Chris, this shot worried me. In fact it still worries me. So what do I make of it? I did not know how to guage it because there are things about it you really like, yet to me not so much. How can I comment unless I understand where you are coming from? So I looked through your portfolio and what I see is a collection of photographs which vary in type and style and quality. That is absolutely fine. No artist starts out knowing what his style is, and of course artists evolve so a style does not have to be permenant. We also evolve at the more basic level, in terms of technical skills and aesthetic sensitivity. To me your portfolio suggests you are trying, and learning and working towards having more and better skills. I applaud that. I imagine you may end up with your own style, there is no rush to any of these things and certainly havng a style is neither utterly essential nor is it to be expected quickly.
So can I comment on this troubling photo? Yes, a bit. You are correct it has sightlines and you have used them well enough. You have an attractive model but she looks rather unrelaxed and posed. There is no trick I know of to solve this problem except working together and learning to feel more comfortable doing so. I would imagine it may help to select some shots from fashion type magazines, that you want to emulate and do this with your muse well before the shoot and then meet to plan the work, so wardrobe and props and locations can be organised. Then have some fun and work hard, shooting quickly and with focus on the images you are "copying". Vary framing from close up to full lengths and even distant shots. Talk to her and get her to talk to you about the photos as you work and encourage her input, she will feel more engaged and her creativity will be a bonus and all this should make the fun thing easier to create and capture.
But why is it so very pale? There are few reasons I can think of.
1 your monitor is not calibrated and way off the mark
2 you like this look, which having seen your other pictures does not exactly seem to be the case
3 you are trying to decide how you want it to look and this is the current version under consideration
How do I feel about the paleness? It is wrong. It needed to be darker, quite abit darker.
If your screen is not calibrated, then you absolutely must calibrate as your images are beyond your control if your screen is just doing unknown stuff to the way they look. No expensive and you'll kick yourself afterwards when you realise how baddly this simple matter is effecting your work.
If you are calibrated properly then stick at it and you will get there. But darken this image a lot, if the file will stand it.
Thanks Ian for the feedback. Yes, one of my screens that I work on my edits are calibrated, one uncalibrated for I can check the difference without going into the calibration tool to turn off/on and honestly watching videos look better on my uncalibrated monitor.
As for the posing, I actually been trying hard a hands off approach. I do work 99% of the time with aspiring models than professional/experienced models so I do teach them how to "move" on their own, naturally and smoothly. So she here was moving on here own I shot tons of shots and got this one I favored most from this location.
As for the pale skin, granted on our first shoot she was a bit more darker not because of the editing but in reality she was due to being just finished off the summer (late August) then our 2nd shoot (in this shot) was more in mid-late September. I honestly loved it, in general love it and for her and this shoot, especially with the red lip stick strongly popping and contrasting very well in the image I think.
In this image specifically I thought the editing did focus the dress and lips primarily. I also played with the editing style a little differently than most other images tend do be darker I agree, but I wanted diversity in my portfolio/work, colors, bright, dark, spring, fall, etc. type images. I am trying hard to build my own style, will I get their soon, I doubt it. Currently fashion photography is my ultimate goal but as for professional business its not feasible in my area, and since I do not nor want to move to NYC I am still doing fashion until I am ready to take it into a serious fashion photography career when I am ready to make that move, which it will either be Paris or LA. But I am still using my fashion here just not as hardcore as the high fashion industry... the senior portrait industry for now. By the time I am ready for the big leagues in fashion I'd say 5 maybe 10 years then I will certainly will have a more in-depth understanding of fashion photography as well solid style I am happy with.
I was not saying her skin is pale but that the entire photo is pale. It looks very over exposed. This may not be the case and perhaps it is an effect applied in your edit. There may well be editing techniques that smarter people than I use to create pale skin and such but the entire image still needs to be correctly exposed, in my opinion. Even her beautiful and obviously more or less black hair looks too pale but the mid and bright areas show it most. her skin is almost bleached white but so is her dress, shoes and the pavement. The grey fence looks over cookes and as mentioned her hair too. I accept you may not agree and that is cool but I do suggest, in the interests of us all getting educated, if you have the raw file and so can make a much darker version, please let us see it. I am sure most folks would prefer it, or at least you might see where I am coming from.
The image doesn't match the title at all. It doesn't give a very warm feeling as everything about it is quite white and pale.
I do like use of the fence in the composition and the model's pose. A few things to look out for next time are in the details. Get the model to pose in a way that looks both flattering for the outfit and her.
For this outfit, I would have imagined a more urban or modern setting rather than a park.
Thanks for the feedback Wayne. I understand its not a literal "warm feeling" I was going for bright spring feel, hence the pale skin, which I personally love, especially contrasting with her red lips very well.
I agree about posing, not easy, heck it was more difficult when I had a "hands on" approach than now being mostly hands off approach where I teach the model to flow with poses on their own and I just capture that flow as they move. That to me gives me a lot more choices than in the past I had no idea what I liked in poses and such... But I do plan on getting more into mood board organization and pre planning every part of a shoot including facial expressions and poses as a guide, this shoot wasn't, at most we talked about wardrobe is mostly it. But I am getting deeper into organizing shoots with things to aim for as a guide, mostly has been wardrobe in the past 6 months or so, not much makeup/hair, especially poses/facial expressions yet but it is in the plans just don't want to overwhelm myself. I want to do mood boards for wardrobe, master that to a level I'm comfortable for to move onto other areas like poses/expression, makeup/hair, etc.
Happy to help and thanks for taking the feedback on board. Long and short of it is that colours help to sell the mood of the image.
Moodboards are used as a scrapbook to show the mood or emotion of the final image you are going for. I've worked with some creatives who misunderstand the purpose of the moodboard and use it as more of a document to copy and replicate. Nothing wrong with this if you're aiming to learn a particular style. Just keep in mind that not everyone will be on the same page and understanding when working with moodboards.
I've used Pinterest before to generate moodboards but it started to get finicky so I've reverted back to generating a PDF divided into Make up, Clothing, Environment and general items to get define the mood.
Yes, I've seen advanced moodboards by fashion photographers, but thought I'd build the foundations to knowing how they work by area, like wardrobe (obviously the first as it is fashion) then makeup/hair, then posing/facial expressions. I know for some it may be best to just jump in and learn from failures but I like taking it slower step by step approach.
Just like how I used to only really shoot in studio, then ventured into studio headshots, then natural outdoor environmental portraits, and recently aiming for more outdoor environmental fashion. I did try to do hair/makeup moodboard for my makeup/hair stylist, but I was at a total lost honestly lol than how I understood wardrobe. And as for posing/facial expressions I think hands off approach for now is best until I could get to that level of being able to know what I want and aim for it and then help the model doing it, also working with more experienced models as my area isn't filled with professional fashion models sadly, only glamour models or regular people, in which I help to give me that fashion feel I am going for soooo much.
Ah that's quite the vicious cycle about letting the model do her own thing when she's not that experienced. I've learned this the hard way through experience. In the end I bit the bullet and learned how to pose subjects, pro models and otherwise.
Pro and experienced models will never ever get it right as well. For one thing, they're not behind the camera and can't see what's going on. They will always need certain things adjusted.
I do admire your approach and I look forward to seeing your future work. Keep it up!
I agree its a bad cycle, not so "vicious", I feel confident I can help and teach inexperienced models in giving me poses I'm happy with for the most part, for now at least. I sadly don't have that ability to bite that bullet as you do/did. I may have it next year as I focus on my photography business then become full time, and have a budget for personal projects/development, etc. to hire models and such. Thanks for the feedback and admiration too ;)
Chris, this shot worried me. In fact it still worries me. So what do I make of it? I did not know how to guage it because there are things about it you really like, yet to me not so much. How can I comment unless I understand where you are coming from? So I looked through your portfolio and what I see is a collection of photographs which vary in type and style and quality. That is absolutely fine. No artist starts out knowing what his style is, and of course artists evolve so a style does not have to be permenant. We also evolve at the more basic level, in terms of technical skills and aesthetic sensitivity. To me your portfolio suggests you are trying, and learning and working towards having more and better skills. I applaud that. I imagine you may end up with your own style, there is no rush to any of these things and certainly havng a style is neither utterly essential nor is it to be expected quickly.
So can I comment on this troubling photo? Yes, a bit. You are correct it has sightlines and you have used them well enough. You have an attractive model but she looks rather unrelaxed and posed. There is no trick I know of to solve this problem except working together and learning to feel more comfortable doing so. I would imagine it may help to select some shots from fashion type magazines, that you want to emulate and do this with your muse well before the shoot and then meet to plan the work, so wardrobe and props and locations can be organised. Then have some fun and work hard, shooting quickly and with focus on the images you are "copying". Vary framing from close up to full lengths and even distant shots. Talk to her and get her to talk to you about the photos as you work and encourage her input, she will feel more engaged and her creativity will be a bonus and all this should make the fun thing easier to create and capture.
But why is it so very pale? There are few reasons I can think of.
1 your monitor is not calibrated and way off the mark
2 you like this look, which having seen your other pictures does not exactly seem to be the case
3 you are trying to decide how you want it to look and this is the current version under consideration
How do I feel about the paleness? It is wrong. It needed to be darker, quite abit darker.
If your screen is not calibrated, then you absolutely must calibrate as your images are beyond your control if your screen is just doing unknown stuff to the way they look. No expensive and you'll kick yourself afterwards when you realise how baddly this simple matter is effecting your work.
If you are calibrated properly then stick at it and you will get there. But darken this image a lot, if the file will stand it.
All the best.
Thanks Ian for the feedback. Yes, one of my screens that I work on my edits are calibrated, one uncalibrated for I can check the difference without going into the calibration tool to turn off/on and honestly watching videos look better on my uncalibrated monitor.
As for the posing, I actually been trying hard a hands off approach. I do work 99% of the time with aspiring models than professional/experienced models so I do teach them how to "move" on their own, naturally and smoothly. So she here was moving on here own I shot tons of shots and got this one I favored most from this location.
As for the pale skin, granted on our first shoot she was a bit more darker not because of the editing but in reality she was due to being just finished off the summer (late August) then our 2nd shoot (in this shot) was more in mid-late September. I honestly loved it, in general love it and for her and this shoot, especially with the red lip stick strongly popping and contrasting very well in the image I think.
In this image specifically I thought the editing did focus the dress and lips primarily. I also played with the editing style a little differently than most other images tend do be darker I agree, but I wanted diversity in my portfolio/work, colors, bright, dark, spring, fall, etc. type images. I am trying hard to build my own style, will I get their soon, I doubt it. Currently fashion photography is my ultimate goal but as for professional business its not feasible in my area, and since I do not nor want to move to NYC I am still doing fashion until I am ready to take it into a serious fashion photography career when I am ready to make that move, which it will either be Paris or LA. But I am still using my fashion here just not as hardcore as the high fashion industry... the senior portrait industry for now. By the time I am ready for the big leagues in fashion I'd say 5 maybe 10 years then I will certainly will have a more in-depth understanding of fashion photography as well solid style I am happy with.
Hi Chris,
I was not saying her skin is pale but that the entire photo is pale. It looks very over exposed. This may not be the case and perhaps it is an effect applied in your edit. There may well be editing techniques that smarter people than I use to create pale skin and such but the entire image still needs to be correctly exposed, in my opinion. Even her beautiful and obviously more or less black hair looks too pale but the mid and bright areas show it most. her skin is almost bleached white but so is her dress, shoes and the pavement. The grey fence looks over cookes and as mentioned her hair too. I accept you may not agree and that is cool but I do suggest, in the interests of us all getting educated, if you have the raw file and so can make a much darker version, please let us see it. I am sure most folks would prefer it, or at least you might see where I am coming from.
Hi Chris,
The image doesn't match the title at all. It doesn't give a very warm feeling as everything about it is quite white and pale.
I do like use of the fence in the composition and the model's pose. A few things to look out for next time are in the details. Get the model to pose in a way that looks both flattering for the outfit and her.
For this outfit, I would have imagined a more urban or modern setting rather than a park.
Keep up the work!
Thanks for the feedback Wayne. I understand its not a literal "warm feeling" I was going for bright spring feel, hence the pale skin, which I personally love, especially contrasting with her red lips very well.
I agree about posing, not easy, heck it was more difficult when I had a "hands on" approach than now being mostly hands off approach where I teach the model to flow with poses on their own and I just capture that flow as they move. That to me gives me a lot more choices than in the past I had no idea what I liked in poses and such... But I do plan on getting more into mood board organization and pre planning every part of a shoot including facial expressions and poses as a guide, this shoot wasn't, at most we talked about wardrobe is mostly it. But I am getting deeper into organizing shoots with things to aim for as a guide, mostly has been wardrobe in the past 6 months or so, not much makeup/hair, especially poses/facial expressions yet but it is in the plans just don't want to overwhelm myself. I want to do mood boards for wardrobe, master that to a level I'm comfortable for to move onto other areas like poses/expression, makeup/hair, etc.
Hi Chris,
Happy to help and thanks for taking the feedback on board. Long and short of it is that colours help to sell the mood of the image.
Moodboards are used as a scrapbook to show the mood or emotion of the final image you are going for. I've worked with some creatives who misunderstand the purpose of the moodboard and use it as more of a document to copy and replicate. Nothing wrong with this if you're aiming to learn a particular style. Just keep in mind that not everyone will be on the same page and understanding when working with moodboards.
I've used Pinterest before to generate moodboards but it started to get finicky so I've reverted back to generating a PDF divided into Make up, Clothing, Environment and general items to get define the mood.
Hope that helps.
Yes, I've seen advanced moodboards by fashion photographers, but thought I'd build the foundations to knowing how they work by area, like wardrobe (obviously the first as it is fashion) then makeup/hair, then posing/facial expressions. I know for some it may be best to just jump in and learn from failures but I like taking it slower step by step approach.
Just like how I used to only really shoot in studio, then ventured into studio headshots, then natural outdoor environmental portraits, and recently aiming for more outdoor environmental fashion. I did try to do hair/makeup moodboard for my makeup/hair stylist, but I was at a total lost honestly lol than how I understood wardrobe. And as for posing/facial expressions I think hands off approach for now is best until I could get to that level of being able to know what I want and aim for it and then help the model doing it, also working with more experienced models as my area isn't filled with professional fashion models sadly, only glamour models or regular people, in which I help to give me that fashion feel I am going for soooo much.
Ah that's quite the vicious cycle about letting the model do her own thing when she's not that experienced. I've learned this the hard way through experience. In the end I bit the bullet and learned how to pose subjects, pro models and otherwise.
Pro and experienced models will never ever get it right as well. For one thing, they're not behind the camera and can't see what's going on. They will always need certain things adjusted.
I do admire your approach and I look forward to seeing your future work. Keep it up!
I agree its a bad cycle, not so "vicious", I feel confident I can help and teach inexperienced models in giving me poses I'm happy with for the most part, for now at least. I sadly don't have that ability to bite that bullet as you do/did. I may have it next year as I focus on my photography business then become full time, and have a budget for personal projects/development, etc. to hire models and such. Thanks for the feedback and admiration too ;)