Sorry for not replying earlier, I have been reading your comments and I can't say how much I appreciate the critiques and just how people feel about these photos. Now that almost all my exams are completed I am able to concentrate more on completing these images and respond.
See if he'd be willing to sign a release in exchange for the prints. That way you can use the images in the future, like on business cards and the like.
Never thought about that before, but it is something I will defintely be looking into. I know just from some brief research that these releases can be either quite complex or rather simple. Does a basic release include:
a) My name and address
b) Model's name and address
c) A statement saying something along the lines of "I, _______, assign the photographer full copyright for publishing (etc.)"
d) Signature and date ?
my only nitpick is the highlight on the glove in #2...it's drawing my eye away from the hammer which is the real centre of attention here IMO. I'd just tone that down so it's less bright than the hammer
Interesting point. Prior to this comment I was mostly interested in the glove being the main focal point, but since you mentioned this, I have been asking myself if perhaps using a smaller aperture would have solved this 'conflict of interests' as the hammer is slightly out of the range of focus. In the original, I did burn the glove a little as well, seeing as it was a tad bit 'glaring'.
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS. Another part about this photo I might as well mention, which allowed these photos to not be a complete disaster, is the fact that it was taken with ISO 640 1/50s at f/2.8. With the aid of Image Stabilization as well as the large sensor of the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II it was rather difficult to go wrong. Both of these pieces of (amazing) equipment were borrowed for the day, and I must say, the 1Ds is mighty heavy around the neck in comparison to my 350D (still in the shop), but not half as much as the pain I might have been feeling in the neck if I had dropped the set
Thanks once again everyone for taking the time to post