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

NSFW

I would love for you to review mine. I am on going to know what doesn't work for me and what does

OK, in a very rare moment for me, I'll bite.  Go for it...

Simon Pole said

I think you have offered an interesting and generous critique session and must have put a lot of time and effort into it, so fair play to you for that, I've not read it all, but it seems pretty objective and fair.

If you want/have time feel free to have a wander through mine, if not no problem, as a basis, I just do this for enjoyment, fun and sometimes experimentation and it is of course not to everyone's liking and I accept that, but I do feel critique is always a good thing, even if you don't like some if it, you can still learn from it, after all that is how we all grow and evolve, without which we run the risk of stagnation, just mt opinion of course.

Hi Simon,

wow your portfolio looks great from the first impression, lots of detail in those images that makes me want to scan through them all one by one, very inviting!

I like that you have the first few lines of your images as just monochrome images, I think it would look fab if you just kept the monochrome ones on your main page and then put your colour shots in the albums. It would show you had put that thought into putting together your portfolio and make it more attractive in my opinion. :)

Looking through your portfolio, there are some fantastic images, here's one that's particularly hard to pull off which I think you have done well:

^Great exposure control, beautifully sharp and well composed the fabric picks up the light beautifully and the movement captured is fantastic, you definitely chose the right model for this shot. The only thing that I could suggest is that you lesson the orange colour in the floor as it clashes a little with the red fabric, maybe if you could make the floor a little desaturated or overlay a black layer on the floor in PS with the opacity lowered, it might help make the rest of the image pop?

^Beautiful control of your exposure, no burnt highlights and good detail in the shadows, sharp image and the model is lit perfectly. A lovely shot. Some may say her hand being out of the shot is a little off putting, or that a shallower depth of field may bring the focus more into your model, but the wide depth of field helps demonstrate the grittiness of her surroundings.

^You have some fantastic locations, love the lines in this shot and your use of contrast is fantastic. Again your highlight and shadow control is spot on. 

^Another beautiful image and a great location, your portfolio is very impressive.

^ this image stands out in your portfolio because it is not as strong as your other images. The graffiti on the wall is lit and the baby face is the main focal point, whereas the guy jump kicking is in shadow and becomes the secondary focal point, as a stand alone image this doesn't work in my opinion because there are two conflicting elements within the image. 

^ You have some beautiful landscape images in your portfolio, I would love to see some model/portrait shots taken at these locations. Is Purpleport the best place to showcase non model images? Maybe it would be worth having a separate album for your landscape work so those looking to see landscapes can go straight to that album?

 My honest opinion of your portfolio overall is that you have some very very strong images that contrast quite a bit with some of your not so strong images, your landscape/animal stuff is nice, but maybe a flickr account would be better for that type of image as people are more likely to be looking for landscape and animals on there and its more likely to get the appreciation and recognition it deserves.

Maybe going through your portfolio with your quality control hat on would be good to help you refine your work and boost your overall portfolio quality. 

Thanks for taking part :)

more_m said

Yes please, and I would appreciate your views on some specific questions:

- does this work as a portfolio, rather than just a random selection of images

- what should definitely go, and what sort of shots are missing that would add value to the overall set

- I know that I am technically weak (lighting, dof, "quality" of images) so any constructive criticism & advice in this area would be extremely welcome. Brutal comments are fine

- I think I am stronger on "ideas" (concepts). If I'm wrong, please let me down gently here

- comments on my profile text would also be welcome. I am always concerned that because I am in my 50s and an amateur that I will be branded a "GWC" with all the negative connotations that go with that

Many thanks

Mark

Hi More_m,

First impressions are good, I don't think you come across as a GWC, I was drawn to your cover photo straight away, very creative and also quite well done. The only thing that lets it down on the composite side that I've noticed is a very slightly fuzzy foot on the model on the lefts, left foot. Other than that, it's a great shot :)

next shot:

This shot has burnt highlights on your models leg which isn't ideal, to avoid this you could have bracketed, or underexposed then brought the exposure up selectively in photoshop after, it's easier to get back detail in the shadows than in burnt highlights in post production I usually find.  You have a nice location and your model is posed well, you have positioned yourself nicely so that her legs are elongated and the light on her shapes her nicely, it's just a tad too bright.

^ a very interesting shot, love the reflections and the composition however I feel this shot could have been stronger with more light in your subjects eyes and if she was looking at her eyes in the reflection or at the camera rather than down and out of shot. Your highlights and shadows have been controlled fairly well in this shot. 

^ fab colours and curves in this image, the lighting is nice and even and the contrast is good. The colour of your models skin works well with the colour of the sofa and her pose also works with the sofas curve too. It may help draw focus to your model to cut around the top of the sofa and black out the background behind it as the white walls are a tiny bit distracting. If your model was looking at the camera this shot would be stronger too. But still a fab shot.

^ Powerful shot, great exposure and highlight/shadow control. Lovely detail in the sky and the boat and foreground. The model looks a little uncomfortable holding her neck like that, but her pose does add tension to the image. 

^ I just spotted this beauty! What a wonderful shot! fantastic focus, framing, exposure and movement. A wonderful image. 

Overall I think your portfolio could do with a little cleansing, you have some images that don't work particularly well because of various reasons, some with clashing colours (green fields, blue hair and different colour clothing) and then some images which really stand out as strong, the one of lenah, the image above that one etc. Maybe ask the people of pp for help cleansing your portfolio to bring up your quality of work. Keep your conceptual and artistic nude shots going as they are stronger than your glamour style shots in my opinion :)

Thanks for taking part, I hope this has been helpful.

Edited by Gemmiev

Hi Gemmiev, I am an "older" artist's and photographic model and have been modelling for a bit over a year and am trying to improve my ArtNude work and get some more location work / team effort work with a MUA as I think this will help. I would be grateful for the benefit of a critique from someone such as yourself as I am always trying to improve. 

Yes please Gemminiev, if you have reviewed me before just ignore.

I'm really interested in these ! please, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I would also love to get your thoughts on my folio if you have time :) 

Would love to hear your thoughts on my portfolio if possible :) Thank you

Ava Leigh said

I would like some opinions on my port please :)

Hi Ava,

First impressions on your portfolio is that it looks a bit bare, not many images or much in the way of profile notes, first spotted picture is this one below because of the clichéd chair, it's an overused prop that reeks of cliche, but that's just my opinion of course. You look a little uncomfortable in your posing in this shot. 

Next Shot

^The lighting in this image isn't great, there's no light on your face and the marks on the wall are distracting. The lines in the skirting board lead the eye out of the frame, whereas if it was shot straight on for this shot, it would look better compositionally. Not a great shot technically but your styling looks pretty good and you seem to be striking an interesting pose. Maybe reshoot this one with better lighting?

^this shot would be better if you had a connection with the camera or if you were looking at something within the frame, the lighting again isn't great and your eyes are quite dark with no catchlights. The colours within the image don't really flow well together, you could do with working with a strong photographer to get you some quality images to boost your portfolio.

^This is a very cool shot, great angle, and the lighting is fab, everything works well, your pose, styling and expression. Definitely a keeper.

^ fab image to show off your figure and flexibility, quite a basic shot, lighting could have been a bit more sophisticated, but a good shot to show off your shape. 

^ love your expression in this shot and the lighting is good, a fun concept too. 

^ the colours and exposure on a lot of your images is a bit off, this one has your skin over exposed and the orange background doesn't work in my opinion, this shot may look better in black and white. 

Overall you have a good look and your work with pacman and kris karl is your strongest. I would suggest putting yourself out there and trying to work with the best photographers that you can find to get the quality of imagery in your portfolio up. There are a couple of shots where you are wearing the same lingerie, if you could avoid wearing the same stuff for shoots it would increase the variety in your portfolio. Learning about basic photography would help you too so you could be more selective wiht choosing pics for your portfolio to keep the quality up.

I hope this helps, thanks for taking part, :)

SJWEBB said

I would love to know what you think of mine :) thanks

 

Hi!

First impressions are that you are a very creative photographer, you have a lot of variety in your portfolio even though you don't have many images up, which is good because it shows you are selective about the work you have on display. Quality over Quantity. 

This first image:

Your models makeup has been done quite well and the image itself is fairly sharp. The image is however underexposed, the whites of the eyes are grey rather than white and the skin tones become muddy when they are underexposed. If you bring the exposure up a little the image would be improved.

^ another interesting concept, the makeup is interesting and could be tidied up a little in post production. The red veins in her eyes could be cloned out and the image could be sharper especially around the eyes. This image has loads of potential, do you have another from this shoot that is sharper?

^ Fantastic styling and expression from your model. The lighting is nice and even on your model, the wall paper is a bit reflective which is a little distracting for me personally. 

^ this shot is great, fab makeup/styling and expression from your model. A grittier edit on photoshop would work well for this image.

Overall you seem to be quite creative with your photography, you seem to have worked with competent make up artists and you have some good models to work with. Keep an eye on your exposure and keep your focusing spot on, focusing on eyes is best. I'm excited to see what else you can produce :)

Thanks for taking part

Allright hit me I dare you. :)

I would appreciate when you have a moment taking a look at mine. Thanks in advance :)