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Just moved in a day ago an want to step correctly . . . Grant me 5 minutes and the benefit of your experience, here on MM and in the wide world of portraiture. Please critique my profile and portfolio. What I want them to do: - represent an earnest photographer, relatively new to posed portraiture but with both craft-passion and capability to produce - encourage models of all experience levels to collaborate with my vision(s) - enlist and network with You; other photographers, MUA's, hair stylist's and others in the village-industry I won't ask 'do I have what it takes', because I do. But you can help me learn how to present it well. My gear won't show up on eBay if you constructively say 'toss it all!' because I love what I do and am in it for the long haul. Plus I don't bruise that easily. I will however renovate and paint the house if that's what it takes . . . So ... 5 minutes? What say you? Feb 28 21 06:23 am Link I think it is a good and brave thing to start asking for a portfolio review! It suggests a desire to grow - something artists always need to do. You only have one portrait on your page, so it's difficult to comment on your portrait work. But what I would encourage is more attention to lighting, exposure and focus. Portraits are a lot more than good technical work, but that is also a key to making it right. I would also urge you to get hold of books by the really classic photographers, Karsh, Arnold Newman, Edward Weston to name just a few. Study the light, the setting, the pose. They are classic for a reason. What you won't get from books is how to relate to the subject - that's all in your personality and approach and intuition, I think. That takes lots of time and practice. But you say you are passionate about your craft, so that shouldn't be a difficult thing for you. One very fine photographer (43 covers of major mag.) told me, "Take this seriously, work hard..." It helped me drill down and do the work as well as enjoy it. Best wishes in your growth. Enjoy what you do. Mar 04 21 09:34 am Link if you dont mind criticism: the skateboarder, the female in green, (also in) the black and white image, have some sort of low contrast washed out filter effect going on. looks like a processing error. thats not appealing to me. the skateboarder isnt as bad though, and looks like coloring is a deliberate artistic choice. perhaps you tried to lighten up dark areas in post? when a fill flash would have been a better option while taking the image. the white balance and exposure is better on the woman in the gray top with the gray background, but the close up crop on her face is a bit strange, and the other angle looking into her armpit makes it appear like the image is a selfie shes taking. the image of the lady in green and the blonde touching her head have parts of the images that are blown out (overexposed) like on the railing behind her, and the subjects hand in the other image. both those images seem to have a red cast. the best image you have is the one that looks to be just a coincidence that it came together correctly. natural light was favorable, white balance looks good, and shallow depth of field really makes the subject pop. this is the best one in my opinion:  of course the subject doesnt always need to be centered, so experiment a bit. the skateboarder is the best composed image. other bit of advice would be to make all your photos a uniform size before uploading them here. over the years the images in my port are usually between 700-800 pixels tall, just so it will look good and fit on a typical monitor without scrolling. however, do what works best for you. most would agree that a uniform shape and size seems more professional and easier to view. stick with a couple aspect ratios. i try to always use the same two. 1 for landscape and 1 for portraits. no free or square crops. the main thing i got just from reading your post is you have an awesome personality and willingness. that will take you far, and since youre open to insight; with just a few changes to your process you'll improve very fast. hope my words didnt seem harsh, i was being critical with the best intentions so you can see areas to improve on: white balance, don't loose contrast, work on interesting lighting and angles. control your lighting. try using some fill flash and watch for over exposure. its safer to be a bit underexposed and brighten it in post if you have to. if you blow out the image when you take it, that data will be lost and you can't correct in post. youre shooting RAW right? p.s. im aware my own portfolio has some of the same shortcomings i pointed out in yours haha. Mar 06 21 01:21 am Link my advice? have fun and shoot. Then shoot, shoot again and then shoot some more! and look around! find which images, poses and lighting you like and go shoot. Then go shoot again! Mar 11 21 03:22 pm Link Weldphoto wrote: Thanks for taking time out to help. Mar 14 21 02:02 pm Link Paolo D Photography wrote: I don't mind at all! Your reply is appreciated and Very detailed! I'm drinking it all in. You have a good eye. It reminds me of someone out here. My first shots of any genre were absolutely cringeworthy! He had different intentions than you but he was as sharp and to the point. I'd still be shooting with hand blur if it wasn't for his critique! Mar 14 21 02:10 pm Link AE Photography wrote: BRAVO! Mar 14 21 02:41 pm Link Is there local community college with Photo lessons? They should have a 101 level course, typically 18 meetings of 90 minutes each over about 4 ½ months with lessons, demonstrators, assignments, critique and exams. That will save you A LOT of time and effort. Plus give you good critiques. You will still have to do a lot of self-instruction, its just that they add on a layer of professor led instruction. Second best option is to subscribe to CreativeLive. They have lots of very good online webinars for a modest fee. You can do community college and CreativeLive. You miss the in-class critiques and the more formal structure with hands-on practice for the assignments, but the quality of the webinars is very good. Third best option is a local camera club. All of the options depend on self-instrction and on practice, practice, practice. its a real hands-on skill. Mar 14 21 10:52 pm Link The Path that I took in becoming a Self Taught Photographer Decided on the Genre of Photography that I wanted to pursue- in my case Fashion / Glamour Studied the Work of the Masters of this Genre ( Everyone from Helmet Newton to our own TH Taylor ) Learned the basics of how to use my Camera Found the Best Models available whether i had to pay them or not ( in my case i started my portfolio here on MM with a few pictures I had taken of an undiscovered 17 yr old Model named Coco Rocha from a trade shoot with a local Designer ) Posted Said Photos , asked for feedback here and grew from there Watched some Youtube Videos and asked some of My Real Photographer Friends for Advice - to learn what i was missing I have been dedicated to shooting with a Canon Rebel from the start ( anything more is too complicated for me ) but I bought some proper lighting along the way Mar 16 21 05:01 pm Link Thanks again to all that have taken time out to reply. Your experience based observation constructive suggestions, and open encouragement are very helpful as I turn into this new direction as a photographer. Even more, the private conversations seem the beginnings of mutually beneficial friendships and are appreciated. Still thinking of adding a comment or 2? There are several paths en route to several ends. Like all of us I find myself taking online and in-person courses, as a mentee and mentor, looking back on past masters, and looking forward- in engaging conversation. All with an eye toward learning more. The point of this particular Forum thread is to discover whether my intro profile and first photos serve the intended purposes: rGlenndon wrote: Thanks to some of the suggestions a level up set of shots will appear soon. Mar 17 21 01:17 am Link rGlenndon wrote: Your profile gives a good feel for your personality, which is great, and rather than focusing on a resume or experience it expresses your desire for creative growth, which is refreshing. Mar 17 21 01:43 pm Link Hi rGlenndon, I shoot a bunch of mud races and obstacle races in Florida. I wonder if we have crossed paths? Your face looks familiar. Since you asked specifically about portrait work, I would say your portrait album only contains one portrait (the martial artist with the sword.) Maybe think more deeply about what is a portrait. I think you should go take a lot more portraits and come back for another review. (The other images in your portfolio ought to be classified as fashion/model or found/street photos.) Since you have access to so many amazing athletes, I would suggest you start with the people you know. Invite some of them to sit for you. It doesn't have to be celebrities. Invite the old guy at the gym with the amazing wrinkles and the faded tattoo. Think about what makes this person special and how you can show that to the audience. Practice talking to people and guiding them to relax and open up to the camera. Also practice operating your camera so that you are very smooth and are not distracted by getting the damn camera to work, and can instead give your attention to the person. Putting the camera on a tripod can be a big help here. Now its not covering your face and you can talk to the subject. Not portraiture, but one image deserves mention. I do like the photo of the skateboarder. It has a very nice lifestyle feel. You seem to have a good eye for action and movement. You might want to put more models in active situations like this. Mar 19 21 07:14 am Link Warren Leimbach wrote: Hi Warren, you just made remember my very first race in Lakeland(??). Almost immediately lost my shots and a camera when a grossly inadequate hip bag opened while going through a mud pit! At that time they were all cringe-worthy snapshot quality... C'est la vie. Mar 21 21 03:40 am Link " . . . because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude." - R.W. Emerson So, thanks again for the input as I step into month 2. Mar 21 21 03:47 am Link Thing that struck me is that a significant number of your images have a flat, muddy look because they have no deep shadows or brilliant highlights. If you agree, they can easily be improved, in Photoshop, at any rate: Google for info on adjusting Levels and setting the Black and White points. If you're using something else without a Levels command (or equivalent), read how it's done in Photoshop and then try and figure out how to do it in your own software. Mar 25 21 08:36 pm Link Contrast might be bumped in one or two but I certainly wouldn't say that a significant number are muddy. I'm going to go upstairs and view on a better monitor. Mar 26 21 07:33 am Link Mark Salo wrote: "youre only as good, as your worst work" ...or whatever the saying is. Mar 26 21 11:50 pm Link Paolo D Photography wrote: Good point! A huge number of views are cell phone only. Mar 27 21 05:12 am Link rGlenndon wrote: Typically cell phone displays are are pretty vivid (i think) so I try not to be too bold with my levels. Mar 27 21 07:14 pm Link https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/46682058 This image may be a complete fiction or a narrative constructed to illustrate an aspect of your subject’s life. Regardless, it's a fabulous portrait. Mar 29 21 06:18 am Link |
