Wine, Sockmonkeys and Snow

[jowensphoto]

Thoughts and C&C always appreciated.

 

[oldhippy]

great pics, warm a homey

 

[jowensphoto]

Thank you! That's what we were going for

 

[o hey tyler]

Jess, I like the ideas behind these... But shooting them wide open isn't doing them any favors. With number 3 in particular, the softness at the bottom of the frame is very distracting to me. Not sure why, but the OOF areas just look odd. They just don't appear to be rendered properly and are overly fuzzy, but not creamy (if that makes sense). With the distance between her and the background, f/2.5 - 2.8 probably would have worked better IMO. #2 is probably my favorite, and I dig the processing. But the framing element at the top is slightly tilted. I think if you straightened that out and tried to see if you could do anything about increasing contrast on the stem of the glass, it would be a real winner. :thumbup:

 

[jowensphoto]

Thanks, Tyler! I agree on all counts!

#3, yes, I know exactly what you mean. I'm not a fan of the fuzziness and would have preferred the socks be in focus as well as her face (who doesn't love sockmonkey slippers?!). Given the bright, snowy conditions, there was definitely no need to shoot so wide open.

#2. Ugh, I got SO frustrated in post trying to rotate it so the lines were straight. I couldn't find *the spot*. I'll take another look with fresh eyes later on.

Thanks so much for the critique. I know I've still got some areas to work on, but I can't help but be extremely happy with these. Looking back at where I was this time last year is really an ego boost

 

[jowensphoto]

mo betta?

 

[Studio7Four]

The out of focus sock monkeys in #3 don't really both me. Perhaps getting them sharp would have helped the shot, but on the other hand it may not have. The bright red of the socks, had they been sharp, would definitely have competed for the viewer's attention. This would have left two widely separated points of interest (her face at the top, the red socks at the bottom) - I'm not sure if they would have coexisted as complimentary points of interest of worked against each other.

My only nitpick (and nitpick it is) is that the wine glass itself gets completely lost in shot #1. Had it not been for the context of the other shots I would have been left wondering what were those dark areas between her fingers. Again, that's a nitpick, overall I really like the feel to this set. Thanks for sharing!

 

[jowensphoto]

Thank you! I also noticed the wine glass disappearing in that one. I may go back and mask that part off of the exposure layer.

Thanks again for the critique/suggestions/compliments, everyone

 

[Tee]

Gotta tell ya, you pulled off #1 really well. Showing a backside can be really tricky but the hip tilt and her right arm work well. Plus, she has a nice tuccus and I don't mean that in a pervy, creepy way, only in the sense that it's not distracting. I like the composition in #3 but agree with Tyler, with her legs scrunched up to her body, a little DoF would be more pleasing. Still, a nice series all around. Thanks for sharing. :cheers:

 

[sm4him]

I was really kinda hoping for actual sock monkeys playing in the snow after having a little too much wine.

I don't have much to add beyond what's already been said; I'd like the first better if I could tell she was holding a glass (though I'm not a big fan of this high-key look anyway). I like the two color ones the best; really like the pose of the last one, but I wish there was a fifth one that showed the entire person with the same pose as #4.
I just don't personally care for the second one at all. Looks a little "too" candid and off-hand for me, like you were doing a portrait session and caught her unposed and unprepared, and not really in a good way. But that's just me. Maybe it's just because in that one she's actually drinking the wine, and I'm jealous.

 

[jowensphoto]

I may have a full body of that last one... Hopefully, at least!

she does have a great butt, huh? She'll be happy to hear someone thinks so