BlackWatch wrote:
I'll play...I hate to see a fellow dark one playing all by himself...just be quick and painless...

Awwwww thank you so much.....and for being my first customer, I'll give you the special "All 20 photos" special!

Top row photo 1-I'm not a big fan of selective desaturation but in this photo, its probably the only thing that makes it stand out....lovely model but the photo just isn't doing anything for me...

Photo 2-This I love....reminds me of the spirit portraits from the 1800s....wonderful pose and composition....great costumes too....

Photo 3-Just gorgeous, you should do more modeling (those eyes!)....and once again, this is good selective desaturation....

Photo 4-The colors in this are a bit too busy and I'm kind of fuzzy on what the image is suppose to "mean"....

Second row Photo 1-Love the pose and location....just can't help feeling that the composition is off....I feel like there is too much negative space under the table....

Photo 2-Love this one....some photos tell a story and this is one of those....the composition, lighting and esp. the color (or lack thereof)

Photo 3-Lovely verse, lovely color, beautiful model.....her dress is giving the impression that her head is on backward and her chest is behind her, if you understand....its just poofing in the wrong places....maybe crop it to just above her elbow?

Photo 4-This one is great....you two totally nailed the adverts from the time....great job...

Row 3 Photo 1-I'm sure you've noticed the way wings get bashed on this site....I'm not one of those people tho....this image works and the wings make it feel just right....only thing I'll add is that her pose is just slightly off putting....it makes it look like one big fuzzy wing....

Photo 2-Oh this one is perfect....the concept and exectution are dead on (no pun intended)

Photo-3-And now the wings are perfectly done....love the blur and the model is perfect for this concept...

Photo 4-Wonderful....not too busy, very 60s mod.....whimsical and I think its great...

Row 4 Photo 1-this is the photo that made me run over and friend request her awhile ago....just gorgeous shot....

Photo 2-beautiful....I'm a big fan of seeing a woman from the back...great composition...texture and tone are perfect...

Photo 3-cinematic....but it also feels incomplete....

Photo 4-I really like this one, esp. the over saturated colors....I'm finding the reflection of her hair slightly distracting tho....

Last row Photo 1-I've got to say, you folks do very impressive work with the selective desaturation....this one could benifit from abit more light toward the model's head...

Photo 2-After looking at this photo for 2 seconds, I literaly went "WHOA"....what a nice surprise....excellently done....

Photo 3-Okay, this one is just too oversaturated, I'd say its the weakest photo in the portfolio....

Photo 4-This one made me stop and study it...ALWAYS a good thing....very thoughtful image....

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to view your work....lovely and diverse stuff....

Aria... wrote:
oooh me next?

Hello Aria....first let me say that you are just lovely and your sense of fun is evident to anyone who takes a glance at your portfolio....

Here we go...

First row Photo 1-The angle is unflattering as far as your face is concerned and the lighting is unflattering on your bum....

Photo 2-This one I like alot....we get to see that lovely face, good pose, love the outfit....and the gate in front of you looks as if its impaling you....makes for an interesting effect....

Photo 3-I like the idea of this more than the photo itself.....I'd try this again, just have the photographer concentrate on your face and the light....

Photo 4-Just beautiful....I love the expression and the lighting is wonderful....

Row two Photo 1-I like this....you look great, very playful....just wish it wasn't so bright....abit of mood lighting would have made this one even better...

Photo 2-This one would work better if you were cropped right at the waist...the lighting gets flat below that.....

Photo 3-This one should be B&W....other than that, it just kind of seems maybe you weren't into it? 

Photo 4-You look so good here....you have this sexy/immocent thing I really like...

Row 3 Photo 1-Lovely....you have such a unique beauty....love seeing you in portraits..

Photo 2-Perfect...this one works on all levels for me....very sexy...

Photo 3-You look good but the lighting is too harsh....

Photo 4-Another perfect shot....once again, LOVE the sexy/immocent look you have...

Last Row-Oh what a wonderful shot....wouldn't change a thing.....

Thanks for the chance to view your portfolio....

Nora_Neko wrote:
you can critique me

So I open your portfolio and it its just alive with color and imagination.....after looking at each image, this is what I think....

Row 1 Photo 1-A cute idea and it obviously took some work but somehow or another its not knocking me out like it should....I think that its your expression is blank and in the snapshots, you're over expressive...I'm sure that was suppose to be the concept but it just doesn't work for me....

Photo 2-Love the look, very nice framing with the red leaves....everything here works for me except it looks like you're wearing a t-shirt....

Photo 3-Wonderfully expressive....MAN, do you sell this photo!  The hand coming up from the water is so odd looking that I honestly kind of like it, even though it looks like its odd looking because of the angle of your arm...

Photo 4-Very imaginative....I like this one alot...

Row 2 Photo 1-This is wonderful, only wish it was in a location instead....

Photo 2-Love the pose and outfit....the lighting is abit flat and I wish you were closer....

Photo 3-Great shot!  Total Vogue look...

Photo 4-I have a feeling this shot is more about the dress than you...its okay but strikes me more of a fashion photo....

Row 3 Photo-1 Adorable...I love this look, your pose, your expression....once again wish you were on location tho...

Photo 2-You look fantastic here.....once again, I find myself wanting your photographer to light you better....

Photo 3- Another wonderful look....you have Siouxsie Sioux's face here....I'm a huge fan of her so you have me there...lol

Photo 4- Great dynamic shot....I honestly wish you were in more locations like this in more of your photos...abit overexposed on your back but other than that, very good...

Row 4 Photo 1-Makes me smile.....you're so lovely and have such a fantastically expressive face....

Photo 2-Just beautiful all the way around...what a great photo.....

Photo 3-I want to like this one....you are doing a great job selling this but is there something in the cage?  I think it feels like the photo is suppose to be telling a story but I'm not getting it....

Photo 4-Absolutely wonderful....probably my favorite photo in your portfolio, hands down....

Last row Photo 1-I marvel over how expressive you are....love the colors....

Photo 2-This is cute but maybe abit too busy colorwise....you look adorable....

Photo 3-One of my almost favorites....you look VERY sexy....the angle and color are not doing it for me tho....

Photo 4-Oh how this would have benifited from being in an interesting faux-sci-fi location.....for you as a model, this is a good photo....you look great....the overall look isn't what it could be tho....

You are just amazingly expressive and just lovely.....I really hope you have a long career....I believe you will....

BlackWatch wrote:
That was pretty painless and mostly complimentary...glad you like our work...plenty more to come...we've got two shoots scheduled for December that are going to blow your mind...

Can't wait.....keep us all updated.....

Aria... wrote:
Thanks so much! What a great critique!

You're very welcome.....

Odin's Eye wrote:
I'd love a critique, waiting to get my new dark work back up(got tired of the old stuff)

I love the stuff you have up right now!  I have a thing for different eye makeup on each eye.  I do it in real life but photographers don't let me.  :0/.  What a beautiful model, though.  I really like your avatar and the first photo in your port.. And the last photo with a different model.  Everything else is alright, but those you should keep.  Get some more photos up!  .

Wynd Mulysa wrote:
I want critique.
Should I critique others, too?

Oh no Wynd, thats not necessary.....thanks for asking tho....

Okay, first of all I'm already familiar with your work and I'll just admit I love your look....here is what I think of every photo in your portfolio....

Row 1 Photo 1-I'm sure you've heard that marbles (of all things) are cliche....I honestly don't believe in cliche....and photos like this are the reason why....I love your expression and the photo itself has an almost childlike sense of magic to it....lovely work...

Photo 2- As I've stated in another critique, I love a woman's back....this is so well lit and you look so good from behind....the only thing that I would have the photographer do is crop it to just above your cheeks....the position of your left leg is just making too much of a fold...

Photo 3- wonderful shot, love the pose...what you're doing with your hands is just great...and that face!!!  Just lovely....

Photo 4-The choice of B&W here is perfect....wonderful showcase for you back tattoo...I like the mood of this one....its "arty" but also earthy....which I find lacking in most artistic photos....

Row 2 Photo 1-Those eyes are astonishing....those delicate hands.....I wouldn't change a thing here...

Photo 2-This is okay...just okay....the top you're wearing splits the image in two and what could have been a good shot is too fragmented...

Photo 3-Once again, THOSE EYES....wow....this one feels so raw, emotional and real....

Photo 4-Not going to lie....you have a wonderful body....but that background just doesn't work for me....for the most part I'm not a fan of photoshop, esp. obvious photoshop....

Row 3 Photo 1-one of the best photos in your portfolio hands down....such rich blacks....you look childlike and yet maternal....love it....

Photo 2-Its probably obvious I'm going to like this one....besides my back fetish tho, what makes this work isthe lock of hair and the wrist tattoo....

Photo 3-Great concept, maybe not as good as it could be though...I just don't feel you were lit as well as you could be...

Photo 4-Very good....love the angle and pose....maybe abit overexposed on your right thigh....

Last row Photo 1-I'm old enough to remember when THIS was the goth look....lol....I don't think the choice of B&W fits here....it feels to somber and this look shouldn't be presented that way....

Photo 2-I can't help feeling when I look at this that I'm looking at a rotoscope of you and not the true image....maybe its that the colors are too bright?  Not sure...its an attention getting image but....eh, its just not doing it for me....great expression tho...

Photo 3-and in an echo of the "80s goth" look, this is another photo where the look you have isn't matching the presentation....this background just doesn't work with this dark image....

Photo 4-I saw this and thought of the video for Kate Bush's Cloudbursting....I love everything about this shot...excellent....

Oh how I wish you were closer to where i am....I would love to work with you....

Odin's Eye wrote:
I'd love a critique, waiting to get my new dark work back up(got tired of the old stuff)

First off, congrats on the new job.....and working with such a lovely model....

Top row Photo 1-I like her look and like the pose but the over saturated red and the background just aren't working for me....I think it has the potental to look like a shot from an LSD sequence in a 60s drug film (The Trip for example) but it feels like I'm reading that into the photo and that it wasn't your intention....

Photo 2-I'm with Wynd on the eye make-up, very cool....I'm a fan of intimate close ups and the colors work here....she feels real here....

Photo 3-Just great....love the expression, love the colors, love the fish...its a humorous photo but also has a slightly creepy feel....

Photo 4-Another good one....again, very nice feeling of intimacy with the model and very nice pose...abit to much yellow saturation for my taste tho.....

Row 2 Photo 1-Seems like a faint repeat of the other superior version of the fish photo....

Photo 2-In several of the other photos, we get a great view of her eyes....by focusing exclusivly on them, it takes away the striking combination of eyes and faceand, quite honestly, the photo is too washed out to see her eye make-up as well as in the others....

Photo 3-Too dark, it honestly doesn't work....

Photo 4-Its probably never a good idea to shoot someone in dark clothing near a dark background....the model's top is getting lost in the doorway.....good composition and angle.....

I like these photos but I'd say most of them are just too saturated and seem to be repeating.....

Teresa Feldmann wrote:
I'm not really dark (not sure I fit in anywhere exactly), but I'm always up for a critique. Do you want to give me a shot?

Honestly Teresa, you fit in perfectly......what a lovely, diverse lady you are....

Row 1 Photo 1-I've done colorful feathered mask photos and know how hard they can be....this one came out great.....love the colors and your eyes....not crazy about the angle the photographer has shot you tho....that crease from your left arm isn't flattering and the light shafts from the jewel are distracting....

Photo 2-love the mood here and that green is just great....however, the shadows are just to much....you get lost....

Photo 3-This I like VERY much...love the pose, the colors, the lighting is just right....I love the sweetness in your face here....

Photo 4-Very striking....some people might think its abit too ragid but you have the total punk glam thing here....I like very much...

Row 2 Photo 1-What a wonderful smile.....love the colors....you weren't framed properly tho...

Photo 2-Too much photoshopping for my taste....I think that when photographers do that, they take away the warmth and humaity from the model....

Photo 3-I want to like this but for some reason you look uncomfortable in that pose....

Photo 4-LOVE this shot.....I wouldn't change a thing....this one just gets me....very sexy....

row 3 Photo 1-Okay, I usually don't say this but damn....this shot is almost perfection....I'm just going to get all schoolboy over this and cry out "HOT!!!!"

Photo 2-This one would benefit from B&W....its too saturated and the background looks like a sheet....also just doesn't feel as intimate as I would like.....its just not as involving as it should be....

Photo 3-Another fantastic shot....love the colors, the feel of it is "dirty", grimy and sexy....you look phenomenal....

Photo 4-This one looks photoshopped but I don't care, it fits....once again, loving the colors....just beautiful....

Row 4 Photo 1-remember what I said about photo 2 in the last row?  This is the photo that one wants to be....composition that makes us feel you're slightly "off", love the lighting and hun, you are doing a great job of making this pain work, feels totally real....great shot....

Photo 2-love everything about this photo except for you eyeshadow....

Photo 3-This would be a great shot except the angle is wrong.....

Photo 4-Again, I'm this close to calling perfect.....best photo in your portfolio....incredible....

Row 5 Photo 1-Oh how i want to like this....the angle is all wrong, its too saturated.....I can't really see you.....

Photo 2-I'm a big fan of mirror shots....I love the simplicity of this....you look so real and lovely here....thsi shot is just about you....it feels natural....

Photo 3-here is an example of why I don't care for selective desaturation....the photo gains nothing from it....it should be straight B&W....I'm not a fan of Dutch angles either...

Photo 4-To me, artistic nudes walk a fine line.....underlit, they cause the viewer to wonder why we can't see the obvious beauty of form....overlit and it just looks like explotation pretending to be art...this falls under the first catagory....I honestly can barely make you out.....

You're portfolio has more "dark" images in it than alot of people who just come right out and claim to be goth and such....some amazing images.....you have some of my favorite photos here at MM.....keep up the great work love....

Wynd Mulysa wrote:
Thanks for all of that!  I love hearing what others think and you're very good at communicating what you like and don't like.

I know people argue in the critique section sometimes when they hear something they don't like, but I'm not one of those people.  I just wanted to let you know a little bit about the bondage photo [the next to last in my port.]  You mentioned that the background doesn't work with the image.  The background is just white.  That image is a part of Richard Kadrey's [http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=15894] "Dark Light" series where he takes long exposures using a flashlight to light different parts.

Your very welcome Wynd.....I feel that most people here are content to just give out variations of "Great work' or "it sucks"....creativity can't grow in a vacuum....I love helping artists....our world would be a better place if more people were inspired to do great works and express themselves....

Ahhhh, so that background is part of a series?  Okay.....I admire when an artist attempts things like that but once again, I don't think it works....it looks to me like a graphic bondage model shot in front of those backdrops they use to have for family portraits at K-Mart back in the 70s....

Daniel Savage wrote:
Some of mine may apply, and haven't received much if any feedback so far...

Hello Daniel....it sucks that you haven't gotten much feedback.....I know I don't have to tell you that most male models are treated like lawnchairs and not given much for respect.....you'll find that a sentiment I don't share with them....

Row 1 Photo 1-You have a good strong face and warm eyes....I think this would have been a very good portrait if you were lit better....

Photo 2-Way too much black space....I'm a fan of "candlelight" shots but the subject can't be lost in the blackness....

Photo 3-This has a laid back vibe, I like this one.....the drab colors and moodiness really work well.....your pose is a great casual form....the wall goes out of focus very badly but that the photographer's fault, not yours....

Photo 4-This is nice....most shower shots (esp. of men) feel explotive but this one has a great introspective feel....

Row 2 Photo 1-Love the light and the richness of the blacks here....the problem is, the shower head feels like the subject.....the viewer can barely see you....

Photo 2-This is a good "slice of life" shot....it could use a bit of better lighting but it has a natural quality I like....

I've got a feeling you take most of these photos yourself....I find your desire to do art admirable but if you're going to model, it would be best to find photographers who can share your vision.....you have the looks and I like your style....if you were closer, I'd love to work with you.....keep on working my friend.....I wish you all the best....

Stryder wrote:
ohh! me next!

Hello Stryder....first of all, WOW, what a striking woman you are....love your "about me" section....you've got a great attitude and humor....

Row 1 Photo 1-As I said before, what a striking woman....just beautiful....and what an eye-cathcing photo.....dynamic as all hell....great shot....

Photo 2-As a variation on the theme, i would honestly like this one better if it were closer to your face...

Photo 3-Gorgeous....if I couldn't see your nipple here, i would say this should be your avatar....

Photo 4-I'm not sure if its the angle but this photo just doesn't look right....this would work better as a portrait rather than the 3 quarters body shot the photographer wanted to make it....

Row 2 Photo 1-I like this one except for the handcuffs....its overselling the idea....this should be more of a simple "mouth/tape" shot....

Photo 2-This one is good but your shoulder is giving it an odd feel....alomost like you took it yourself?

Photo 3-I really like your eye shadow here but thats about all thats working for me....I'd like to see more expression in this photo....

Its obvious you're just begining and you really need to work with a few more photographers to give you a start.....as it is, you have maybe three good photos here and the rest are just lesser variations on the theme....I can't wait to see what you have in 6 months....

Stryder wrote:
Thanks!

You're very welcome...

SPRINGHEEL wrote:
So I see all these people offering up critiques and have noticed that people who do dark, alt., rockabilly pin-up, etc. type work usually get short shifted....

I understand rockabilly as a musical genre.  what is it exactly in a visual medium?

Odin's Eye wrote:
Love the reply; yeah a lot of the images are just filler for the moment, because my bondage stuff has since moved to my Deviant Art account.

Ah, well I would love to see that stuff.....

BlackWatch wrote:
I like threads like this just because it brings interesting people out of the walls...I've seen a few really good protfolios as a result and your work has been in some way added to my collective inspiration...

I thank you....that was my hope actually.....I know alot ofpeople who do different kinds of work would really like to be treated on equal terms but most of these threads treat them as second class photographers.....the same as the mainstream treats underground/ outre films as "B-mivies"....gah, I hate that...all creativity is legitimate....

And I'm very pleased to hear I can be anyone's inpiration....thank you...

Sinistra626 wrote:
Feel free : 0 )

Well hello there love....I'll start by first saying its wonderful to see someone at your age that has such a maturity and grace.....

Row 1 Photo 1-I like the pose and the skirt shows your lovely legs well....I don't think I need to tell youthe photo itself comes off as a snapshot.....

Photo 2-This one I like because i can see your lovely face and smile....surprisingly, the lighting is pretty good here....

Photo 3-As I'd stated in another post, I am not a fan of these photoshop backgrounds....I'd prefer to see you in an actual location, this takes me out of the photo instead of drawing me in....an you're way oversaturated....however, this is a great shot of your face....you have beautiful eyes and great bone structure....

Photo 4-There is a really cool idea in here....as it is now, its a good place holder...its just disturbing enough to gain interest from the viwer....I honestly like that you didn't go for the typical "dead in the shower" shot....you're body looks great here and your expression is so odd.....I like that....

Row 2 Photo1-Ahhhhh, so this is what the first photo looks like?  This one is much better....I know that the 1st photo might have seemed better because its cropped to focus on you but the eye needs to be able to move around an image in order to appreciate the subject....its not the best but its certainly preferable to the first one....

Photo 2-Without looking at the comments, I'm sure this photo gets alot of "Wow, sexy mom AND daughter" comments....thats understandable.....you're both just lovely....I see alot of affection here....I love natural photos regardless of what type of camera is used....

Photo 3-Good pose, love your smile....very sweet.....I really like the corset/jeans look too....

Photo 4-This is kinda cute but I'm sure you noticed that the corset is rising up and we can see your panties....very cute expression....

Row 3 Photo 1-if this weren't so over-exposed, I'd be raving about it.....great location, good pose, you look beautiful....

Photo 2-This is in someways better that photo 1 and in someways not....accidental over-exposure can usually be saved by going B&W and this one has been....there is still too much reflection off of the dress tho and I really think the colors in the last photo were nice....these two would have worked much better if your photographer had deflected the sunlight....use that location again tho when you have more profesional photos done...

Photo 3-And this is the row 1 photo 3 without the phony background....much prefered....I love your face and hair here but everything else is just too damn white....

Photo 4-I'm not going to say anything other than you have a lovely face that makes me smile everytime I see it....I love the warmth in your eyes....

Overall I think you have a great deal working for you.....I just want to see you working with better photographers....in Florida, there should be no shortage of them....good luck sweetheart....

Cecil Sharps wrote:

I understand rockabilly as a musical genre.  what is it exactly in a visual medium?

Rockablilly "pin-up" is retro pin-up where the model reflects the rockabilly lifestyle....

Nihilus wrote:
Good idea to post the offer this early in the morning. I've seen other such threads get innundated awfully quick.

Actually, I started this at 6:30 last night.....I haven't been swamped because I'm offering niche critiques....I'm sure there are plenty of people who have looked at this thread and thought "Oh, my stuff isn't like that".....I figure thats why I'm not getting slammed with requsts the way most of these others do...