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  • November 20, 2013 at 4:04 pm #15312
    laneymckee
    Participant

    I don’t think I’m a fauxtographer – or at least I really hope that I am not. I just turned eighteen, and I’ve been photographing for about three years now. I haven’t taken any classes or workshops, mostly because I haven’t found a good opportunity to, not because I don’t want to. I am more than happy to take feedback and criticism on my work. Especially since I frequently struggle with self-doubt with my work. I’ve become a name within my local photography community, and have been making decent money photographing seniors in particular. But since I am charging, I want to make sure that I am up to par, or at least providing quality work for my clients.

    I’m still learning and trying to take in as much as possible to learn how to improve my work. My primary concerns for my work are that I might be overdoing color editing or screwing up skin tones, and that I might be over-softening the skin on my portraits.

    Let me know what you think! And I apologize that it’s a Facebook page… it’s where I primarily post my work since it helps to bring me visibility. However, if you want to view them high quality, I have some of my favorite (but not necessarily recent) work on my Flickr page as well.

    https://www.facebook.com/laneymckeephotography

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/78611315@N04/

    November 20, 2013 at 5:09 pm #15313
    nairbynairb
    Participant

    You’ve got a great start!

    You over-edit eyes almost every single time though. If you edit in lightroom or photoshop, look at the photo zoomed out (photoshop) or look at the thumbnail (lightroom) – if they look like they stand out or are alien-esque, you’ve gone too far.

    Some colour inconsistencies too;

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1452495_692944914048987_1024252924_n.jpg
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1456599_692944814048997_319301934_n.jpg
    The above are from the same shoot, but have differently toned skin!

    You need to watch your angles too (This is obviously personal opinion but I hate when things aren’t level);

    https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1462986_691099357566876_1835262841_n.jpg

    ^ The angle isn’t helping the photo at all. If you don’t think your shot is interesting without tilting your camera, then your shot probably just wasn’t that interesting.

    You seem to have a problem with focusing when you’re zoomed out too, so maybe give that some practice.

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/859878_691099054233573_1327163633_o.jpg

    ^ Is my favourite photo I went through of yours. I would ALMOST say the center-composition works… almost. Other than that I would be happy to have a photo like that taken of me.

     

    I really think you’d benefit from getting use to shooting with off-camera flash.
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1459088_690245630985582_172647327_n.jpg
    ^ Photos like that would greatly benefit from OCF

     

    But yeah, great start – specially for being as young as you are.
    Just practice focusing, stop over-editing eyes, no tilt, and invest in a flash.
    Figure out that stuff and you’ll be on your way to being where you need to be to be charging a decent amount.

     

    EDIT:
    1 more thing I’ve noticed!
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1405057_687302541279891_768062939_o.jpg
    ^ You often miss little things like how her shirt is over her hand… would have been awesome if her hands were visible!

    November 20, 2013 at 5:11 pm #15314
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    I just looked at Flickr.  I like what I see.

    I think some post production might help.  Lets look at this one:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/54048679@N07/10968241015/

    I copied it to my Flickr page but it is your original photo, at the original size on Flickr.  If you open it, and look at the trees around her head, do you see all the little circles?  I think the quality of bokeh is distracting.  I made a duplicate layer in Photoshop, ran the blur tool over the top half of the photo until I liked the look of the leaves then brought her back to sharpness using a mask to let the original layer come through.  I also used Unsharp Mask to bring the sharpness of the bottom layer up a bit, and ran another sharpening tool over just her eyes and lips.  I ran the burn tool over a couple of bright spots where the sun came through the trees.  This is how it turned out:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/54048679@N07/10968242985/

    Being side by side in the gallery, you can arrow back and forth to compare.

    I see why it is a favorite, and I hope you agree my editing improved it.  If so, see if you can duplicate my editing.  You can use the editor of your choice, and your own methods.

     

    November 20, 2013 at 5:52 pm #15316
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    Here is another edit.  This is the original:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/54048679@N07/10968792965/

    And, this is the edited version:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/54048679@N07/10968985394/

    Click on an image here, then in Flickr, jump back and forth a few times between original and edited.  Where does your eye go in each version?  Where do you want your viewer’s eye to go as soon as they look at your picture?

    By the way, her pose is awkward.  It makes her left arm look deformed.  I’m pretty sure it is not, but the translation from a 3D girl to a 2D image did not work.  If you are going to have her bend like that, she should also angle her hips and shoulders toward the camera.

    November 21, 2013 at 5:43 pm #15326
    ebi
    Participant

    first impression is that you over edit. second impression is that it’s not that great. too much camera tilt stuff (too much to me means doing it at all). poses look staged, forced and stiff).

    November 21, 2013 at 5:44 pm #15327
    ebi
    Participant

    ok, this is kind of cool. I’ll take a longer look later. you’ve got my interest:

     

    Silence

    December 7, 2013 at 11:42 am #15596
    CoastalTog
    Participant

    The good news is you are on a nice path.  two things that stick out:

    1.  You need a calibrated monitor.  Your exposures are off.  Too dark.  There’s a difference between going for a low key look and underexposed.  A lot of your images are underexposed.

    2.  Are you paying your taxes?  Do you have a business license?  You’re 18.  The assumption is you’re not.  Until you are, you shouldn’t be charging a dime.  Do it the right way (either you’re a hobbyist or a pro).  You can’t be a hobbyist charging money without doing it the legal way.

    December 10, 2013 at 3:35 pm #15684
    ebi
    Participant

    stop taking tilted photos. that will help.

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