Hey guys and gals! [My Portfolio!]

[mpower420]

WARNING: A few of these images are NSFW!!!

Well, this is my first and surely not my last post here at TPF. I'm an aspiring photographer from the Raleigh-Durham, NC area and I figured I'd get some input to see if anyone here likes my work. I chase and photograph severe weather during the spring and summer months, and I can see myself shooting models throughout the year. I'm 19 right now, I've been photographing severe storms for 4 years and models for just 2 months (since I bought the D80). I have no equipment other than a Nikon D80, and 2 lenses (Sigma 28-70 and 70-300). A few of the following shots were from a shoot I did with my girlfriend yesterday, and for the abstracts, the only light I had available was a 75w halogen bulb for our bearded dragon "Puff" haha. I try to make due with what I can. Any input would be greatly appreciated though! These are my first attempts with shooting models, so try to take it easy on me if you don't like my style haha do be honest though

I'm not sure of the forums rules with nudity, but none of my work could be deemed "explict", just a few nudes with taste. If they need to be deleted, mods, by all means do so.

Here is my almost everything in my portfolio, ranging from motorsports, cars, models, and severe weather! Give it a look and tell me what'cha think.

 

[jsmharley]

This needs a NSFW tag in title for the nudity.

 

[mpower420]

This needs a NSFW tag in title for the nudity.

it won't let me change it now. i'm sorry. i didn't know. maybe a moderator can change it?

 

[hedonia]

It might simply be how it was saved for the web, but all the images look very soft to me. The b&w nudes are very, very muddy and could benefit from a simple curves tweak. I think you should spend some time whittling down your portfolio - its better to have 10 amazing shots than 10 amazing shots, 10 mediocre shots, and 10 what-was-he-thinking shots. It also gets tedious to see more than one or two shots of the same subject from the same session from the same angle in a portfolio. I think you should select one of the nudes that actually tells a story or has a dramatic impact, and work on tweaking it to really stand out. Right now most of those shots aren't doing you any favors at all.

Many of the storm photos look like snapshots rather than professionally composed shots (they don't look like exposure and composition were carefully considered), but I bet they're a lot of fun to take!

Your portraits - (they're not numbered so its hard to reference) - have a VERY cute subject. However, every single pose is unflattering!

I don't know anything about cars or motorcycles so I won't comment on those.

Since you're posting this in the professional gallery, I'm assuming that you were paid for these. If you're serious about pursuing a career as a pro photographer (even just part-time); in other words, if you're aiming to accept money for your photographs, you're on the right track. You're shooting a lot, and you're shooting diverse subjects. Hopefully you will find your niche! I think you need to slow down and think more critically about what you're capturing - two great photos in an hour is WAY better than 50 "meh" ones. Think about the lighting - am I flattering my subject? How do I want this exposed? Think about your focus - are the eyes in focus? Think about your composition - are there distracting wires or trees in the background? Do my subjects have things growing out of their heads? Should I use a shallow DOF to cover up this fugly background? Think about your posing - What are my subject's hands doing? Am I chopping off body parts, or are hands and feet hiding, giving the "amputee" look? Am I shooting from an angle that will flatter my subject (ie not up the nose, not straight on for the mug-shot look, not straight across for the linebacker look).

Take your girlfriend outside or wherever, and aim to shoot 3 really well lit, interesting, flattering, beautiful portraits! Think about the angle of her shoulders, where her hands are, the angle of her chin, where you are in relation to her, the background, etc. You can do this with natural light, and you might not even need a reflector. You're starting with a pretty subject so that makes it loads easier already!

Post those pictures after you're done, and I bet they'll be really great!

I hope I helped - I am a professional portrait photographer and I learn something new every day. I, like most pros, look back at the work I did two years ago and cringe at most of it. I'm sure in two years I'll look back at what I'm doing now and cringe again - but that just means that I'm always working to get better!

Best of luck!

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

That is a lot of photos. When it comes to your portfolio, less can be more...so only use the best of the best. A really good 10 images is more impressive than 10 really good ones, 8 only good ones & 6 so-so ones.
We tend to judge our own work by the best images and include the rest....but other people might judge us by the worst images in the bunch....so make them all great.