Lauren (NSFW)

[Austin Greene]

Everything here is pretty much exactly as intended.

This has no bearing at all on if it was a successful choice. By admitting that it was intentional only says to me that you've made a poor choice.

You have every right to be proud of the image, at least visually. But don't be so confident that you overlook the obvious. The image is very good, but it's not a perfect masterpiece. The gooey background is a mistake in my opinion, and the bit of sky - albeit the best choice given the circumstances - is nonetheless problematic.

As for the concept, I'm underwhelmed. By simply covering her naughty bits and claiming it's a feminist piece, you're essentially saying that women must be "modest" - else they are subject to being sexual objects; that the only non-pornographic place for the female form is if it is essentially obstructed from view. Covering her breasts in particular only furthers the sexualization of female anatomy within the context of your intent.

It's a fine nude portrait, and if it were left at that it would have been successful. Placing this socio-political baggage onto it though calls into question it's legitimacy.

As an image, it succeeds. As a statement, it fails.

I'm pretty much with UP on this. I like the image, I think it's well done, 'though I wish you'd used a polarizing filter to knock down those reflections on the water at least somewhat, and that bit of sky bothers my eye. As well, watch your posing; this is a very tricky shot in some respects, and while I can't tell if it's actually happening, the way she has her right arm positioned makes it appear as if she's pressing it into her breast.

As for the message. Sorry, but I don't get it. Not one little bit. I always look at images before I read any text in a post so that my thought process isn't 'polluted' by the poster's, and I can form my own conclusions. In this case, I got 'gentle', vulnerable' a sort of 'lady in the lake' thing. That said, I'm not sure how I would have shot an implied nude to show empowerment, so....

I appreciate the critique. But, again, I don't see where people are picking up on a concept of a message. This is a personal portrait. There is no grandiose feminist message. People assume "empowerment" means some grand thing whenever a female is involved, but in this case it's simply about a girl having her portrait done, comfortably, without it being laced with sex appeal.

I do agree with you on the elbow. From what I can remember she wasn't pressing back, but it does appear that way. Something to look out for in the future

 

[Vtec44]

IMHO, it's beautiful and tastefully done. The only thing is her expression is a bit confusing, at least at first glance. Other than that, I like it.

 

[Austin Greene]

I think about how cold she must be.

Haha, this I completely understand It was a bit chilly, but she was a trooper. For her particular competitive sport she's up at 4am most days for practice anyways, usually in local waterways like this one, so she was surprisingly comfortable.

 

[DanOstergren]

Beautiful portrait, and I think it was executed really well.

As far as people making personal assaults on your images, I've found that it is common in this forum especially when there really isn't much else for them to critique on an image and especially so when they themselves couldn't even come close to creating an image with any sort of impact or quality, so they make up reasons to try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing. This forum has a handful of members and moderators who will try to cut you down and stuff you into a boring little box of so-called "perfection". Don't fall into that trap. Keep doing what you're doing.

 

[tirediron]

Beautiful portrait, and I think it was executed really well.

As far as people making personal assaults on your images, I've found that it is common in this forum especially when there really isn't much else for them to critique on an image and especially so when they themselves couldn't even come close to creating an image with any sort of impact or quality, so they make up reasons to try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing. This forum has a handful of members and moderators who will try to cut you down and stuff you into a boring little box of so-called "perfection". Don't fall into that trap. Keep doing what you're doing.

Let's be very clear about something folks: No one has made any sort of personal attack on the OPs image. Everyone has said that it's a nice image; a couple of us have indicated that we don't see the theme that the OP indicates he was trying to capture, but disagreement is NOT a personal attack! It's an expression of another viewpoint, and for those who are sensitive to critique, please indicate that you are posting to share only and not for C&C. One of the fundamental purposes of art is encourage discussion, and Austin's image has done that, so purely from that perspective it must be a success. I can assure you that if there are any personal attacks the moderating team will deal with quickly.

 

[bribrius]

very tastefully done!

Thank you. Glad someone can see it as a photo without pasting their own ideology to it

ummmmm. you originally had in your opening that this photo was about womens empowerment. Which i thought was a good premise. The only ideology placed in this was by you. Granted, you retracted it after. Perhaps a misinterpretation of the purpose of the photo by the viewers reading the comments. But the ideology wasn't place on it by us. It was placed on in from your opening lines stating it was womens empowerment.

 

[Austin Greene]

Beautiful portrait, and I think it was executed really well.

As far as people making personal assaults on your images, I've found that it is common in this forum especially when there really isn't much else for them to critique on an image and especially so when they themselves couldn't even come close to creating an image with any sort of impact or quality, so they make up reasons to try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing. This forum has a handful of members and moderators who will try to cut you down and stuff you into a boring little box of so-called "perfection". Don't fall into that trap. Keep doing what you're doing.

I really appreciate the perspective man. I love your work and, to be honest, I kept it in mind going into this shoot. Seeing your support really seals the deal that I'm happy with the image as a whole.

Beautiful portrait, and I think it was executed really well.

As far as people making personal assaults on your images, I've found that it is common in this forum especially when there really isn't much else for them to critique on an image and especially so when they themselves couldn't even come close to creating an image with any sort of impact or quality, so they make up reasons to try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing. This forum has a handful of members and moderators who will try to cut you down and stuff you into a boring little box of so-called "perfection". Don't fall into that trap. Keep doing what you're doing.

Let's be very clear about something folks: No one has made any sort of personal attack on the OPs image. Everyone has said that it's a nice image; a couple of us have indicated that we don't see the theme that the OP indicates he was trying to capture, but disagreement is NOT a personal attack! It's an expression of another viewpoint, and for those who are sensitive to critique, please indicate that you are posting to share only and not for C&C. One of the fundamental purposes of art is encourage discussion, and Austin's image has done that, so purely from that perspective it must be a success. I can assure you that if there are any personal attacks the moderating team will deal with quickly.

I couldn't appreciate more what the mods do for us. You guys really are on top of it, and keep this thing we call TPF running. We all owe you for it.

My biggest gripe here was with one person. If I came across as trying to send a feminist message with my writing, or the photo, that isn't what was intended. I don't think that was really quite clear, and so some folks latched onto my defense of the image as me being arrogant or over-confident in it being a "masterpiece". Bottom line, there was never any message being sent, or to defend.

To me, this is just a client feeling comfortable with her body, and there is something great about that. End of story, imho.

 

[Austin Greene]

very tastefully done!

Thank you. Glad someone can see it as a photo without pasting their own ideology to it

ummmmm. you originally had in your opening that this photo was about womens empowerment. Which i thought was a good premise. The only ideology placed in this was by you. Granted, you retracted it after. Perhaps a misinterpretation of the purpose of the photo by the viewers reading the comments. But the ideology wasn't place on it by us. It was placed on in from your opening lines stating it was womens empowerment.

As I mentioned earlier, that statement was misinterpreted. I never said anything about sending a feminist message. My intention was just to show that it can be empowering for a client to be nude in a photo, without needing to add sex appeal. If I confused people, I apologize for that, and that is exactly why I made sure to edit that single line of the original post within minutes of people getting confused.

My problem was that some people, even when the OP says they might be misinterpreting things and has taken steps to avoid it, continue to try and argue a point that is completely null. That's not even critique, it's pestering.

 

[pixmedic]

very tastefully done!

Thank you. Glad someone can see it as a photo without pasting their own ideology to it

ummmmm. you originally had in your opening that this photo was about womens empowerment. Which i thought was a good premise. The only ideology placed in this was by you. Granted, you retracted it after. Perhaps a misinterpretation of the purpose of the photo by the viewers reading the comments. But the ideology wasn't place on it by us. It was placed on in from your opening lines stating it was womens empowerment.

the initial post said...
"implied nude shoot that wasn't about sex appeal"

the "empowerment" comment came later, in post #6, but it was only (as far as I see it anyway) in regards to how it was defined earlier. (post #3)
to me, it seems like Austin pretty much explained the shot in Post #1 and #3...all the other ideology came later, and from other people. Its not a right -vs- wrong thing, its just how different people see the photo.

if the premise of the shot was to imply nudity without actually showing any naughty bits, i would say he pulled it off nicely.

 

[tirediron]

...My problem was that some people, even when the OP says they might be misinterpreting things and has taken steps to avoid it, continue to try and argue a point that is completely null. That's not even critique, it's pestering.

I think what you're forgetting Austin, is that interpretation is totally subjective. If someone puts the same photo in front of you and I and says, "What does this mean to you in 25 words", chances are we're going to have different stories. You know you've nailed a concept when most people interpret the image along the same lines as you envisioned it.

 

[DanOstergren]

Beautiful portrait, and I think it was executed really well.

As far as people making personal assaults on your images, I've found that it is common in this forum especially when there really isn't much else for them to critique on an image and especially so when they themselves couldn't even come close to creating an image with any sort of impact or quality, so they make up reasons to try and tell you that you don't know what you're doing. This forum has a handful of members and moderators who will try to cut you down and stuff you into a boring little box of so-called "perfection". Don't fall into that trap. Keep doing what you're doing.

I really appreciate the perspective man. I love your work and, to be honest, I kept it in mind going into this shoot. Seeing your support really seals the deal that I'm happy with the image as a whole.

Thanks! Keep up the good work.

People are always going to try and force their ideals on your images. To me saying that covering the breasts is objectifying her even further is absolutely absurd and is reaching, and I agree with you that it goes past the line of critique and becomes personal.

 

[photoguy99]

I believe "empowered" appeared, originally, in the OP, and was deleted as Austin clarified things. The following commentary about empowerment and feminism derives from that, and from replies to replies and so on.

 

[Derrel]

This has been a very ugly C&C thread.

 

[pixmedic]

This has been a very ugly C&C thread.

It's a shame, because the subject was not

 

[bribrius]

This has been a very ugly C&C thread.

To many personal feelings involved when it is suppose to be just about the image.