I have been testing a new camera, and I want your opinion on what I should be learning/testing/improving on with it. Here are the shots I want critiqued:







I know some of them don't have the best crop/angle. I am working on that still. But I would love to hear what you think about them. What works, what doesn't. What you personally like or dislike about them. Which are port worthy, which I should scrap. Anything helps, but please try and keep it constructive.

Nobody? 

Not sure if I can help with regards to the camera.  I would say that lighting is the area for improvement as they look flat to me

1. Think about what you want to create

2. Don't worry about the equipment

3. Refine your post work

As previous commenters have mentioned, don't worry so much about which camera you have, and spend more time working on your compositions, lighting, and connections with your models. Some specific reactions:


Lighting is nice here and model and pose are ok, but the setting makes it feel like a good snapshot rather than a composed photo. The model seems at odds with her environment, and not in an intentional way. At the very least I would have gotten rid of the chairs. Also, her feet are cut off, which a lot of shooters would try not to do. Finally, you shot at a somewhat low angle and possibly too wide, distorting her a bit.


The model's expression is blank, and the colors are both washed out and jarring. It's hard to tell what you're going for in this image.


Great model, and the most port-worthy of the bunch in my opinion. Though that doesn't mean I think the picture is that good. Everything has a green cast to it. Are you shooting in RAW format? You should be -- you can control the white balance in processing. If this was intentionally colored to make it seem more vintage, then I think it wasn't a great choice. Setting is also a little off for this model/wardrobe combo. But definitely work with this model again -- he's got talent.


I'm not really sure what this photo is saying -- it seems like two or three photos competing with each other. Also, with makeup that dramatic (why only on one model?), you might want to use more dramatic lighting as well, if not studio, then at least natural light that's a little harder.


Pretty model but with a blank expression. The vintage toning doesn't help here -- it just makes a blah picture more blah, unfortunately. Higher contrast, not lower, would probably make this picture more interesting. Also, her hair is really limp, which detracts from her overall look. She has such a pretty face that if nothing could be done about her hair, then I would just find ways to study her face more.

Start learning studio lighting and play more with that. Assuming you have a flash, that's a place to start. Get a little gear (doesn't need to be too expensive) that gets your flash off your camera and gives you control over shaping your light. Check out this book for a great overview and ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/Speedliters-Handb … 032171105X

Hope this helps...