I have been doing serious portraits for about a year or so, mostly for my university's magazine. Any thoughts on the few favorites I have?

https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/41443818

You've made her thighs and hands look massive; the bruise (?) on her knee should have been retouched, and the composition is - well, there isn't one. Why include the flower pot at all?

This shows the same perspective problems..

https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/41436392

..Plus ugly and distracting veins in her hands and feet -you really don't want to emphasize these in commercial female portraits and fashion. You can show the back of hands certainly, but the perspective you've used makes them huge and the veininess and boneniness is magnified.

You also seem to have an aversion to eye contact with the subject. Which might work in the context of really black and white art shots meant to portray isolation and anomie in modern American... but not in what otherwise look like year book portraits.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but if you're paying money to be taught photography and have hopes of earning some of it back, someone should have taught you better than this and you need to do something about these problems now. Look at classic work and watch, say, Joe Edelman's videos. And try shooting with a longer lens from further away if you want to stay with the angles you seem to favour.

Ouch, that last review was a little harsh. The two photos mentioned are your strongest, the rest of your work is weaker. In the floral outfit photo, it wasn't obvious to me that the model's legs look "massive", however they probably look larger because you are shooting too low relative to the model's position. You probably want to be shooting about chest/neck level in this shot. Placing hands next to a model's face is risky and is rarely done well, in my opinion. You rarely want to show a fist, the back of a hand or a palm of a hand next to a face. Her fist does look rather large when placed next to her face. Watch Mary Duprie's video about hands. If her toe was pointed, it would have extended the proportion of her leg. Her eyes are looking too far to camera left. You want the sclera (white part) of the eye to be seen on both sides of the pupil, not just on one side.

There is a lack of post work in this shot. I would have removed the bruise. Also be aware of skin tonality. Her legs are darker than her arms and face. I would have made her legs lighter to match.

The composition is awkward. Facing one direction, looking in another…sometimes this can work, but there seems to be too many elements in the background that get in the way.



Black and white shot is good. It's a bit underexposed and your dark tonalities are a bit too dark. Hands are better here, although I still wouldn't have placed her hand on her face. Shooting too low again. Not sure if I find this location all that interesting. Sometimes an industrial setting can be cool, but her outfit doesn't really jive with this location.



The good news is, these two images are definitely your best. They are worth reviewing. I'd remove the others. You also got a great looking model. Try to work with her again and bring out some emotion from her. Keep at it.