Doorway

[GB1]

From a recent model shoot. Let's hear it

G

[Anbesol]

Those are fake.

Anyway, the angle isn't the most flattering to her rear side the way shes clenching and posing her leg doesn't really let the relaxed gluteus muscle to strut its glory. And I'm not personally a fan of unnatural looking breasts. The broad light on the subject with the dim background gives a sort of small flash depth look to it, open up the f-stop, or send another flash to illuminate the back wall or something. I'd like to believe that this was a sunlit pose, but it doesn't look convincing that way. The smile on her, and the looking into the camera also make this look too posed, the muscles shes flexing to hold a position, the half smile that shows on her mouth but not her eyes. I would like the picture a little more if she was strutting her stuff, but not because she was intentionally posing to do that, you know? Anyway - I hope I don't sound chauvinistic but I'm trying to be honest here with my perception as a viewer.

Did you get any shots of this girl with her more relaxed? How was the shoot with her?

[LeeIs]

hmm, not a fan of the stuff in the room. i like the pose, even though, i wish i can see more of her right arm (left side). lighting overall is good, but the shadows in the room again bother me a bit. overall, your work is getting more and more excellent

[GB1]

Anbesol -

Well, my shoot with her was pretty much as disaster from an artistic standpoint... not that she was bad to work with, she was actually quite friendly and fun. I just couldn't get her to - as you say here - relax,... everything was super-exaggerated. This gal was actually a fitness/bodybuilder competitor though she's been out of it for about 6 months (she says she's lost a lot of weight since she stopped lifting) and I don't think she has a lot of experience modeling, though I saw a few shots of her in a pamphlet and they were quite good.

I find that good models know their own good angles. They know how to position themselves, how high or low to hold their chins, etc. Most gals that go out a lot will practice this stuff in front of a mirror to see how they look. It's really challenging to work with a model that doesn't know such things.

Btw, I tried, Boy did I try (!), to get her to look at the camera in a more sincere way, but she just couldn't or wouldn't do it. Ahhh. I finally asked her to just look into the distance at about a 45 degree angle from the camera, like she was looking at someone or something, chillin'.. I just looked at the shots last night and, well, she actually cheated in most of those by facing the way I wanted, but turning her eyes to look at the camera (Sigh....).

All this goes to show that a good model / fashion photographer is much more than a shooter or photo geek: there seems to be a completely new set of skills one needs to be successful - most of them psychology-related

G

[Asmarlak]

Anbesol -

Well, my shoot with her was pretty much as disaster from an artistic standpoint... not that she was bad to work with, she was actually quite friendly and fun. I just couldn't get her to - as you say here - relax,... everything was super-exaggerated. This gal was actually a fitness/bodybuilder competitor though she's been out of it for about 6 months (she says she's lost a lot of weight since she stopped lifting) and I don't think she has a lot of experience modeling, though I saw a few shots of her in a pamphlet and they were quite good.

I find that good models know their own good angles. They know how to position themselves, how high or low to hold their chins, etc. Most gals that go out a lot will practice this stuff in front of a mirror to see how they look. It's really challenging to work with a model that doesn't know such things.

Btw, I tried, Boy did I try (!), to get her to look at the camera in a more sincere way, but she just couldn't or wouldn't do it. Ahhh. I finally asked her to just look into the distance at about a 45 degree angle from the camera, like she was looking at someone or something, chillin'.. I just looked at the shots last night and, well, she actually cheated in most of those by facing the way I wanted, but turning her eyes to look at the camera (Sigh....).

All this goes to show that a good model / fashion photographer is much more than a shooter or photo geek: there seems to be a completely new set of skills one needs to be successful - most of them psychology-related

G

GB1, I'm really surprised at your answer which shows that you're not satisfied with this work but yet you posted it asking for critique, perhaps hoping that someone will find something positive about it that you didn't, this will not happen because you should not expect your work to satisfy others unless it satisfies you first. A model who takes a pose and wait for the photographer to take the shot is no good. I blame you much more than I blame her because you're the director of every shoot and not her, therefore you shouldn't blame her. You should insist on what you want done as well as having your models moving so the picture becomes natural.

[GB1]

GB1, I'm really surprised at your answer which shows that you're not satisfied with this work but yet you posted it asking for critique, perhaps hoping that someone will find something positive about it that you didn't, this will not happen because you should not expect your work to satisfy others unless it satisfies you first. A model who takes a pose and wait for the photographer to take the shot is no good. I blame you much more than I blame her because you're the director of every shoot and not her, therefore you shouldn't blame her. You should insist on what you want done as well as having your models moving so the picture becomes natural.

Thanks for responding. Interesting perception.. Actually Asmarlak, my intentions and critique process are completely different than what you describe.

I'm definitely not satisfied with my photos of her, but it was no surprise when viewing them as I knew when I was shooting that it wasn't going well. My process for posting in the Critique Forum isn't always that when I like a shot, then post it up here to verification. I do that sometimes but in this situation I am looking for suggestions as to what others think that I could have done better. Also my work has many times satisfied others when it didn't even come close to satisfying me: I've actually felt 180 degrees off from what others have (artists are often their own worst critics).

Shooting models on and off for awhile, and watching many, many other model photographers in action, I know that it's impossible to say that there's one way of doing things. While people can argue and counter-argue (and believe me, I have seen many photographers that think they can argue their photos into being good), the think the best gauge is the final image, meaning, did it come out great? When you start getting good shots, I think you're onto something. If not, time to adjust.

Just to mention, I know photographers that send 15 minutes posing the model right down to the last detail, adjusting their arms, stance, everything.. before snapping a shot. Does it work? Sometimes... it really depends on the model and whether he or she can make it look natural when holding that degree of precision.

I prefer a looser style where I tell the model in general what I'm looking for - stance, angles, pose, emotion - but not too much, as I don't like to inject stiffness. This is pretty much what I did with this model. As mentioned, I really tried to get her to stop giving me the big game-show smile, but she simply kept doing it. Improvising, I tried to get her to look off into the distance; alas, she aimed her head that way, but kept turning her eyes to me. This model also had a tendency to raise her chin real high, which I find unflattering. I asked her repeatably to lower her chin, even stopping the shoot to show her. She finally got it, but when I went back to shoot she just raised it up again.

If you don't mind me asking though, I am curious if you (also) shoot models?

Gb

[GB1]

hmm, not a fan of the stuff in the room. i like the pose, even though, i wish i can see more of her right arm (left side). lighting overall is good, but the shadows in the room again bother me a bit. overall, your work is getting more and more excellent

Liban, thanks too for replying. I see what you mean about the arm. In general, model photographers try to avoid that, though it can be OK. The lighting was via portable strobe w/ battery, but not directly behind me, hence the shadow. You don't like the room/stuff? I sorta do but it definitely doesn't strike a neutral mood.

Check out this old CRAZY shot I took at a similar place. I guess it all depends ..

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography...ahBlahBlah.jpg

[Asmarlak]

If you don't mind me asking though, I am curious if you (also) shoot models?

Gb

No, I don't shoot models I prefer travel shoots but take snapshots of people every now and then. It doesn't need a professional to recognize what is natural and what is not. In this particular case, she looks like she practiced in front of the mirror and decided on this pose in advance, I could be wrong but that how I see it. I think models walk a very fine line that separates the professional from the non-professional and it is not about looking into the camera or not. I saw shots of professional models who stir strait at the camera but still look natural while non-professional look away and still look stiff and superficial. That is why the good ones are highly paid just like Hollywood actors. Generally speaking, you cannot have in your shots what the model doesn't give to the camera. In my opinion selecting the right model is an essential first step in a successful shoot.