[sky.pesce]

I’d say you’re not quite there yet (IMHO)

I actually rather liked a few of your photos; the guitar body ( http://media.cmcdn.net/22962006/780×520.jpeg ),  this night photo ( http://media.cmcdn.net/22010434/780×520.jpeg ) and this image http://media.cmcdn.net/22464826/780×520.jpeg

 

Your music set is meh. This photo http://media.cmcdn.net/22010400/780×520.jpeg is the strongest compositionally, but is a bit soft and grainy.

Now I’m going to go through and just comment a bit on some of your other photos, and give you some tips for the future.

Couple under gazebo on beach (both photos) –  In these photos, fill flash would have helped a bit, to help tame the blown-out background and keep the faces light. You might be able to bring up and color-correct their faces in PS/LR, but fixing it in camera would be ideal. The second image would probably be better if you had stepped a bit to the right, centering the older man between the couple, as well as separating the subjects from the gazebo.

Gazebo on beach- http://media.cmcdn.net/22464799/780×520.jpeg – This image would be interesting if the horizon were straight; right now it just feels really off-balance.

People holding sparklers- This feels like it could be a stock image. It probably could have been framed a little wider, but it’s still pretty well executed.

Guitar neck/headstock – This is probably a bit too dark, as well as a rather uninteresting composition (IMO)

Ring in biscuit – I think your focus is a bit off, or your lens is soft: the ring seems to be out of focus.

2 men playing banjo and guitar –  this probably would be better if you hadn’t tried to get both of them in the same frame

People playing instruments (shot through door) – Framing your subject within doors/windows/architectural elements is a useful technique, but in this image, your subjects are way overexposed. In situations like this, spot metering would have been helpful, as would using a preset exposure (since the lighting in the room seems static), metered from a bit closer.

The next two images on your “Music” page seem to lack a real focus.

Man playing violin http://media.cmcdn.net/22010398/780×1170.jpeg –  I like this composition, but it isn’t well executed, and is way out of focus.

Men outside with “JAZZ” spelled with sparklers- The subjects don’t seem to stand out very much from the background; a higher or lower angle may have been better, or a rim light. In addition, they seem a bit underexposed.

Young man playing upright bass – Whenever a subject is looking out of the frame, you should be careful that they’re looking across the frame and not directly out, since it helps draw the viewer’s eye around the image. In addition, the reflection off the scroll seems to distract from the musician because of its brightness. Obviously, color balance is also an issue in this image, but you should be able to correct it in PS/LR, using a neutral area like the tape on the microphone to set your balance.

[sky.pesce]

@OldClicks – Can you honestly say that Valentine’s work is shitty? So what if you found some images, of the 450 on his Flickr, that are questionable? I could tear apart any photo by any photographer, and find things that could be better, both technically and aesthetically. I seriously doubt that anyone, no matter how artistically or photographically knowledgeable, would deny that on average, his work is of much higher quality than yours, and that he obviously has much better control over the medium. If you’d like me to give a in-depth critique of any of your pictures, or if you just want to argue, let me know, and I’d be happy to.

[sky.pesce]

I came across this one as I was looking for “creative gigs” on Craigslist (I know it’s sketchy, but I’m a student, and I’d like some material for my portfolio that isn’t just my friends).

Cannon Rebel T2i. 
Photoshop CS5.1
Color. Light. Texture.

https://www.facebook.com/IndigoPerception

[sky.pesce]

I guess I worded my critique poorly; what I meant to say was that in my opinion, the image would have benefited from a less prominent catchlight, as well as from less spill into the studio or a less reflective studio (I would rather not see the floor, the table, and the lightstand in his glasses)

[sky.pesce]

I was referring more to the table that is clearly visible in the left lens; I actually think the  umbrella reflection is interesting

[sky.pesce]

I’m pretty impressed. A couple things I noticed (in my opinion):
The prom set:

1)In the same set of images, I see normally colored faces, red faces, yellow faces, purple faces,  blue faces. You might want to color correct them a bit, even if you use a mask to leave the saturated background colors in place.

2) It looks like you used bounce flash or a large diffused light source for some of them. If so, it completely killed the ambiance of the room. You could probably have toned down your flash a bit to allow more of the event lighting to show in the images.

The portraits: To be honest, I didn’t really like them too much.
1) the guy with the sunglasses – This is why professionals shoot in all-black studios. This lighting setup obviously doesn’t work with people with large glasses. Read “Light, Science, and Magic”  by Fil Hunter.

2) The guy in the suit: A classic “power” pose. This would be nice, if not for the hairs and dust on his suit. Once you notice them, you’ll never un-notice them.

3) The tilted guy: Tilted guy, ’nuff said. Unless you have a background that lends itself well to tilting, don’t do it. You also chopped the top of his head off.

4) The kid with the guitar – you chopped his ass and knee off.

5) The girl on the porch – not sharp, as well as an unflattering pose/expression/lighting.

6) Self-portrait – I like it a lot, just not the way you cropped it. Straight through your nose could work, and your pose seems to lend itself well to a symmetrical image, with one half light and the other dark. This 3/4 crop definitely doesn’t work.

7) The B&W girl – you missed the focus. Eyes, eyes, eyes. And  it might be a little too bright.

 

 

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