Forums > Critique > Needing a hard critic

Model

Its Justin Michah

Posts: 49

Los Angeles, California, US

browse through my port and give me your honest opinion.

Sep 23 14 01:48 pm Link

Photographer

DCurtis

Posts: 796

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

I think one way you can improve your look is by developing your calf muscles more. I think your portfolio could be improved with photos of you collaberating with female models for some lifestyle shots. And then maybe some in studio fashion photos. Overall, I'd say you have a great look, and I wish you much success.

Sep 24 14 08:26 pm Link

Photographer

Mark C Smith

Posts: 1073

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Yeah, you need some more variety in your port as it consists really of only two shoots. I think you've got a great look though and will have little trouble finding work with a more well rounded portfolio.

Sep 24 14 08:29 pm Link

Photographer

Camerosity

Posts: 5805

Saint Louis, Missouri, US

IMO you only have three photos that might be considered portfolio quality (the first three), and you don't have any "stoppers" that will cause someone to stop and take a long look. The last four more like snapshots.

The man things that bother me about the first photo are that the photographer "shot down" at you - and the awkward cropping on one leg at the knee and the other at the ankle.

As a general rule, it's not a good idea to shoot down at a model, male or female. (There is an exception, but this isn't it.) That makes the model look smaller. Shooting from below the model's eye level gives the subconscious impression that the model is taller than the viewer - and vice versa.

A slightly higher angle (like chest level, give or take 5-6 inches) would have worked better for the second photo. The main issue with the second photo is those bright patches of skin showing through. They make a distracting background more distracting. The patch of sky at the left side of the photo (which is the largest and brightest) keeps pulling the eye away. Throwing the background as far out of focus as possible also would have helped.

The third photo is your best, IMO. It's also the sharpest. The lighting and contrast show skin texture and musculature and add drama. While the background is lighter than you are, there are no “hot spots” that pull the eye away, and it’s not distracting.

The fourth photo isn’t bad by any means. Your face is the strongest and best lit part of the photo. The background is a little distracting, especially toward the bottom of the photo. I think cropping just below the armpits would make the photo stronger and more interesting.

With the fifth, the whole is less than the sum of the parts. In a collage, in most cases, no photo is the center of attention. The eye keeps going from one photo to the other, and the impact of each is less than it would be if each photo were shown as a separate image. The chopped-off fingers, feet and toes are also distracting.

The distracting backgrounds and awkward croppings keep you from being the focus of attention in the last four photos.

None of this has anything to do with your poses and expressions, of course. While there’s always room for improvement, I see nothing wrong with your poses without getting really nit-picky.

Sep 24 14 08:56 pm Link