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bisticles posted:Did some shots for a friend's band yesterday. I'm not *thrilled* with them, but the guys are, which is cool. It was hot as balls, so getting everyone to focus for even a few seconds was a real struggle. All I see in the second one is a bunch of blown out white shirts against a blown out white background. It was nice to put them in the shade, but the white shirts just blend in too much. I wonder why male musicians always insist on making the same faces no matter what music style they play. They look like they are 95% there its just a few small details that keep them from being 100% for me personally. Good work.
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May 29, 2012 20:54
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| # ? May 17, 2024 20:49 |
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Thanks for the critique guys. I've really got a lot to learn when it comes to outdoor shoots, but even I knew from the start that those brand new white shirts were going to kill me. Oh well, something to learn for next time. I took on this assignment as a favor, with the understanding that it'd be good, but not not-notch. They are cool guys, it's an Irish band with accordion, guitar and mandolin. There's definitely a lot less you can do with male models before it looks like you're trying too hard, then it creeps into JCPenney Catalog Territory. Especially with groups of guys, like in bands, I have a hard time getting anyone to do anything other than stand there and look cool. It gets even worse when people stop and watch. I couldn't care less, but it makes them lock up even more. One more (crooked) 
an AOL chatroom fucked around with this message at 23:10 on May 29, 2012 |
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May 29, 2012 21:59
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Whit shirts AND black pants. It's like they were loving with you.
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May 29, 2012 22:18
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I want to shoot people and make them like it. How's this for a start? I went out the park and took some photos of my gf. I think my biggest weakness is knowing how to pose people.  Portrait 1 by Jenseales, on Flickr  Portrait 2 by Jenseales, on Flickr
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May 30, 2012 00:36
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Not bad. First one I would say try to find a spot in even light (all shade, in this case). In the second one, turn her body partly away from you and have her turn her head toward you (like you did in the first one). You generally don't want to shoot women straight on like that.
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May 30, 2012 01:02
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Comments re processing, composition, positioning etc? Charlotte Final Hi (2 of 10) by Rick0r McZany, on Flickr  Charlotte Final Hi (1 of 10) by Rick0r McZany, on Flickr
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May 30, 2012 01:17
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Cyberbob posted:Comments re processing, composition, positioning etc? I tried to comment on these the other day, but had a hard time putting my thoughts into words. The images just seem a little....flat...for lack of a better word. It seems to lack contrast. All the tones just seem very similar. There's also quite a bit of light falloff as you go down her body. I like the posing and composition of the second. I'm not sure if the first pose is flattering to her posterior area, especially since she's clearly quite slender. Lovely model, in fact. *shrug* I still don't know if I explained that right.
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May 30, 2012 01:32
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Yea, the lack of contrast is bugging me too. I might start from scratch with the processing. I know what you mean about the skirt too, I almost didn't choose any from this series, as the skirt was just a little too unflattering.
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May 30, 2012 01:39
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Cyberbob posted:Comments re processing, composition, positioning etc? I agree with AngryDrunk but I also want to add that it is a poor choice of backdrop for that angle of view. The distortion on those door panels or whatever you call them is very distracting.
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May 30, 2012 01:42
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Cyberbob posted:Yea, the lack of contrast is bugging me too. I might start from scratch with the processing. It might be a good black and white. Color already isn't a big part of the image. Edit: Did a quick test. I think B&W looks nice.
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May 30, 2012 01:54
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Hmm, I'll throw it through SilverEfex tonight  Cheers
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May 30, 2012 03:52
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 Jim by xxyzz road, on Flickr
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May 30, 2012 08:01
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TheAngryDrunk posted:Not bad. That's good advice! Thanks!!!
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May 30, 2012 08:04
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bisticles posted:Did some shots for a friend's band yesterday. I'm not *thrilled* with them, but the guys are, which is cool. It was hot as balls, so getting everyone to focus for even a few seconds was a real struggle. I think the main issue here is the background. It looks like it could be potentially interesting but he's positioned neither here nor there. We've got a bit of brick, a bit of door, some gas canisters or something in the window and it's all on an angle that doesn't look like it was done on purpose. If you think of your subject as a shape, an ornament, if you will, and you were creating a still life, where would you put that ornament in the scene to make it look interesting or like it fit there? I think this would've worked with the angle flat to the wall, where you would fit him into the scene somewhere. This is a shot I took a while ago:  Now let's pretend the vertical isn't slightly off and you can see that I was sort of trying to fit them into the scene. It's not a brilliant photo but I wanted to use it to illustrate what I meant. Basically, imagine a good version of that.
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May 30, 2012 22:10
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TheAngryDrunk posted:
For a "night time strobist self portrait" kinda pic, it works. For an executive profile image, it kinda doesn't. Not really enough context to pull that kinda thing off. (Why is a guy in a suit outside at night). Lighting's great, but he's a little too side on for the crossed arms pose to work well IMO. Depends what you were going for though
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May 31, 2012 00:16
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Cyberbob posted:(Why is a guy in a suit outside at night). Heh...just a friend and me screwing around after work. It was my first time taking the lights outside and he was my guinea pig.
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May 31, 2012 00:23
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Gazmachine posted:I think the main issue here is the background. It looks like it could be potentially interesting but he's positioned neither here nor there. We've got a bit of brick, a bit of door, some gas canisters or something in the window and it's all on an angle that doesn't look like it was done on purpose. Wow, thanks for the advice. I'm scheduled for a composition workshop in the coming weeks, which I really hope will help me pin down this kind of thing. I get what you're saying about using the scenery to frame, or at least give a good natural-looking home to the subject(s). There's a certain harmony to it, where mine kind of looks mashed together without a real justification.
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May 31, 2012 00:45
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rcman50166 posted:So I got hired to work at a photography studio as a photographer. I believe I'm qualified for the position. However it is one of those chain places that everyone gets Christmas photos in a mall. The rest of they year, kids and babies are more than half of their business. Anyone have tips on how to work with kids? I know you need to let your guard down and be a little silly with babies and toddlers, but I was wondering if anyone had some tricks to really get 'em smiling. With babies, I find that if I talk to them like grown people, ask them how their day is going, if they like the clothes they are wearing, ect, they react to me better, then give them a big smile and make a fart noise. They can giggle. This is all highly dependent on if they've just eaten and had a nap. If neither of those are true, nothing you can do will make them happy.
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May 31, 2012 05:57
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bisticles posted:Wow, thanks for the advice. I'm scheduled for a composition workshop in the coming weeks, which I really hope will help me pin down this kind of thing. I get what you're saying about using the scenery to frame, or at least give a good natural-looking home to the subject(s). There's a certain harmony to it, where mine kind of looks mashed together without a real justification. One other tidbit - when doing this, I tend to tell my subject what I'm doing and what I'm aiming for. Maybe this was only a problem I had in the early days, but I often didn't communicate to my subject what I was trying to aim for. I always find that if you explain to them that you want them in a certain position for a certain reason, it not only helps them be tolerant and patient, but also allows for them to be on board and cooperate with you on what you're trying to achieve. Also, you're including them in the artistic process, which I find almost always gets more enthusiasm and better poses / reactions out of your subject, unless it's something like a school photo or a rushed press image where they simply don't care, but that's a whole other challenge. It's a bit like the dentist (sort of?) - I feel a lot better if they tell me what they're doing as opposed to staying quiet. Obviously there are situations where not telling them is better, but you'll know what those situations are if / when you encounter them.
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May 31, 2012 10:16
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Gazmachine posted:One other tidbit - when doing this, I tend to tell my subject what I'm doing and what I'm aiming for. Maybe this was only a problem I had in the early days, but I often didn't communicate to my subject what I was trying to aim for. I always find that if you explain to them that you want them in a certain position for a certain reason, it not only helps them be tolerant and patient, but also allows for them to be on board and cooperate with you on what you're trying to achieve. Also, you're including them in the artistic process, which I find almost always gets more enthusiasm and better poses / reactions out of your subject, unless it's something like a school photo or a rushed press image where they simply don't care, but that's a whole other challenge. Yup, absolutely. I'm really into the storytelling aspects of photography, and with bands, my ultimate goal is for the viewer to know, or at least have a guess, what kind of band they're looking at before hearing them. It probably goes back to my days of obsessing over rock albums while looking at the album artwork. The good ones always felt like they were part of the total experience. It doesn't show in the images that I posted, but for the street portion of the shots, I explained that I wanted them to look like they were local boys hanging out on the street, and they were just glancing up at me like I was a guy they were familiar with, just to give a nod or "hey" to. Ultimately, I only had about an hour and a half to work with them in two locations (they were playing in a bar about 30 feet from the shot) so I didn't obsess over the posing, but I do wish there was more breathing room in my composition, and that I didn't gel the fill flash 1/4 CTO because it ended up making them look jaundice.
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May 31, 2012 14:12
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So, I've been self-teaching photography for about 6 months now, since my first DSRL purchase. Just about all of what I shoot is portraiture and resources like this thread have been invaluable in trying to guide myself through the learning process. I've been really wanting to commit more of myself to learning and becoming a better photographer but I have two major concerns; The first being that I'm only working with an EOS 550D w/ kit lenses (Pending first lens upgrade next pay-day), which ties in with the second issue of just generally being terrified of posting my photos anywhere. I mean, the general standard of quality in this thread alone is mindblowing and I'm still just trying to work out what kind of gear I need to even begin approaching that standard, but I'd certainly like advice and tips in the form of critique along the way. I'm just worried that you can't really be 'critiqued' until you've reached a certain standard that I probably haven't yet. Is it okay for newbies to get on board here? Also, whilst a lot of the links I've picked up from this thread have been hugely helpful regarding potential gear purchases, is anyone able to personally share what sort of gear they started off with/would suggest starting off with as a portraiture newbie?
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Jun 3, 2012 10:41
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Dick Danger posted:So, I've been self-teaching photography for about 6 months now, since my first DSRL purchase. Just about all of what I shoot is portraiture and resources like this thread have been invaluable in trying to guide myself through the learning process. I've been really wanting to commit more of myself to learning and becoming a better photographer but I have two major concerns; The first being that I'm only working with an EOS 550D w/ kit lenses (Pending first lens upgrade next pay-day), which ties in with the second issue of just generally being terrified of posting my photos anywhere. I mean, the general standard of quality in this thread alone is mindblowing and I'm still just trying to work out what kind of gear I need to even begin approaching that standard, but I'd certainly like advice and tips in the form of critique along the way. I'm just worried that you can't really be 'critiqued' until you've reached a certain standard that I probably haven't yet. Of course you can get on board here! I'd say don't worry too much about your gear right now. Your 550D w/ kit lens is probably good enough to start taking decent pics with. If you're taking pictures that you aren't too excited about, telling yourself that your gear isn't up to snuff is a bad habit to get into. The most important first step you can take right now is to learn how to use your camera's manual mode (if you don't already). Also, definitely make use of this thread and the PAD thread to post pics that you don't love and we'll be here to tell you what you can do to make them better. About the gear again, I only have a cheap Sony A33 and a couple >25-year-old $50 lenses from eBay. Not saying my pictures are fantastic by any means, but gear purchases never made much of a difference in my photos. 1.5 years ago when I started, I was in the same mindset that other people take better photos because they have awesome gear. It's really more about taking hundreds upon hundreds of pictures, getting them pulled apart by this forum, and eventually realizing you've gotten better without even noticing. Really, don't be shy to post your lovely photos. We've seen a lot and we can give you solid advice that can make a difference immediately. There will come a time when you have a really good reason to buy a new lens, but until then a new lens might just end up disappointing you. But since you asked, you can probably pick up the 50mm 1.8 for really cheap. I favor my 50mm when I do portraits, so maybe you'd find it useful. And before I forget, get Lightroom!
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Jun 3, 2012 16:04
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I just recently made the jump back to digital, after using medium format film gear primarily for the last couple of years. Picked up a D800 and I've been loving it. dad by thetzar, on Flickr  tom by thetzar, on Flickr  Untitled by thetzar, on Flickr  carl, on the occasion of his birthday by thetzar, on Flickr  mister walton by thetzar, on Flickr  snarl by thetzar, on Flickr thetzar fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 3, 2012 22:26
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thetzar posted:
I really like this. The crop on his hair is kinda sloppy, but it doesn't really detract from the image.
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Jun 3, 2012 23:46
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aliencowboy posted:I really like this. The crop on his hair is kinda sloppy, but it doesn't really detract from the image. I was about to have a go at thetzar for overdoing the clarity slider but I realised it was just the frosted tips looking like lovely HDR. Congratulations on making the jump! I know some MF digital shooters that are going for the d800 because it's the best of both worlds to them right now.
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Jun 3, 2012 23:51
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 Shelby by xxyzz road, on Flickr
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Jun 4, 2012 06:25
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Dick Danger posted:So, I've been self-teaching photography for about 6 months now, since my first DSRL purchase. Just about all of what I shoot is portraiture and resources like this thread have been invaluable in trying to guide myself through the learning process. I've been really wanting to commit more of myself to learning and becoming a better photographer but I have two major concerns; The first being that I'm only working with an EOS 550D w/ kit lenses (Pending first lens upgrade next pay-day), which ties in with the second issue of just generally being terrified of posting my photos anywhere. I mean, the general standard of quality in this thread alone is mindblowing and I'm still just trying to work out what kind of gear I need to even begin approaching that standard, but I'd certainly like advice and tips in the form of critique along the way. I'm just worried that you can't really be 'critiqued' until you've reached a certain standard that I probably haven't yet. Actually, I'd say that's the level where critiques help the most. At some point you'll reach a level of competence where critiques become much more subjective. All photography is subjective, but it's sort of a spectrum. For example, two experienced photographers might argue about composition, processing, framing, etc. (more subjective) But just about anyone will say, "You know, it was probably a bad idea to crop that portrait at the person's eyelids." (less subjective) I agree that the 50mm f/1.8 would be a nice portrait lens, when you're looking to upgrade. That will allow you to throw the background out of focus with a shallow depth of field, which is a standard portrait technique.
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Jun 4, 2012 21:35
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Makeup for an upcoming piece - should be done later today 
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Jun 5, 2012 17:16
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^ Well, there's my next nightmare. 
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Jun 5, 2012 19:35
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And the finished product
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Jun 5, 2012 21:20
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sw1gger posted:And the finished product I feel like the MUA might be mad that so little of their work is visible in the final photo, but I think that is a real neat photo. I've always wanted to do something with a kid and balloons.
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Jun 5, 2012 21:31
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sw1gger posted:And the finished product What was this shot for?
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Jun 5, 2012 21:41
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TheAngryDrunk posted:What was this shot for?
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Jun 5, 2012 21:58
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sw1gger posted:For fun Ahhh....how cool!
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Jun 5, 2012 22:00
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I like the first picture better than the second?! I guess I'm weird. I'm a sucker for closeup when it comes to drastic MUA work!
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Jun 5, 2012 23:28
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The split toning in the first is really not working for me at all, and I'd like to see a lot less contrast in the second, but good lighting and concept.
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Jun 5, 2012 23:37
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model/promo shots for a dancer dude 
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Jun 8, 2012 23:05
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That's an awful lot of blank sky in the first one, try an 8x10 crop from the bottom, it's pretty good other than that and the hands in pockets. Second shot doesn't feel strong at all, weird tween girl jacket and cropped fingers are confusing. Also, if he's a dancer, why is he so stoic and stationary?
365 Nog Hogger fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Jun 8, 2012 |
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Jun 8, 2012 23:17
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Right he's not being dynamic at all, and in the second one he looks like he's about to pass out of heat exhaustion.
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Jun 8, 2012 23:30
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I was really pleased with how the lighting turned out on this photo It was literally the last shot of the shoot. Tink by Chad Larson Photography, on Flickr
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Jun 9, 2012 00:13
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