New shoot; Helen & Mary. Another of Taylor.

TimmyJP

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Hey all,

Firstly, thanks ever so much for all the feedback you gave on the photos of Taylor I posted the other week, it really is much appreciated, and I hope that I can improve with the help of your advice!

I had a gathering to take some photos of my friend Helen the other day, unfortunately the best shot was of another of my friends who was also taking photos! However I think I've rescued a couple of Helen through some post-processing.

I've also added a new one of Taylor, from the previous shoot, that I've just finished.

All criticism and critique is welcome!

#1 Mary (I really need to get some more of her, she's stunning!)
050web.jpg


#2 Helen
159web.jpg


#3 Helen
136web.jpg


#4 Taylor
DSCF1189EDITresize.jpg



Thanks for looking,


Timmy
 
everyone just looks sickly in these photos, not flattering to your subjects at all. the lighting is also horrible. and your watermark, c'mon are you really worried someone is going to steal these? You just need to work on your lighting, posing, and PS work. and make the watermark a tad bit smaller
 
fotokman: Very thoughtful critique you've provided. Would you care to enlighten me as to exactly how that is supposed to help the OP improve his technique?

That aside, I do agree that the watermark/logo is far too large and distracting, and that these images are definitely not without their issues. Let's have a look shall we:

C&C per req:

1. You're right, she's a beautiful girl, however this particular pose is only appropriate if the image says "Wanted" at the top. Always try for a 3/4 or broader pose. Additionally, avoid chopping little bits of people off, such as her left elbow. If you need to crop body parts, do it boldly and not at/near joints. That way it looks deliberate. Finally, the DoF in this iamge is excessive, the way to shoot this (If the room would allow it) would be with a wide open telephoto from further away, giving you much less DoF, rather than close up with a wide-angle. (Oh, and with all of the 'Quick-fix' tools in image editing applications, there's NO excuse for posting images with red-eye!

2. Interesting, though somewhat cliche pose. This is an image that would have needed fairly spefic lighting to get right; I'm thinking two diffuse strobes @45 degrees on the ground aimed up. Note that the focus is soft which is odd since you had a very high shutter speed and the flash fired. Don't like the angle, but that's personal taste.

3. Don't like this treatment at all. If you want/need a white background, buy a roll of white paper (<$20) and then blow it out with a flash. The fading along all the edges is to me, very unattractive. The position here isn't great either, as it appears she's backing out of the image. I did say earlier that cropping boldly is acceptable, but I think this may be a little too bold. I'd suggest redoing this so that you have a bust shot only.

4. Comments per #3 about the treatement. WB seems a little off in this one; just a tad too warm. I'm not fond of this angle/expression, but it looks deliberate. Good work on the eyes/face and the focus.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary

~John
 
Fotokman; thanks....but I'll agree with what Tirediron said about the help your post actually gives. But thanks for pointing out some problems.

Tirediron: Thanks for the critique, much appreciated. I'll work through each photo:

1. It was literally a snapshot that I tried turning into something else, hence the dodgy angling. I'll remember the tip for next time though. I'm usually fairly good with not cutting off joints, and I hadn't noticed it this time! Thanks for pointing that out. I still need to work on manipulating the depth of field, definitely something I need to practice. I can't believe the red-eye got past me, I didn't even notice it! I'll sort that.

2. This photo was an absolute mess, hence the 'rain' to try sort it. I wasn't going to post it, but someone else said they quite liked it so I thought I'd put it up for some more opinions.

3. Point taken about the fading, it was just experimentation really, so now I know not to do that :p I've got a large white sheet somewhere; I assume I could use that instead of paper? It's just a case of rigging it up somewhere. I'm not so sure about the crop myself, now I look at it. Thanks a lot.

4. I'll see what I can do about the WB. Thanks for the face comments :)


Thanks a lot for your comments, much appreciated :)


Timmy
 
I also think the watermarks make these nearly impossible to view.

I understand the idea that you're afraid of someone "stealing" an imagine, but in reality, what could they do with a websize image. There are plenty of pros here that use frams or signatures, NOT huge watermarks, and they do it for a reason.

When we see a photograph our eyes do not FIRST see things like subjects and focal points, the first thing we see is CONTRAST. It's the first thing that attracts your eye to a photograph.

Your images lose any of the possibility of contrast OOMPH, because you have this gigantic, distracting watermark. I know it sonds harsh, but as the earlier person suggested, why would a supposed picture theif want these photos? I don't mean that to be mean, I mean it for real... why?

I've looked at your Deviant Art and you surely have some great ideas for shots, I just don't think they are being executed well. The pics that work are the ones with the drawing on the girl, the black and white especially. (But beware, it seems you might be a teenager and posting pictures of your friends naked back might not be the best idea... but, I could be wrong you and her being teens.)

Learn a couple of the rules of photography before shooting again. Try to learn the rule of thirds (PLENTY of explanation on the internet) and then go out and use it to try to make some more dynamic pictures.

Also, turn off your camera's flash. Forever, or at least until you get a DSLR and a external flash.

Or, if you can do that, tape a piece of rounded paper over your flash to create a diffuser, so the light isn't so harsh.

This, is of course, just my thoughts at this particularly random moment. Take them or leave them.

:)
 
I've got a large white sheet somewhere; I assume I could use that instead of paper?

You can, but it won't work nearly as well. The paper that is genrerally used for backgrounds is just plain white kraft paper on a roll (anywhere from twenty to several hundred fee long), available from art-supply shops, printing houses, stationers, etc and is not terribly expensive. The reason that it works much better than sheets is because (a) it's long enough that you can bring it right down onto the ground in a gentle curve, and (b) it's wrinkle-free. If a bit does get messed up, cut it off, and toss it. Trying to get sheets to flow like paper and to be as smooth is paper is very difficult (trust me, I've tried it). If you're just doing upper-body shots, a well-ironed sheet will be okay.
 

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