E sesh over the weeked...brought the whole arsenal!(Picture heavy)

[groan]

15, 17, 23.
LOVE them. All feel very natural to me and the lighting is great.

The whole set is really good. Nice settings.

 

[camz]

I love 20 (maybe the shutter was a tad too fast... but really good) & 26
I also love 14.. maybe fix the vertical distortion a little bit and make the gate perfectly straight a little more?
6-10 is probably the perfect time to bring out your flash? Probably better if you can see the skyline better.

I hear ya. Honestly I'm still trying to get used to the shifting with the lens. I would've done it in camera so I don't have to work on itt in post but with the MF features I was more worried about getting in focus.

Gracias amigo!

 

[camz]

15, 17, 23.
LOVE them. All feel very natural to me and the lighting is great.

The whole set is really good. Nice settings.

Yeah I'm really digging the TS-E so much that I'm making sure I don't over use it. 23 is close to Union Square, it's the billboard outside of Nike Town.

 

[Robin Usagani]

camz, correct me if I am wrong. I dont own a T/S or ever use one. I think if you purposely shift the plane of focus not parallel to the surface of the gate (blur top and bottom), then theoretically the vertical lines wont be perfectly straight? I was just saying maybe it looks better if you fix it on post. Set it without the blur may be interesting too. Without the blur, you probably able to make vertical look vertical on camera.

 

[MK3Brent]

I really like 14, very tilt-shifty. (maybe you used one for it? I didn't see it mentioned.)

As for critique, I personally HATE dutch angles... something about them... hate em...

Great set! Great lights! Really like the work.

 

[camz]

camz, correct me if I am wrong. I dont own a T/S or ever use one. I think if you purposely shift the plane of focus not parallel to the surface of the gate (blur top and bottom), then theoretically the vertical lines wont be perfectly straight? I was just saying maybe it looks better if you fix it on post. Set it without the blur may be interesting too. Without the blur, you probably able to make vertical look vertical on camera.

Well you can actually manipulate both simultaneously. I only used the tilt feature which is used to control the plane of focus. The shift function of the lens I didn't even touch(which is the image plane relative to the lens plane). The shift feature would've solved what you commented on...however I still need practice on this.

I'm getting there slowly...really slowly....

 

[Kerbouchard]

23, 24, 26, and 28 are okay. The rest, not so much.

As far as bringing out the arsenal, what I expected was shots more like 30 and 31. Those are very good. I wish you would have been able to maintain that level of quality throughout the shoot.

As Scott Kelby says in his composition lecture, this is just one of those cases of you sharing too many images. If you would have posted your 3-5 best, I would have left this thread thinking you were one of the greatest photographers on the forum. Instead, my impression is all the way from very good to 'why did he push the shutter on that one'...

For primary C&C, I would say the greatest failure of this set was not balancing the ambient background with the flash lit couple. With an 'arsenal' at your disposal, it should have been easy. I would say that simple thing is what separates the great shots from this bunch from the mediocre.

 

[camz]

23, 24, 26, and 28 are okay. The rest, not so much.

As far as bringing out the arsenal, what I expected was shots more like 30 and 31. Those are very good. I wish you would have been able to maintain that level of quality throughout the shoot.

As Scott Kelby says in his composition lecture, this is just one of those cases of you sharing too many images. If you would have posted your 3-5 best, I would have left this thread thinking you were one of the greatest photographers on the forum. Instead, my impression is all the way from very good to 'why did he push the shutter on that one'...

For primary C&C, I would say the greatest failure of this set was not balancing the ambient background with the flash lit couple. With an 'arsenal' at your disposal, it should have been easy. I would say that simple thing is what separates the great shots from this bunch from the mediocre.

Appreciate the honesty, this is why I post my work on forums. From your comments I see that you have very high standards. Any suggestions on which image I could've balanced flash and ambient?

Although your comment about Scott Kelby posting only 3-5 of your best images made me laugh. In our field of retail, we have deliverables and what the client gets doesn't just ecompass the "best images" or the most technically sound. You have a tell a story from their experience of the day. I don't work in editorial or commercial. I'm not looking for a pat on the back here by only posting the best 3-5. I've done this a number of times in the three years I've been a member here and this must be the first time I've heard such an opinion. I don't take members opinions lightly, agree or disagree. People post a whole series worth of albums on all of the forums I've been in. I don't think this is anything new.

Thanks for the CC.

 

[Kerbouchard]

23, 24, 26, and 28 are okay. The rest, not so much.

As far as bringing out the arsenal, what I expected was shots more like 30 and 31. Those are very good. I wish you would have been able to maintain that level of quality throughout the shoot.

As Scott Kelby says in his composition lecture, this is just one of those cases of you sharing too many images. If you would have posted your 3-5 best, I would have left this thread thinking you were one of the greatest photographers on the forum. Instead, my impression is all the way from very good to 'why did he push the shutter on that one'...

For primary C&C, I would say the greatest failure of this set was not balancing the ambient background with the flash lit couple. With an 'arsenal' at your disposal, it should have been easy. I would say that simple thing is what separates the great shots from this bunch from the mediocre.

Appreciate the honesty, this is why I post my work on forums. From your comments I see that you have very high standards. Any suggestions on which image I could've balanced flash and ambient?

Although your comment about Scott Kelby posting only 3-5 of your best images made me laugh. In our field of retail, we have deliverables and what the client gets doesn't just ecompass the "best images" or the most technically sound. You have a tell a story from their experience of the day. I don't work in editorial or commercial. I'm not looking for a pat on the back here by only posting the best 3-5. I've done this a number of times in the three years I've been a member here and this must be the first time I've heard such an opinion. I don't take members opinions lightly, agree or disagree. People post a whole series worth of albums on all of the forums I've been in. I don't think this is anything new.

Thanks for the CC.

2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 18, 19, and 21 all have an inbalance between the subject and the background.

For the ones where the flash was too prevalent and unnatural; 1, 2, 4, 11, and 13.

As far as the Scott Kelby lecture/seminar. I didn't mean that you should only post 3-5. I said if you had only posted 3-5, my impressions of this shoot would have been very different.

He actually has an amazing lecture where he takes his students out to a showing of a photographer. In one case, the photographer shows only his best. In the other case, the photographer shows his best, his second best, and his third best. Both photographers were 'equally' great, but the viewing experience was completely different. In the first case, the students leave in awe...in the second, the students are kind of like, 'eh'... In the same video, you also get a chance to see some of his 'bad' work, which was pretty eye opening in and of itself.

I'm afraid I can't explain it well. Sign up for the Kelby Training Free Trial and watch Scott Kelby's Crush the compostion video. He knows a lot more about it than I do and can explain it much better. You don't have to give a credit card#, and there is no subscription. They have a free 24 hour free trial and the video only lasts about an hour and a half. After that, you may be hooked, but I won't take the blame for that...

Crush The Composition | KelbyTraining.com

As far as the tilt-shift lens, I know it is a nice lens, have never shot with one, and can definitely understand why it would be appealing to shooting architecture, but, IMO, I just don't like it with people. But then again, that's just my opinion.

 

[NJMAN]

LOVE the beautiful bold colors, excellent lighting control, and creative framing!! Your work never disappoints!

 

[camz]

Kerb didn't use flash for 1-10 . 11 and 13 I killed the ambient so probably wouldn't be balanced. I think those two were shot at ~f/13 1/250 partly shaded. But you're right it's a little too hot.

The TS-E really generates a mixed reaction with people. Designed for landscape, but honestly man I have to say it's my favorite lens right now. It's like crack...I can't get enough of it .

Thanks.

 

[camz]

LOVE the beautiful bold colors, excellent lighting control, and creative framing!! Your work never disappoints!

Thanks NJ
Dude where've you been?!

 

[Kerbouchard]

Kerb didn't use flash for 1-10 . 11 and 13 I killed the ambient so probably wouldn't be balanced. I think those two were shot at ~f/13 1/250 partly shaded. But you're right it's a little too hot.

The TS-E really generates a mixed reaction with people. Designed for landscape, but honestly man I have to say it's my favorite lens right now. It's like crack...I can't get enough of it .

Thanks.

I'm not saying it's bad work...Some are very good. I'm just thinking it could use a bit of refining to get to the next level. I hope my C&C was taken as I intended. Honestly, I wan't really trying to be too critical. It's a good set. Just a few adjustments that need to be made to take it up a notch.

I would say you are right on the verge of a breakthrough.

 

[Kerbouchard]

One last comment, since you seem to be open to C&C, #5 should have never been posted and absolutely never shown to the client. It's an interesting concept, but with this model, it's a throwaway.

The client will hate this image if you show it to her, and it isn't portfolio material. It's a great concept and a great shot, but with your subject, it's not the right shot to take.

Actually, I would bet dollars to peanuts, that the pictures she selects do not include her legs. This is one of those cases where advising a client what to wear would have paid huge divideds. She has the clasically beautiful face, but unfortunately, her legs cannot match it. It would be a good idea in the future to consult with the client regarding clothing to emphasize the strenghts and minimize any areas the client may not wish to be prominent.

 

[NJMAN]

Thanks NJ
Dude where've you been?!

Workin'! I had to laugh at the "e-sesh" conflict...hee hee.