"Photo Shoot"

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 4, 2011

C&C WELCOME!
I'm in college and my friends like dressing up and driving around to take "photo shoots". They take pictures of me as well, though this last one I found I much preferred taking the photos instead, mostly because I love photography, but partly because I don't like them touching my "fancy" camera. I found out that I really enjoy taking photos of people. You can hopefully tell these people have 2 totally different personalities, which I think I captured on this "shoot".
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6.

Brenda Lee · Mar 5, 2011

You're lucky to have photoshoot buddies. I really like #2 -- it's quirky.

kundalini · Mar 5, 2011

Please number your photos with this many entries.

I really dig #2 (if the horizon was corrected) and #3 is superb. The next three are not so good and it has nothing to do with the model, only your shot selection.

molested_cow · Mar 5, 2011

I am usually not a fan of flash but that's because I am bad at it. The second photo could be an interesting one with deliberate harsh flash. I think it will look very strong if you capture the "frozeness" of that moment when she makes that facial expression like as if she's about to leap towards the camera.

RockstarPhotography · Mar 5, 2011

I'm a fan of #1....mostly because I like shooting hard light with hard shadows. And I like the pose by the train wheel. With that being said........shooting larger women in a flattering pose can be tricky. You did a good job in #2. now look at the last photo. see how her leg is bent underneath her? that emphasizes her thigh in a bad way, it makes it look larger then it is. try to keep the arms and legs from touching other body parts as that will help slim them down. I'm not trying to be mean, you just want you models shown the best way possible. t

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 5, 2011

RockstarPhotography said:
I'm a fan of #1....mostly because I like shooting hard light with hard shadows. And I like the pose by the train wheel. With that being said........shooting larger women in a flattering pose can be tricky. You did a good job in #2. now look at the last photo. see how her leg is bent underneath her? that emphasizes her thigh in a bad way, it makes it look larger then it is. try to keep the arms and legs from touching other body parts as that will help slim them down. I'm not trying to be mean, you just want you models shown the best way possible. t

That doesn't come off as mean at all. I understand!

I love most of that final picture ( I LOVE railroads!) but, I knew someone was going to mention her missing leg! I wanted to kick myself, I think it would've been much better if I'd told her to move. However.... And I should probably learn to be more anal if I want to do this for a living...but she was a very uh... arrogant model. Every frame she insisted on moving her legs in some funky way, or spreading her arms out in some unnatural pose. These things may have worked fine for the other girl, who preferred having more odd, serious poses, but girl #2 seemed to only like the "oo pretty" sort of facial expressions. I would try to tell her to do something but she would say "but I like it like this"... so I just gave her what she asked for. Here are a few others... Maybe they look better? The last one of here is an example of what she kept doing over and over.
1b.

2b.

3b.

4b.

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 5, 2011

As for the other “model”, here’s some contrast increase to the one on my first post
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And I can’t decide which of these two look better…
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clayhilda55 · Mar 6, 2011

you have a good model or I would say photo body? hehehe

PhotoWrangler · Mar 6, 2011

#1. Exposure problems. Blown highlights, and her head is in a shadow. You have a line going across her face where the light goes from shadow, to BRIGHT. Move her head either into the light, or completely out of the light.
#2. Her pose is awful - is she falling off the railing, or trying to stay on? It appears that the focus is on the wall behind her, as she is soft. The bright orange light in the top left corner is a distraction and commands more attention than your subject does.
#3. Another strange pose. You've shot her straight on, making her shoulder and body look very broad and thick, and her head look unproportionate to her body.
#4. Exposure problems, you've chopped her off at the knees, and you've cut her elbow out of the photo.
#5. Exposure issues again, and the half face doesn't work in this composure. Include more of her face, or leave it out for this shot.
#6. What happened to the rest of her left leg? Was it amputated? And a reflector to bounce some light back on to her face would have been a good idea.

#1b. Lets face it, this girl is a little on the heavier side. By getting down low you've put her legs and hips closer to the camera, making her appear larger. Things that are closer to the camera will always appear larger than things that are further away.
#2b. Good shot of the sun - where's your subject? Oh there she is, behind the big foot.
#3b. I like the leading lines in this one. I dont like where you've put the subject, and how you've cropped 3/4 of her out. She's like a guitar playing torso without limbs.
#4b. Appears soft. The pose on the girl in the blue dress is completely un-natural, especially next to the other girl who is posing relatively naturally. And again, the girl in the blue dress is on the heavier side and you basically have her square to the camera, and squished against a wall - it dont get any broader than that.

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 6, 2011

Wow. Brutal. But thanks.

Bitter Jeweler · Mar 6, 2011

Brutal, or an honest opinion?

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 6, 2011

They're often the same thing.

PhotoWrangler · Mar 6, 2011

ScribbledShinanigans said:
They're often the same thing.

Would you prefer we simply say "Good job, nice shots!" and allow you to continue to make the same mistakes?

Or would you prefer to hear the truth, learn something from it, and get better over time?

ScribbledShinanigans · Mar 6, 2011

I wasn’t going to say anything, but if you have a right to your honest opinion so do I. Now, I agree with some of claims you’ve made that I have broken some fundamental “rules” such as ideal cut-off points on people. If you read my other posts you would know I have addressed that, and I’m fully aware that I need to identify better cut-off points. However, the arrogant sarcasm, suggesting that I am some sort of idiot was not needed. And that’s what turns your honest opinion into, quite frankly an asinine remark.
And, again, while some of your words ( once you ring out your adolescently malicious tone from them) can be helpful, the rest suggest that you believe there is only one way to take good photos, and that’s what really makes your post seem arrogant. However, although I’m sure it wasn’t in the way you intended, you have in fact successfully increased my own artistic insight, so thank you again for that sincerely honest opinion.

“ Good photographers don’t make any rules, they just make good photos.
And let me say this: if one is going to learn photography from a book or from a teacher with an objective to follow someone else’s idea of what is good photography, they are less likely to take chances, dare or come up with their own style and approach.
So yes, we all want to make great photos but we are more likely to find them if we trust
our own drive and creative intuition.”