And yet another "critique request" thread

Hi! I've been lurking around for quite a bit on these forums,

learning and looking at the NW picture threads and all this stuff,

and I started taking pictures in my basement in some kind of "mini-

studio". I uploaded some pictures for critique, but only one of them

received contructive critic, all the others had only mysterious

ratings that mean nothing to me...

 

What I'm asking, if you would please, is that you take a look at my

portfolio in the "portraits" folder, and leave some comments on how

to improve the lighting, pose, photoshopping, or anything else in my

picture. I'd be really grateful and I'd be sure to check out your

portfolio too!

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

Do you really want to know how I'd do these shots? Instead, what you first need to do is determine what look you want to achieve, then work on achieving it. I always pick a reference shot or shots that I want to duplicate to some extent. Then I take some pictures, see how they compare, and try to tweak things until I get the look I'm after.

Well, yes I'd like to know how you would've done those shots, itMll serve me as a basis to make a better shoot next time!

well from your descriptions, you spend WAY too much time in PS. There are several

things that could help you.... including John's suggestion to figure out a style to

reference.

 

technically though, diffuse (soften) the light more. While not completely ideal, a

cheap & workable solution is a white bedsheet hung a couple feet in front of the light.

Also, put more distance between the subject & the background. This will help throw

it out of focus, eliminating wrinkles & stuff like that that could distract from the

subject. Also, this will allow you to reposition the light to avoid excess spill onto the

background itself.

Well, the thing is... I'm really perfectionnist when it cmes to my pictures, and I start over lots of stuff when I'm not happy with it... Also, Im not the best at photoshop, so I'm not really fast... What I do would seem insignificant to someone really used to the program!

To an extent, I second John's advice. While I don't usually have a

specific reference I'm trying to emulate, I do have a clear idea of

what I'm trying to achieve with the photo. Unless you're doing

fast-paced, candid shooting, your "perfectionist" tendencies

should be directed at first coming up with a sensible concept,

then attending to the details (lighting, background, wardrobe,

makeup, composition, etc.) to make that concept work. How can

you improve what you're doing if you don't really know what you're

trying to do?

Actually. I hadn't read the notes. Retouching is critical to getting professional results, so your time learning those skills certainly isn't wasted. I find that I end up retouching sometimes to fix problems with lighting that I should have fixed during the shoot and often to fix problems with the makeup or model that I had no control over.

I agree with everyone else that you should look at other work to emulate. Fashion magazines are the best source....If you're looking for constructive technical issues...start by trying a hair light behind the model to separate their head from the dark backgrounds you're using...or, light the background so it separates...either way. I would also start by cropping your photo's afterward. Once you become more comfortable with your shooting "style" cropping in camera will follow. Some of the photo's seem a bit awkward in their cropping...again, look at fashion mags and certain styles you like...then go from there. You have to crawl before you can walk.