down to an utter bare-bones level; in doing so, you've cut out many interesting images. But the worst issue is that the first two images people are shown are weaksimply not compelling photographs.

My C&C advice is to have somebody who can go through your images with you, to give you advice on what to include, on what makes a good showing of your skills.
 
I'm late to the discussion. And I'm not a pro, but I'm hoping to get there. I look at your newest version and I don't as a client know what you want to do. Are you hoping to shoot for magazines? It doesn't look like portrait work. The guy in a suit looks like a magazine ad. If that's what you're going for, great. You need more images though to really show what you can do and draw people in. I only see 1 headshot(and it's merged with 2 others that don't work as a headshot) on your page although you list that as a service. A headshot imo typically is something a professional would use on their website, in their advertising etc. It's not an overly artsy shot of a profile. To me, if you list a service, you should have multiple examples using multiple models/objects etc. Your website should make me say I want to hire this guy. Your photos should call to me. I should see my subject in your setting. For example, if I was looking to hire a family photographer, I want to look at their pictures and be able to see my kid looking awesome in that setting. I pick a photographer based on their style and that's an emotional connection that says that person can make my kids/person/family/house/product look awesome. Even if that isn't true, it's what your portfolio has to say to me. I'd suggest more variety in your product placements. It looks like all you do is jewelry. Find some businesses to let you take some free shots of their products to expand your portfolio.

I've started taking some classes to help my problem areas. I've looked at the portfolios of people near me to see what they charge and what their work looks like. I've decided what I like and dislike about their work just so that I can challenge myself to do better and to help solidify my style. I've discovered that a number of photographers in my area host workshops where they'll have the models on site for you to shoot. Even less expensive, a few of the clubs in the area host a shoot night where you pay $20 and the models are there (I'm hearing the way to eval those is if you get 1 good shot for your portfolio it's a success) But that's a good way to expand your portfolio with variety.

Instead of pairing with someone with processing skills, pair and shadow photographers who do the type of work you like and want to do. See if the photographers you like host workshops. If you haven't already, join a local photo club and go on their events.

You've gotten a lot of good advice and have obviously been tweaking this. I'd encourage you to think about your brand and as a previous poster said, your target market. After you identify your target market, see if you can identify who is servicing them already, check out their sites. Compare them to yours, not to copy but to critique yourself. Use it to identify the gaps in your portfolio.
 
You can never be too late to this discussion and any critique is greatly appreciated. Thank you for the great advice. I will definitely keep all of this in mind as I continue to work on my site. I really need to continue to grow my body of work so I have more to show relating to what I want to do. Lately it has been hard to coordinate shoots with people. Getting studio space/artists/models when you have almost no budget in New York is hard. I do have a page that I use to show my headshot work. Do you think I should put that on the main page?
Thanks again for the detailed reply.
 

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