please be gentle

[rkerr]

I have just started getting into this style of photography (i call it fasion/beauty but dont know what it actually is) and just wondering everyone’s thoughts and how i can improve. I have a muscle condition where i find it hard to lift the camera up and that is why in some my wife is credited as the photographer as she presses the button even though i compose the shots, poses and camera settings.

i dont charge as of yet as i dont know if my shots are worth it, even though i do get asked. but would love to know if you think i could start charging, even if its a small amount.

my site is http://www.robertkerr.com.au

 

regards hope to hear what i can improve on and what you like about the pics.

[ebi]

your site is down so I cannot see images.

[ebi]

Error is: Error establishing a database connection

[rkerr]

weird i can access it here at work, just by clicking that link.

Is anyone else having trouble getting to it?

[Bill]

got it…looking them over, got some stuff for ya…..

[Bill]

Hello Robert – I’m not much of a fashion photographer so I won’t pretend to act like one.  I had a few things, IMO, that I wanted to point out, some minor, some  ehh.
Melanie Crisp
I think this image is okay but I have a few things that drive me nuts about it.  First, the perspective combined with the large DOF makes the model appear to be  unusually taller then the other people in the background.  Maybe running a shallower DOF may have re-focused the attention more towards the model.

I think the contrast is good between the model and the background, it’s just that there is too much of the background in focus. Trying to view the EXIF data  is a no go, either you have deleted it or there was an error in the file somewhere.  That page states that you used a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 but if I had to guess, I would say this was shot at more like f/9 to f/13.

The only thing I would may have done, not knowing the situation is tighten up the DOF and recompose the shot to get the woman with the whit shirt out of the shot or further behind the model where she can’t be seen as much.  As it stands now, the models elbow goes right through her face.

As for the gentlemen to the model’s right, I think that adds to the shot.  He is obviously admiring the beautiful woman in the dress and he stance and facial expression supports the scene.  The others, can go, sorry.

 

Amy Peachy

Again, I am not a fashion photographer, so take this as you will.

Not sure if I would go with the direct crotch shot.  She is wearing shorts or panties covering up her cookie, but it still may drive some to think a little “pervie”.

Her facial expression is not doing much for me.  Her face is telling me that she is really tired, yawn.

The composition is not bad, again for me, too much DOF for my taste.  I see more attention to the stairs then the model.  Again, I am not a fashion photographer.

Gabrielle Wainwright

I like this one, but more if it were shot vertical instead of horizontal.  The DOF is good, IMO, but too much emphasis on the background instead of the model.  The boats and docks provide a great backdrop but the focus should be more on the model.  Lighting looks pretty good to me.

The models expression may be okay, but it is too far away to really get a good feel for it, a tighter shot on her would bring out her expression more and still be able to get her stance and pose as well.

 

Overall, not bad.  Needs some tweaking on some things but definitely not bad.

[Bill]

Not sure why I can’t seem to embed any images on here.  The post above looked great when I was viewing it before posting it, then the pictures just disappeared, POOF!.

[rkerr]

thanks for that. the exif data was removed for some reason i think it must have been when i resized them to put on the site. i am using a crop sensor so that may be the reason that the DOF isnt too flash.

 

i understand what you are saying with the pictures not being tight enough. with the melanie crisp photo it was in a crowded marketplace so there was always someone where you didnt want them 😛 but i can see how the white shirt takes away form the pic.

🙂

tighter cropping may have to be in order haha

[Worst Case Scenario]

It’s not what I do either, but I have a few thoughts that are mostly about the site.

Is it meant to be a Website or a blog?

If it’s a site then there’s no need to know what camera or lighting was used unless you are teaching how to do stuff. If it’s a blog then there’s not enough info!

You don’t have enough pics to make a site. and as they have dates it looks like a blog. But they are mostly the same date?

If you threw it together just so we could see the pics, fair enough. But a Flickr account would have been a lot easier.

I like some of the shots and hate one in particular ! Plus there’s a bit of spot colour which never goes down well here.

I get the impression this is more ebi’s line of work so wait till he sees them. Just don’t argue with him cos then he turns all bad cop!

[rkerr]

haha yea i noticed he turns bad cop 😛 the spot colour was only for the envy shoot right?

as i said i have just started this style of photography thus why all the pictures were put up at the same date as i took down my old style and put these all up at once. its not really a website or a blog its just pictures to show people, models what i do. i already have the page and domain for other things that run in the background so just thought id make a quick wordpress site.

[rkerr]

also what was the picture you hated? and why? just interested

[cameraclicker]

Fashion is not really my thing either …

However, fashion is about highlighting the fashion.  Looking at the Melanie Crisp photo, I see a tall chick shot right at crotch level.  And, I’m left wondering if LB Burgers are any good.

Amy Peachy looks like two of the same shot?  Crotch shot, at that!  And the mannequin which is also a little strange.  I’m still not getting the fashion message.

Gabrielle Wainwright, the top one is just bad.  If it is supposed to be a fashion shot, you should be able to see the fashion.  I can barely make out any detail in her outfit.  The lower photo could be cropped to get rid of that lamp and half the boat near it.

Vanessa Nott, reminds me of some of the senior’s photos we have seen, though I could see the middle one in a Sears catalogue.

The top two of Natasha are all just messy hair and freckles!  The bottom one is getting closer to fashion but I think it needs more dress and less foreground grass.  Better contrast would improve the score I give.

Vannessa, has striking eyes in the top one.  I see she is holding a fashion magazine to cover her lower face.  Try a 3 (vertical):2 (horizontal) crop of her on the centre line.  Centre her on the right thirds line.  Bottom photo of top group: try to avoid cutting limbs at joints.  Bottom two photos, I have no idea what you are trying to show, neither strike me as fashion.

 

 

[Worst Case Scenario]

also what was the picture you hated? and why? just interested

The super flat pic of the girl by the boat, I dare say some people think it’s arty but  after 20 years of working in a colour darkroom I can’t understand why anyone would want to make a digital image look like it’s been made with knackered dev.

[Bill]

@Rkerr – I’m glad that you are not offended, most people offer images or site for criticism and leave all offended when someone says anything negative about them. At first glance your photos are really nice, it’s just when you dissect the images you find some things here and there. Some things pop out right away, some don’t.
You are a better person for offering your work for critique and finding out how it fares. We are here to help you progress as a person and a photographer.

Just a FYI, the crop sensor really has nothing to do with the DOF, I provided some examples. I’ll try to embed them, if that doesn’t work, the links will.

The 1st image is shot with a full-frame camera with a 50mm f/1.2 ISO 800 @ 1/200″
The 2nd image is the same shot but with a crop-sensor. The DOFis the same for both, but the focal length is different. The full frame is a true 50mm while the crop sensor is more like 80mm due to the focal length multiplier of 1.6.

[nesgran]

@Bill, with identical framing the dof does differ. Obviously a 50 is still a 50 but because it acts like an 80 you stand farther away the end result is a deeper dof for a crop sensor. Equivalence is the key word

[Author]

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