Honest Advice for YOUR portfolio. =] (name changed)

NSFW

Go Photo Ltd said

Fill yer boots ;)

Does this mean you would like me to give you some advice too? 

Hi Gemmie, I'd love to know what you think of my portfolio.

Meerkat said

I got nothing to loose, I didn't do many shoots yet in my life and I still have lots of stuff to learn and improve but would like to hear what to improve in your eyes. I had a break in modeling for over a year or so and now came back, since I did it I had only 2 shoots now I booked more and we will see the results :) Hopefully it will be better and better, so now I will be patient and I will wait for your opinion.

Cheers,

Kamilka Meerkat :)

Hello, 

You show so much expression in this photo, it works really well, I think the crop you have for your cover photo of this works better than the crop that this full version as it focuses on your expression more. 

Your pose in this image hides your neck from our view and makes it look as if you don't have one. Your photographer should have edited out the marks on the wall to the right as they are distracting as are the marks on your skin from your bra, if you know you are going to shoot a topless photo then plan and go without a bra on and then shoot the bra pics after unless you intend to have marks on your skin. The lighting is a bit flat and the photographers logo or watermark is distracting too.

Overall the image doesn't look very professional as a result of all the above points, it's definitely worthwhile reshooting with some more moody lighting, a better pose that doesn't hide your neck and a photographer who has a proven record for shooting boudoir well. 

The lighting on your legs and bum is good however your face is under exposed and the glare from the mirror straight into the camera is really distracting. It is a good photo to show off your legs but other than that not the best image technically. Maybe consider hiring a really good photographer for a shoot to increase the quality of imagery in your portfolio, having more professional looking images in your portfolio will help you stand out in the crowd.

The lighting in this one is much more creative than in the last two, the movement in your hair looks good. Your pose is quite a basic pose, your torso is pretty much straight and you are facing the camera straight on which is good if you are aiming to get half of you lit but is often seen as an amateur pose as its the most obvious pose to do when stood in front of the camera. You could have crossed one leg over the other and leaned to one side to create more of a curve in your form, this would make you seem more shapely and in tune with your pose to create a more confident image.

Similar to the image above, don't be afraid to turn away from the camera and look back over your shoulder or pivot a couple degrees, pose, then pivot some more, pose etc this will give you a variety of poses in small variations in your shoot creating a good variety of final images to work with.

Look at all of the above images, your expression is the same in each one. The image above is great to show a different pose from you and is quite a playful pose but you need to match your expression so the image flows a bit better. A smile or a cheeky grin would have worked well with this image.

Your smile makes look embarrassed or as if you are cringing in this image, it is not a natural smile and because of this and your head being down your chin is elongated which is a little distracting in my honest opinion.

My advice to you is to experiment with your expression, try and avoid 'sexy' open mouthed expressions and work on getting  confident expressions and matching your expression to your pose, Think about body language, if your pose is playful make your expression playful if you're going for a creepy themed image create a dark edgy expression etc.

You are a pretty girl and think you could probably do well in modelling if you practice and get your poses and expression sorted. Work with the best photographers you can even if you have to pay one of your favourite photographs to shoot with you, it will benefit you to work with someone who can light you properly and direct you with poses etc.

Most of the images in your portfolio are lingerie but you have many genres advertised on your portfolio, try and shoot for each genre and show an example of each in your portfolio to help you get work in different areas.

I hope my advice is helpful to you.

Thankyou for taking part. 

Christian Scott said

Hey Gem, if you get time:-)

Hello Christian,

I really like the colour tones in this image and how you have edited it, however I'm not so keen on the soft focus on your model especially on her face, I'm a little unsure of the angle she is stood at because it's either quirky and slanted or just not properly straightened I can't define between the two. 

Again, love the colour tones and your editing, the vignette works well for this image. However, her face and eyes are slightly out of focus which lets the image down in my opinion.

Love this shot, great focus, lighting and post production.

This shot is quite obviously a composition, if your model were to stand up and lean on the wall directly behind her, her head would be in line with the top sign which would look odd, the proportions of your model to the scene don't quite match and I feel as if the editing used on the light to add flare is attempting to hide where she is sat on the bag. The bag also looks as if it is a soft case and would not support her weight, plus the light from the lamp would be more golden and would light the scene and props differently to what it has. You have however cut your model out quite well and you have an interesting location.

Your work is really strong, you have a great technique when it comes to lighting, shooting a variety of models, choosing intersting scenes, colours, editing and styling I think you need to focus on the following things to really make your images as good as they can be:

Focus, try and get your models faces sharp.

Straightening, some of your images are ever so slightly slanted which is distracting, the above image shows a slant, if you straightened it so her shoes were parallel to the bottom edge of the image and the barrier behind her was straight the image would be so much better along with a sharper focus on her face. 

That's pretty much it, if you can refine your focusing and keep an eye on your horizons and how straight your images are and get those points perfect your work would be super awesome.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for taking part.

Thanks missy. All points noted and appreciated :-)

Dasha said

This is such an awesome post, love the thought and consideration you have put into it Gem! I fear I am too late to ask for a review, but will enjoy the read as you get through the rest!!

Hello Dasha,

Fantastic carefree swimwear/lifestyle photo your pose is great as you show a really good connection with your environment.

This is quite a unique image which I expect was quite hard to light but has been lit fairly well, your pose is quite interesting, you seem to be facing away from the splashing and look as if you are trying to avoid the water hitting you. Makes a slightly awkward photo that is made interesting by the splash between you and the camera. 

This is a beautiful image for your portfolio although the viewer cannot tell you are the model.  Your work so far is all beach themed. I hope to see some more variety as I look through your portfolio.

Lovely expression and pose. A great addition to your portfolio.

Great to show a beauty styled image in your portfolio, the makeup is nicely done and you have very nice bone structure. 

A fierce image. Your expression works well with the styling and harsh contrast within this image. A great shot for your portfolio.

Stunning image! Your expression and pose is beautiful, very captivating. 

You have a lot of strong images in your portfolio, some images, I feel, aren't as good as others and let the quality down, maybe request for PP Members to see which images they would remove and get a broader opinion on the weaker images in your portfolio, doing this would increase the quality.

You have quite a few similar head and shoulder style images that you could probably narrow down to just include your favourites. 

I think you could experiment with some more varied expressions when you shoot, maybe try some wild expressions with some edgy photos or maybe shoot more images like the one above that communicate an emotional connection with the settings. 

Maybe also try doing something different with your hair? Maybe get a wig or try some more updo's or colour change so you can get some more varied images? I would like to see some full body studio shot images that focus on your pose as this style of image is not very prevalent in your portfolio.

I hope my advice helps.

Thanks for taking part

Gemma

Christian Scott said

Thanks missy. All points noted and appreciated :-)

You are very welcome.

Sarah Rae said

I don't know if i will regret this. Please may i have one too :)

Hello Sarah,

This image is absolutely stunning, Your expression and pose work really well, you look very comfortable in your environment and this is a lovely natural image.

I lovely soft, snuggly image, Your pose and expression show how relaxed you are which communicates how natural you are as a model, the styling and warm lighting work well together to create a snuggly, soft image. The composition is strong also.

Photographically a very interesting image for your portfolio. Your expression works well.

This image is not up to the standard of the rest of your images due to the blown out highlights on the sofa, the chopped toe and the distracting watermark. You have created a wonderful shape with your hip and bum, maybe reproduce this pose with another photographer?

Beautiful natural shot and great styling. The black and white tones work really well. The only thing that is a little distracting in this image is that viewers cannot see the bottom part of your legs.

This is a really cool idea and the styling is awesome however, the makeup on your face is a completely different tone to your neck and shoulders which is distracting in my opinion and the the image is very flatly lit. With such a dramatic hairpiece and make up I would have expected some more extravagant, dramatic lighting. Also your arm and hand appear from nowhere and is another distracting element.

This is a beautiful conceptual image. The colours and makeup go really well together and your simple expression works well for the image.

Overall you have quite a strong portfolio, your better images are those with Jason Perkins and Silverlight, using a good photographer is always beneficial for your portfolio. To keep up the quality in your portfolio I suggest you be picky with who you work with.

I would like to see some more edgy, high key images from you, maybe with some bright colours and wild expressions. 

Maybe plan your next shoots based on the genres you advertise on your portfolio that you don't have many images for, try swimwear or studio shot beauty if you need something different to work with.

I hope this advice helps. 

Thanks for taking part 

go on then review my port, i know some of my pics are to heavily processed and im in the process of updating

Thank you Gemma, really appreciate your thoughts!! :)

Ian Coyle said

OK I will play too

Hello Ian,

The highlights on the legs are overblown and detract from the image. 

This image has been overly softened and over saturated so her skin is too pink in some areas. There is also a lot of unnecessary negative space above her head in my opinion.

A very interesting image compositionally, seeing as this image is lit so evenly and the shoulders are positioned to mirror each other why not crop so that crop matches both sides of the image it would improve the image and make it perfectly composed in my opinion. Crop the right hand side in so it matches where the left hand side is cropped and see the improvement in the image as a whole.

Your model is slightly out of focus and the highlights on her left hand side are completely blown out. Try and light your models  evenly and then if you want to experiment try to balance your light sources so they are no more than two stops different otherwise it will be hard to balance your highlights and shadows.

This image is quite unflattering for your model she looks as if she is mid blink or if she is about to sneeze, again you have some blown highlights on your model. The background is evenly lit though which is good. I also quite like the colour of the background to match the models skin tone. Maybe post another from this shoot with a better expression?

There is a strange banding around your model and around her raised arm which is really off putting. 

I would advise you to find a local studio day or lighting workshop and aim to improve your lighting technique as that is what is consistently letting your portfolio down. You have worked with some well known models which is great, you just need to work on lighting them properly. Invest in your photography to improve your understanding and your work will improve alongside. 

I hope this helps

Thanks for taking part.

Jaded Images said

I'd like an opinion of mine if that is ok  x

Hello Jaded Images,

This location is really cool and I like her pose, it's unusual but works well. The tones of the black and white work well but maybe would have liked to have seen some more contrast in the wood and the wall. 

What a beautiful model, the composition of this shot is good, and the lighting is even and nicely done.

The caption for this says it all :P

This is a cool pose from your model and the mask is unique. The shot would be so much better if you could see her eyes more clearly.

Great to see a range of models in your portfolio, he seems very interesting, I would like to see a proper rock n roll expression  to suit the models occupation. There is a blown highlight to the left of your model that I would consider cloning to remove the distraction. 

One thing, the light next to her leg needs cloning out, it is mega distracting to an other wise gorgeous image.

Her face and hands are blurred. Do you have another shot from this set as the lighting and colours look great.

Overall your work is pretty good, I think you need to keep an eye on the quality, personally, I wouldn't use a blurry picture in my portfolio no matter how much the other elements work. Pay attention to detail in regards to distractions and making sure you can see eyes clearly and try to avoid over blown highlights by using a light meter and fill in flash or a reflector to balance the light better so you can balance your exposure better.

Keep doing what you are doing and pay attention to the above points and your work should improve.

I hope this helps

Thanks for taking part

I would also be interested to know what you think of myportfolio and what I need more of ect x 

sendu said

What do you think of mine?

Hi Sendu,

Beautiful lighting, composition and pose.

Lovely lighting and soft colour tones, the only thing about this image that distracts me is that her eye is closed too far that there is no catch light and she looks as if she is almost squinting. 

Stunning simple image, the tones are beautiful, the image is simple, the pose is simple a very effective image, beautifully lit and composed very well done.

Fierce image, great model nicely lit. Sharp. Great image.

Your model looks a little uncomfortable in this image. Otherwise a really cool shot.

You have a very strong portfolio and are obviously very skilled technically. I would advise you to shoot with more variety in your images, shoot on a white background, go on location, shoot in colour, work with more models etc. 

Hope this helps

Thanks for taking part.

Paul Nikki said

i'd love a comment on my profile :) x

Hello Paul,

Your expression is the same in the vast majority of your images, some of the pictures it is not that noticeable because of the variations in angle, prop and pose but it would be a good starting point for you to improve your variety and look.

This is awesome, love the makeup, depth of field, concept and pose.

The lighting could be better if the background wasn't so much brighter than you. 

It's good to show you can work with other models, you have a good connection with this model.

The emotion portrayed in your eyes is really good to support the concept.

You have quite a few images that are from the same shoot, I would suggest keeping your favourite image from each shoot in your portfolio to keep the quality and variety up.

Your expression works really well with the concept.

I love this image, the soft pink contrasts with the stereotype that comes with tattooed men and you look deep in thought, quite a dream like image.

I think you need to work on your variety, most of your images are based on a dark theme and are quite gothic, maybe do something completely out of your comfort zone and see what results you get. Experiment with your expression as it pretty much stays the same throughout your portfolio.

I hope this helps

Thanks for taking part.