First Portrait Attempts

JDS · Aug 29, 2006

I saw these photos before, but failed to comment on them....A couple of things I'll say, the first being that I agree that a vertical frame would look much nicer on most of these shots.

The other is that the background is kind of dull. I know you didn't have a lot to work with - I know the feeling! If you're serious about portrait photography, invest in a cheap lighting system. If you want a 'pure' white background, you can point one of your lights at a white(ish) backdrop and let the flash fire as bright as it can. It'll essentially overexpose the background making it as white as bowronfam3's edit. 'course it won't quite make your model as nice as his edit, but you'd be surprised how far it'd go.

Keep at it...these look great.

JEazy · Aug 29, 2006

bowrenfan3...that site only has old work on it, i haven't even looked at it in ages. all of my model work is on my portable HDD. give me a couple days and i'll post some.

but i stand by my critique, they are very point and shootish and if somebody doesn't tell him they suck, how do you know he won't keep shooting like this? trust me, i got so much **** for all of my skate photography on skateperception.com and i worked so hard to prove them wrong and now i'm shooting great shots left and right.

just keep practicing, and studying.

aiko25 · Aug 30, 2006

I like number 5.

There is so much life in the picture. =)))

John_05 · Aug 30, 2006

i originally typed out a long response, but then deleted it. im glad i had the sense to copy what i originally said, because i feel i need to say it anyways.

JEazy said:
bowrenfan3...that site only has old work on it, i haven't even looked at it in ages. all of my model work is on my portable HDD. give me a couple days and i'll post some.

but i stand by my critique, they are very point and shootish and if somebody doesn't tell him they suck, how do you know he won't keep shooting like this? trust me, i got so much **** for all of my skate photography on skateperception.com and i worked so hard to prove them wrong and now i'm shooting great shots left and right.

just keep practicing, and studying.

normally i wouldnt get involved in a discussion like this, but ill make an exception this time.

i too find your "critique" a bit harsh. did you not read what TheFinisher said in his original post? these were a first attempt. he also later stated all he had to work with was a tripod. now i will admit im not a very good photographer yet, so my opinion is in now way "professional", but i think he did a decent job with what he had to work with being it was a first attempt. the pics dont look like there was much done in Photoshop to them, so for that alone i think he did pretty good.
i also had a look at your "old" slide show, and saw more then a few heavily Photoshopped pics in there and i dont just mean the ones with the eyes blacked out. i will admit i did see some pretty good shots there, but i would like to see what your first attempts were like. unless you had more to work with, and you didnt Photoshop them to death, i would guess yours wouldnt have been any better.

i have nothing against anyone giving honest criticism, but you could have at least, like bowronfam3 suggested, pointed out in your original post what you felt was so wrong with them instead of only pointing it out when confronted about your first comment.

in my opinion, its people who make comments like that to others that will do less to help a person, and more to push them away from something they have the potential to be very good at. not everyone will see a comment like that and push themselves to do better. i know i wouldnt. i would never go out of my way to please anyone, especially some anonymous person on the net such as yourself, because they had such a negative response with nothing to say to back it up.

just to clarify things, i have nothing against you or your opinion, but i do think that if youre going to take the time to reply, then take the time to say why you feel something is good or bad. just because you say you took negative comments about your own work and used it to get yourself to take better pics, doesnt mean everyone is like that.
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and to think i was getting a little tired of coming here because of a noticeable lack of replies. i would rather have no one comment on the pics i post, then to get posts like that one. if i dont get replies, then apparently either no one is interested, or the shots i posted were "terrible" and no one wanted to waste their time commenting on them. at least then im going to go out and try to get someones attention, but ill be damned before i go out and try to get shots to please someone who said my pics were terrible without telling me why.

[/rant]

my apologies if this post crosses any lines. if a mod feels it should be deleted, then please do so. im just tired of seeing people make replies like that instead of doing what this forum (IMO) is here for, and thats to help people become better doing something they love to do.

Arch · Aug 30, 2006

ok i can see where this is going...... its ok to explain your opinions if conducted in an exceptable way..... as John_05 has just demonstrated.... but this is no 'skate' forum and its not exceptable to give 'critiques' which dont explain your reasons or could provoke an adverse reaction from the poster. You wouldn't find an experienced photographer commenting on someones pictures in this way, and such comments, only demonstrate a lack of understanding.

Lets leave this debate here shall we.

ShootHoops · Aug 31, 2006

Thanks JEazy. You never fail to discourage me.

To the rest of you, thanks for even sticking up for me. Of course if my work is bad, I would like to know. Thanks for at least being considerate of my feelings.

bowronfan3, I like what you did with that picture.

P.S. - I'm a she, not a he.

modbohemian · Sep 3, 2006

JEazy said:
if somebody doesn't tell him they suck, how do you know he won't keep shooting like this?

There's a difference between an insult and constructive criticism. Constructive criticism gives suggestions on how to improve, by changing model positions, camera angles, lighting, and so forth. A negative comment takes no effort or talent at all.

Only photographers who know what they're doing can give constructive criticism.

modbohemian · Sep 3, 2006

I'd like to commend you on your first attempt! No one starts out as Ansel Adams, so you shouldn't expect these to be perfect (and, is there ever a "perfect" photograph? Who's the judge?).

My suggestions are to try and play with shadows a bit more and have the model exhibit less eye contact with the camera. I'd love to see the blinds open in that last shot late in the afternoon and have you experiment with the light shining through. You could also play with silhouettes that way, as well. Just have fun and never force limitations on yourself. All the best.