4 pictures from yesterday's shoot...

[diablo]

2 pictures from yesterday's shoot...

Thought that I'd get your opinions on these 2 photographs I took yesterday with a former FB... been getting a feel for what my new camera (Olympus EVOLT E300 8MP DSLR) can do. We tried to get a "grunge" feel for the shoot, which I think worked out pretty well. The first one was converted to B&W with PS (except the eyes)... the 2nd was left untouched. Just a warning to those of you under 18, don't click the second link if you're offended by a wet t-shirt partially allowing a nipple to be seen (or if viewing such material is illegal in your town).

http://www.jbspencer.com/portfolio/content/portrait/black and white/emily.jpg

http://www.jbspencer.com/portfolio/content/portrait/color/emily3.jpg

Critiques?

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I really like the first one. Good theme and composition. I like the theme of the second but something didn't click with the wife beater. Don't get me wrong, women in wife beaters are definitely hot, but the dirt doesn't seems excessively dirty or gritty instead of sexy. Does that make sense?

 

[diablo]

You lost me on "the dirt doesn't seem especially dirty or gritty instead of sexy". Perhaps if you rephrased it? From what I can tell, it should have been more dirty?

There's a few with the wifebeater standing in a dirty, moldy old shower (we were at a half-finished, abandoned apartment building)... I can post those, perhaps it sets the mood a bit more.

 

[spider_007]

very artsey

 

[Julian]

I think the wife beater should have been cut off midway, allowing the view of the stomach area.

 

[TonyTheTigerOI]

Youre photography is great. The lack of definition in her features is the only thing separating youre pics and professional work.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Originally posted by diablo
You lost me on "the dirt doesn't seem especially dirty or gritty instead of sexy". Perhaps if you rephrased it? From what I can tell, it should have been more dirty?

There's a few with the wifebeater standing in a dirty, moldy old shower (we were at a half-finished, abandoned apartment building)... I can post those, perhaps it sets the mood a bit more.

I guess what would do it more for me is if it were smudges of dirt, I know it seems nit-picky but hear me out. The dirt doesn't seem as if got onto the shirt naturally. From where she is posing it looks as if someone just picked up some gritty sand from off the terrace and wiped it on her shirt.

Post the other photos, it may make more sense to me if I saw the series. Overall I like what you are trying to convey in the photos. They look like those that they post on Nerve.com, very artsy/edgy. Good stuff.

 

[PRMoon]

I like the first pic diablo. But I think if you actually added a bit more color to her eyes, it'd have like a Sin City feel to it, which I think would be killer. Just my opinion though to each his own.

The second pick looks like something It'd see on a bill board down round town! A little Risque, but definately accptable for the viewing of the public. Nice work man.

 

[diablo]

Originally posted by TonyTheTigerOI
The lack of definition in her features...

Could you elaborate on that a bit?

Francisco - makes sense, it actually started to rain halfway through so she pressed her front up to the dirty wall that had a stream of water running down it... dirt got transferred in the process.

Thanks to everyone else for the comments... I'm doing another shoot with a different girl in an hour, I'll have those up sometime as well...

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Originally posted by diablo
Francisco - makes sense, it actually started to rain halfway through so she pressed her front up to the dirty wall that had a stream of water running down it... dirt got transferred in the process.

If you can, do a series like that in the rain sans the dirt. With luck you could capture some kick @ss pics that either have lightning or rainbows in the shots.

 

[ScrewIt]

I like the first one, but something about her face i dont like, as if she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

The second one needs some reworkiing. IN the background there's a little too much going on as it's hard to focus on the subject (her). You have to consider the purpose of the background. does it serve to compare/contrast the shades of color/brightness to the subject or nothing at all?
in addition her picture isnt right. it doesnt look as dramatic as the first one. nor does there appear to be a true focal point....zooming in onto an area (e.g. her profile with better lighting) or cropping the picture would help a little (compare the first and second pic and you know what i mean)

im in a design major and i've taken photography classes so i know what im talking about.

 

[Luscious]

TO be frank, she looks awful in the first one but it really works well with the whole mood of the picture.

I liked the second one better. A nice arrangement, and she looks good. The beater works well here in creating an image. Any other top wouldn't work too well.

However, there is something 'off' about the second picture a little bit that pulls at me. I don't go technical so probably refer to the dude who posted above me here.

Regardless, nice work.

 

[seabreeze]

Very hot, diablo. You are a very talented photographer. I would just have her wear a clean wife beater next time and wet it a bit more so more of the nipples show (I know guys like that sheyat).
SB

 

[al77]

Originally posted by Luscious
TO be frank, she looks awful in the first one but it really works well with the whole mood of the picture.

I liked the second one better. A nice arrangement, and she looks good.

However, there is something 'off' about the second picture a little bit that pulls at me.

I agree, the first pic is creative but she doent look impressive.

The second pic is MUCH MUCH better, she looks extremely good.
I think the bottom of the pic is a bit odd: it show too little of her jeans and hands...either show them more in another pic or just cut the pic a bit.

Plus consider what you want to achive by the pic...show how cute she is? Show off how sexy she is? Show how good you can take pics with a new camera?

I am a layman, have no idea how good it is from pro point of view.
But: second pic: her head, shoulders... background - all was perfect.
If you want to make it sexy, yeah you gotta add more water... less (or more) dirt...as it was said already.

 

[diablo]

Alrighty, looks like the second one is out of the running. Great advice, all of you.

Here are two more that I've narrowed it down to - feel free to comment (as one of them will most likely replace the 2nd in my portfolio...) - about the shadows on one, I really needed a friend to come along to hold the reflector; that or another flash slaved to the first...

As soon as I edit down the pictures from today's shoot (different girl), I'll have a thread with 'em in there... enjoy.

http://www.jbspencer.com/emily4.jpg

http://www.jbspencer.com/emily5.jpg

 

[ScrewIt]

1st one, interesting pose. The lighting is very dull, imo it would look much better with improved lighting techniques.

Her facial expression & clothing goes well with the background. imo, if her left elbow would be seen ( to see the arm connecting her hands), it would make the photo better.

2nd one, interesting exprression and pose. same as above one, dramatic lighting could definitely improve it.
Interesting background, easy to contrast. works well with what she's wearing and what she symbolizes in the dark.

Btw diablo, how much do you pay this model for photo shoots?

 

[diablo]

$0. Like I mentioned earlier, she's an ex-FB...

About the lighting... apparently the module I had for the flash I bought doesn't work with the E300 - it's too new or something, so the flash was out of sync... I'm waiting on the camera shop to get a flash in that'll actually work with my camera, until then I'm having to either use natural light, or the pop-up flash..