Hunter- Portraits of a Classical Pianist (new photos added)

DanOstergren · Jun 4, 2019

FITBMX said:
Not only are these all incredible, but it also looks like you had a lot of fun!

Thank you. Hunter is definitely fun to work with, and I had a really good team with me that day.

DanOstergren · Jun 4, 2019

Derrel said:
Good photos, nice to see so many shots

Thanks. Yeah, definitely more than what I usually share here.

DanOstergren · Jun 4, 2019

vintagesnaps said:
These are just wonderful. They show so many different aspects of someone's life and are beautifully done. You were always good but your photos have become exceptional, outstanding work. I love this set, I could look at them all again.

edit - Have you ever taken a class or anything to get individual feedback from an instructor? Or a portfolio review, or anything like that where you'd get critique from an experienced professional? I'm just wondering because I found that to be a good way to get real life feedback to confirm if I was on the right track (and usually got confirmation about what I thought about my level of ability to eventually start getting photos accepted into juried exhibits.)

Thank you so much!

I've never taken a class for photography. The only formal education I have for anything photography related is a couple of classes in high school that taught me the basics of Photoshop (Version 7 back in 2002). Otherwise, I educated myself using a DVD called "Photographer Shoot-off: Lara Jade VS Joey L", and the Creativelive class "Fashion Photography 101 with Lara Jade". I also learned a ton from an internship I had with a photographer in 2014. I haven't formally submitted a portfolio for critique, however I have still received a great deal of feedback from other professionals in my social and professional circles (photographers, retouchers, agents, art directors, and publishers). I've also entered into a couple of juried competitions and received great feedback from those.

DanOstergren · Jun 4, 2019

I didn't include these in the initial post. They were delivered to the client, but in my opinion they don't stand up to the photos I shared initially. I'm not a fan of the lighting, and found that they were particularly difficult to color tone. They were shot using the available indoor overhead light bulbs in the library (non natural). Hunter insisted on shooting in the library; I love the concept, but think these particula shots would have looked so much better if we had a budget to rent strobes.

Braineack · Jun 4, 2019

damn, killin' it Dan.

it's not even just the outfits, it's how you picture them for each environment. they go perfectly with the setting.

loving that first library shot a lot, but the last is more you; love the honest smile.

DanOstergren · Jun 4, 2019

Braineack said:
damn, killin' it Dan.

it's not even just the outfits, it's how you picture them for each environment. they go perfectly with the setting.

loving that first library shot a lot, but the last is more you; love the honest smile.

Thanks man!

vintagesnaps · Jun 4, 2019

Good (that you've gotten professional feedback etc.). Not that you need it to know you're good but I found it can lead to further learning, skill development, opportunities, etc. I haven't had much formal training in photography but took art as an elective when I could all thru school.

I don't know, the first one I'd think about cropping the left side a little to eliminate the vertical chopped off frames in the background and 'clean up' that up some. (edit - Maybe along that vertical line in between framed art; that would lose part of the top framed photo but could be cropped along the left side of the photographed building.) The second one might have a little movement blur, but other than that they're good. Light in there wasn't ideal but sometimes there are 'make it work' situations.

I gotta go back and look at that Gucci jacket.

vintagesnaps · Jun 4, 2019

I did... sequins look white, or maybe not too reflective? In the first one I can see a slight green tint to the some on his right sleeve (to the left in the photo) so they seem to have barely reflected the color. Might have needed warmer/different light? play with angling the jacket different ways? But with a person in it, that seems different than playing with getting a shot being out and about doing your own thing.

I don't drive myself nuts nitpicking thru my own photos or anything (sarcasm intended because yes I do).

DanOstergren · Jun 7, 2019

vintagesnaps said:
Good (that you've gotten professional feedback etc.). Not that you need it to know you're good but I found it can lead to further learning, skill development, opportunities, etc. I haven't had much formal training in photography but took art as an elective when I could all thru school.

I don't know, the first one I'd think about cropping the left side a little to eliminate the vertical chopped off frames in the background and 'clean up' that up some. (edit - Maybe along that vertical line in between framed art; that would lose part of the top framed photo but could be cropped along the left side of the photographed building.) The second one might have a little movement blur, but other than that they're good. Light in there wasn't ideal but sometimes there are 'make it work' situations.

I gotta go back and look at that Gucci jacket.

Thank you. I appreciate the critique.