Can you tell me why the model does not like the photos?

julianliu · Oct 28, 2013

Ok, I found a model online and scheduled to take some photos of her by a lake. Unfortunately it rained that day and I did not have a good backup plan for indoor shot. Since we both needed to drive 1-1.5 half hour to meet at the location, we managed to take some photos under a tree while it was sparkling a little. Anyway, I sent her the edited photos today and she seemed not like the photos except the first two photos. I like all these photos but the first two photos are my least favorites. She said she does not like her facial expression or the poses in other photos. We did this photo shoot just for fun, so I do not need to worry to please my her this time with the photos. But I think I want to take photo that my models/client will like. Besides her facial expression and poses, I believe there are other things that just do not intrigue her. What do you think it's going wrong? About the good and bad of these photos... any comments will be appreciated (FYI, pictures quality reduces after resize, any advice to solve the problem?)

-Julian

rexbobcat · Oct 28, 2013

Because she's a young person?

I've had college students be like "It's not you. I just hate my hair/legs/nose/tan/eyes/arms/stomach/hips/feet."

I'm sorry? I mean, photographers can minimize or being attention to certain features, but we can only do so much.

I've read some photographers (mostly boudoir) who have a stipulation that says that they are not miracle workers. Be in the shape you want to show up in photos before the shoot.

I'm not saying this is why she didn't like many of them, but it might have contributed to it.

If I were to critique anything, I would say that the lighting is a bit dramatic for a casual shoot. If you were doing editorial high fashion than these would look great, but for a woman in casual clothes with subtle expressions, it kinda makes her look a bit too intense. That might be why she doesn't like her face.

It could also be that her face is very neutral isn't of them while her some of her poses are more dynamic.

Did she not say anything while y'all were there?

molested_cow · Oct 28, 2013

Ok I am not her so I can't speak for her, but I have a feeling that it's the way you edit your photos. The backgrounds are deliberately darken and they don't look natural, especially with the flash.
Non-photographers aren't technical and they can't tell you specifically what they don't like. If they can, they'd be photographers themselves.

KmH · Oct 28, 2013

Tree trunks make ****ty backgrounds when the subject is placed right against or very close to the tree.

The bark is to busy, and with the subject close to it, the bark cannot be blurred enough in a full length shot to make the bark not to busy.

Robin_Usagani · Oct 28, 2013

Use larger aperture. You need ND filter or HSS/FP

thereBound1 · Oct 29, 2013

OK here goes- i want you first 2 know I think your great and great job- here's a list of things I learned and think may help you- first find online pose graphics you share with her and let her choose the poses before hand- this way the shoot is scripted and she can practice ahead of time you will have her very relaxed on shoot day and less directing for you- when shooting the
Female forms- POSE THE HAIR -always long hair behind one shoulder normally the right OR BOTH SHOULDER or pony tails experiment for best look-she looks very young and ears prominent so I would behind one shoulder the hair down never up-- always one shoulder forward it make the body slimmer- Stick head slightly forward- this makes the natural sag under the chin disappear- hands should be seen only from the side- no flat backs- no flat palms- this distracts attention from the face because two large shapes in one frame- Lift the arm away from the body- bi-cept looks larger when resting on the rib cage - move arms away from waist to not obscure the view of the hour glass waistline- Don't show the whites of the eyes- get as much pupil as possible- on side shots the point of the nose stays IN the silhouette line of the face - not poking over the silhouette line- STILL WITH ME- JUST A FEW MORE -PROMISE OK? DONT WORRY YOU GOT THIS AND WILL WOW HER YOUR NEXT SHOOT- head ever so slightly tipped down and eyes just upward a little. Just saying it sounds sexy that why the pose is too- And just relax the mouth and reveal teeth- do not smile it stretches the mouth and makes the face seem larger at the cheek bones. And if a kiss pose just lightly purse the lips - do not pucker for a kiss--- as for location AND WARBROBE I would ask to hear her music collection on her phone the softest song she loves - make the location and wardobe her deep creative passion- appropriate for the song -GET HER INTO HER FEELINGS before the shoot AND THEY WILL LEAD YOU TO WHAT SHE REALLY IS IN FORM IN (clothing) AND WHERE AT- and play her song it while shooting- YOUR GOAL IS TO CAPTURE HER ESSENCE- LET HER EXPLAIN AND YOU LEARN WHAT IT IS- PUT HER IN HER ELEMENT AND USE THE TIPS HERE TO WATCH HER UNFOLD BEFORE YOUR CAMERA- REMEMBER, LET HER HAVE FUN WITH THE SHOOT BECAUSE IT IS FUN!!!! Not work - the mood should be uplifting and playful- MOST IMPORTANT BECAUSE THIS WILL WITHOUT A DOUBT TRANSFER INTO BODY LANGUAGE AND FASCIAL EXPRESSIONS AND YOU CAN LIE TO THE GRAND JURY BUT NOT TO A CAMERA!!!! p.s. nothing more important than your tone WHILE SHOOTING and directions don't say- turn this way - look that way- instead your tone should be reaffirming and rewarding- that looks great -awsome- amazing- looking over there really works- this will make her optimistic and adventurous in positioning herself without directions -----ALSO USE A REFLECTING disk TO BOUNCE LIGHT UPON THE HARSH SHADOWS UNDER CHIN AND BODY- you can do it- listen first to your subjects heart first, prepare second, shoot third- as easy as 1, 2, 3.. You got this --- can't wait to see those photos (if client says its OK to

°_* click!

Fotofashion.no · Oct 29, 2013

The background in these are the biggest problem. The ambient is flat, so you could have gone for ambient light only (shallow dof) with a little touch of flash to bring her more out of the surroundings. If you got a flash that can allow you to shoot at f1,8 that is

Posing is nice, but to much elbow in camera.

And your light modifier creates hard shadows, wich don't work with the ambeint light. Its easy to get soft nice shadow with a 22" beautydish. So I'm wondering what kind of modifier your using.

Granddad · Oct 29, 2013

I agree with the above comments. You were shooting in difficult circumstances. Some of these shots could be fixed in post, for example, in number 3 you have good light on her face but the background and the rest of her is very dark. I masked out her face then upped the levels on the rest of the shot and it looked much better.

My biggest problem with these shots is (except for number 2) is the lack of expression on her face. This is partly her fault and partly yours. You bear the main responsibility as it's your job as photographer to direct the model and tell her what to do. One thing I learned here and from my wife (who had some modeling experience in her distant youth) was to talk to the model BEFORE shooting to try to establish a rapport and then talk while shooting. This was very hard for me at first but soon I developed a line of patter while shooting that worked and which quickly became natural. Talk to her, tell her what to do, how to hold her head - joke! ask her if she looks so serious because she has a toothache! Smile and laugh from behind the camera. Compliment her, tell her how beautiful she looks and then when she starts to actually LOOK beautiful make enthusiastic noises "YES!... That's it ... Oh! GORGEOUS!!! Hold that smile!... now, let's try a moody look..." Look at your screen, grin and punch the air - You may have to act a bit at first. This all helps the model to relax, FEEL like a model and become more confident.

This is one reason I rarely do a shoot of less than an hour. With inexperienced models it often takes me 15 to 20 minutes to get them to really relax and start to enjoy the session. There are a few who have self confidence and poise to start with (they are a joy to shoot) but they are few and far between.

Good luck!

gsgary · Oct 29, 2013

Because she does not know how to model, did you find her mobile phone its missing in the shots

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DanielLewis76 · Oct 29, 2013

I think she looks as annoyed as she probably is for having to drive 1.5 hours and then do a photoshoot under a tree in the rain. She probably likes the 1 and 2 as she looks the least annoyed. There is only minimal you could do other than tell her to stop looking so annoyed!

robbins.photo · Oct 29, 2013

DanielLewis76 said:
I think she looks as annoyed as she probably is for having to drive 1.5 hours and then do a photoshoot under a tree in the rain. She probably likes the 1 and 2 as she looks the least annoyed. There is only minimal you could do other than tell her to stop looking so annoyed!

Ok, I'm probably not the best person to ask on this because I rarely if ever shoot a "model" that weighs less than 400 lbs and who isn't covered in fur. However just taking a quick look through this if you had not told me that this was a professional model and that this was supposed to be a modelling session my impression would have been "Senior Photos". As someone else already mentioned there are some exposure issues here, but I think maybe the biggest issue I see is that at no point is she really interacting with her surroundings.

If it had been me I think I would have tried to use the rain to your advantage and gotten her out from underneath the tree. A shot of her kicking up a puddle of water, for example - or a shot of her holding a coat over herself down by the lake could have been really spectacular - particularly with a darker coat of some sort to really contrast her skin tone. As it is she really doesn't interact with her environment in any of these. The other thing I see here is the wardrobe choices really seem to be at odds with her surroundings. She looks like she's out there posing for pictures, again not really interacting with her surroundings at all. Her wardrobe would have been fine for a more urban or indoor setting, but it just really doesn't compliment well with the surroundings she's in when these photos were taken.

I'll have to agree with some of the other comments regarding pose/facial expressions that were already made. Hopefully some of that helped.

Luke345678 · Oct 29, 2013

Maybe she's just picky...

slackercruster · Oct 29, 2013

If not happy...re shoot.

Braineack · Oct 29, 2013

yes, reshoot and post back.

julianliu · Oct 29, 2013

thanks so much for all the comments...
I have a feel what to do next time if I can reschedule a second shoot with her, if she still has faith in me taking better pictures.

I feel like I may direct her too much to these kind of pose which she does not like, I would let her pose spontaneously more next time.

About the dark background, I kind of like that cos I think that emphasize the model... Hmm maybe too dark ? I used aperture f8, 1/125th second, ISO=200. I can increase aperture to f4 to get more ambient light....

By the way, I felt I was talking and taking photos all the time, kept pretty busy, I am Afraid of silent moment during the shoot. That may make the models not feel comfortable? Plus it's cold...

Julian