Reply To: Curious

[Nightrose]

I like the first album with the dogs – just watch that some of the backgrounds look a little wonky and would benefit from being straightened (nitpicking).  The other pet photo albums are good too, and I think they’re better than the ones with the children (this could be because I like animals more than I like kids, lol). Perhaps pet photography could be something you can focus on once you finish your schooling?

The “stunning canvas” shots are cool, and you’ve got some pretty interesting conceptual work – maybe some of them could be better focussed – but there are some nice ideas.

The action shots of the girl in the snow don’t really work – wonky horizons, too dark (as you pointed out in your post, you only recently calibrated your monitor), and not enough shutter speed to make them crisp. The intentionally blurry shot of her jumping needs to be taken out of your portfolio, as it is nowhere near the quality of your other work.  Sometimes ideas don’t work out, and the resulting shots should never been seen by others 😀

I did notice you have some photos that are selectively coloured. Be aware that people will rip you to shreds for these, but it is something that most of us have dabbled with at some time or another, and at least your colours stay within the lines!  I’d say just work on honing your post-production skills, lighten photos up a bit more and work to your strengths. Try and avoid the gimmiky effects as they tend to date really quickly.  Simple and classic is always better.

I think you are doing well and have some definate areas of strength with the pet photos. It’s just a matter of experimenting, having fun, and finding out what you are best at. Also try to leave sub-par photos out of your portfolio to make it look stronger 🙂