Dancer in Long Island City (1 MNSFW)

lizzard_nyc

Shot a dancer yesterday and man did I learn a lot. Still have a way to go, but I am liking getting there.
C&C appreciated.

The day was blinding sunny. We started shooting at 4:15 ish. and shot for roughly 1.5 hours.
She had no special request, not a one, she just wanted to feel good, she said she really needed it. Sure, no pressure.

1.



2.




3. Too bright? I worked w/ the sun only, no flash no reflectors and so I wound up w/ a shadow on one side of her body. I know I know. I will post this one up as a "i really wanted this to work". The cloning job is the pits, and it's too overexosed in PP. Dang it!
Still i will post it here because I have to share it, but she likely won't see it.



4.seriously experimental shot on my part. Wanted to try something I've never tried before. Didn't come out like I thought, but I like it.




5. All I kept thinking was, if that was me I'd blow this up so big and hang it on my wall :rofl.

anonymouscuban

Liz,

Love all of these. My least fav is #2. I personally like #3, bright and all. I think it really works with this photo. Especially with the desaturated processes you used. Very fun feeling these give. Great job.

BTW, that last one. That's NOT me and I still want to blow it up large and hang it on my wall. Very sexy. And may I say... "Ñooo que culaso!!"

Art Scott

I like the idea of all of them....but this is how we learn, especially if you took notes.....i really like #3...it could work if you could darken her a bit...that is if her skin tone is darker (tanned a bit) ....if she is pasty white then you did ok......I like #3 with the bridge and city being like it is...give an ethereal feel....

what id don't like..... for #1 - squinty eyes......if you swung her around 180* that would have taken care of that...also I want more DOF so I can read the sign....or waaaay less to really blurr it...right now I strain to read it and get a headache :~}}

#2 - very good shot except that you need to cut more of her head off or none at all....this is just me but I feel if cut a head off do it to or almost to the forehead or at least make it so it looks flat....but I am not a fan of the chopped head look.....I can appreciate the artistic value of it tho.....

#4 - Lens flare shots ... ... ... ... I have tried for over 30 yrs and not got one I liked...clients have liked them but I have not and do not include them in any portfolio.....But I like the idea and the pose and all...... keep Trying....

I really like this sorta cheese cakey shot...my nits again the sign need more blur or bring it in focus...give me a head ache and the reason I am drawn to the sign is...it is bright red and that just yanks me away from the legs and tush.........

Try making it a sketch...do the invert, desaturate, greyscale thingy and it might turn into a really nice BW sketch......#3 is also a candidate for this type of treatment.....

Good Luck with your experimentations.

anonymouscuban

Art Scott wrote: »

my nits again the sign need more blur or bring it in focus...

There's a sign in #5?

divamum

Lllizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!

You're kidding about 3, right? It's the money shot for me!!! (And, actually, I find 1 to be more "too bright") than 3.

I also love #5 (although I'd straighten it - the tilt is making me slightly seasick. Unlike contributing boys, I dragged my eyes away from chica's loveliness long enough to notice that .

Lady, you are ROCKING it with your recent stuff. What I love most about your work is that your style is absolutely YOURS - it's definitely not cookie cutter, and just brims with energy and pizzazz. Love it!

divamum

Oh, and PS - I'm digging the flare in #4 - it separates her dark-gloved hands from the dark of the buildings and keeps focus on her. Likeeee

ETA: have just realised it's not gloves but the shadow/flare combo And I SITLL like it!!

Art Scott

divamum wrote: »

Lllizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!


I also love #5 (although I'd straighten it - the tilt is making me slightly seasick. Unlike contributing boys, I dragged my eyes away from chica's loveliness long enough to notice that .

the slight lean of the bod complements the slight un straight fore ground...actually I thought it might be a non flat bridge....I have been on some that had curvature built into them..

Art Scott

anonymouscuban wrote: »

There's a sign in #5?

Duude...that is all I see in 5 ... an out of focus Pepsi Sign

Froch

Great work Liz!

zoomer

Love dancers and you did a great job with her.
I like them all.

Qarik

killer set!

Mitchell

These are great.

#3 FTW!!!

Hackbone

I am the bad guy here, sorry. I think you truly have some fantastic, did I say fantastic, ideas here. They were executed posing and cropingly(is that a word) very well. My nit is in the lack of detail in your subject, mainly her face. Your exposure is simply a matter of preference that doesn't match my preference. Thats how the world turns. I truly hope you have great success with these photographs but for me I want more detail.

PS I realize your a city gal and I'm a country guy so you are soooooo much more aware of the NYC style so I do have to bow to your style.

lizzard_nyc

Thank you guys, very much.
I was thrilled w/ the outcome, though I know there are technical issues I need to work on. I keep cutting off the head at the wrong place. I keep gravitating towards that same crop. Qarik pointed it out before too and I realized I did it again with this one when Art pointed it out.

It was funny, I was rushing her outfit changes because I was afraid of how quick it would get dark and then realized I should have waited half an hour to start shooting, might have made a big difference w/the shadows and squinty eyes.

Also, I got kicked out of one area of the park because I am supposed to have a permit to shoot there, I did not know this, but the guy who booted me told me to go further down away from the people checking permits and that's how I found the PEPSI sign. I was so happy, it was our final shots of the day, and then my DOF is off and you can barely make it out!!!! ah live and learn. Still I like the color, but agree that it should be a little easier to read. Also I can't straighten it, because then I cut off her hand, the one where her fingertips are sticking out and I just love that little detail.

hackbone---I agree w/the lack of detail, though I have some where the detail is better, unfortunately the shadows are more visible too. So, not a bad guy at all. I get it.

She is very happy with the shots, giddy actually:) she previously asked me to shoot her and two dancer friends of her for their website and I couldn't do it on short notice. Long story short, I saw the shots that were taken which looked like point and shoot snapshot, so by comparison, I figure I couldn't do worse.....Anyway, she's thrilled, I'm thrilled, and I don't think she really notices the flaws, though they scream at me.

Art--I am making it my mission to get a badass flaire shot before 30 years.

I have to share my first dgrin post w/ you guys and for any newbies that are just starting out.
My first shot w/ my first DSLR back in 2009.
, lol.

then please check out my black and white conversion--I hope you got a good laught out of it.


Now I'm a high contrast addict.

rainbow

lizzard_nyc wrote: »

Now I'm a high contrast addict.

Love the processing...:D

You might try sliding the "highlights/lights" sliders to the left AND the "Darks/Shadows" sliders to the right some to see if you can bring down the bright areas without increasing the shadows (on #1 & #3, not this one...).

lizzard_nyc

rainbow wrote: »

Love the processing...:D

You might try sliding the "highlights/lights" sliders to the left AND the "Darks/Shadows" sliders to the right some to see if you can bring down the bright areas without increasing the shadows (on #1 & #3, not this one...).

course you do, all that muddy grey, you must be beside yourself

rainbow

Saw this yesterday on Facebook -- brought to mind by #6:

Qarik

liz, just for the record..i think the the head chop works in this shot even though normally I would want to see a bit more chopped due to the feathery scarf or whatever that frames her head. last thing..striaghten up the last image. The booty and legs deistracted me from noticing the 1st time through! haha

lizzard_nyc

rainbow wrote: »

Saw this yesterday on Facebook -- brought to mind by #6:

rainbow! rofl

lizzard_nyc

Qarik wrote: »

liz, just for the record..i think the the head chop works in this shot even though normally I would want to see a bit more chopped due to the feathery scarf or whatever that frames her head. last thing..striaghten up the last image. The booty and legs deistracted me from noticing the 1st time through! haha

Boy there is just no making you happy:). I kid.
I remembered why I had to chop off where I did. She had her arm over her head with her hand resting on top. I didn't like the fleshy part of inside of her arm, it just took over the photo and that's all I saw, hence the tight crop. If I cropped less, her hand would have been sticking out on top looking like Thing, from "The Adams family". What I had not thought of was that I could have cropped even tigher. I will give it a go to see.

The tush shot, I can't straighten it without losing most of the hand on the edge, the one where the fingers stick out a bit, that little bit makes the shot for me. I originally did automatically straighten it, then I saw most of the hand was gone and reverted back. Not sure which is worse, I'm guessing the tilt is worse, but I'm being stubborn about it.

Thansk Qarik.

zoomer

You have to show her 3 she will Love it. Add some vignetting to it and she will Pop.
All of the crops are fine...don't over think it. The last one looks fine as is also.
It is good that the sign is not crisp that would be a distraction, it is readable and that is good enough.

Listen to critique, ponder it, then use or or don't. Make the shots be "your" vision.
Trust your instincts....you naturally have a good eye.....
This is good creative work.

"The greatest hindrance to creativity is the fear that you may be wrong."

laurenornot

Great set, I love 1 and 3. My only nit with 1 is that I wish the...um... ::google:: ...

::more googling::

::excessive googling::

...COIN OPERATED TELESCOPE! wasn't chopped.

lizzard_nyc

zoomer wrote: »

You have to show her 3 she will Love it. Add some vignetting to it and she will Pop.
All of the crops are fine...don't over think it. The last one looks fine as is also.
It is good that the sign is not crisp that would be a distraction, it is readable and that is good enough.

Listen to critique, ponder it, then use or or don't. Make the shots be "your" vision.
Trust your instincts....you naturally have a good eye.....
This is good creative work.

"The greatest hindrance to creativity is the fear that you may be wrong."

I had not thought of vignetting on #3, but now i'm curious to see what it looks like.
I sent her the images already as is and she LOVED them. But now I will give this a go to see.

Thank you for your tips and advice.

lizzard_nyc

laurenornot wrote: »

Great set, I love 1 and 3. My only nit with 1 is that I wish the...um... ::google:: ...

::more googling::

::excessive googling::

...COIN OPERATED TELESCOPE! wasn't chopped.

I KNOW!!! (slapping sound from hand to forehead contact).

Also, I wasn't sure what they were called either "big binoculars you pay for", I had "viewfinder" going through my mind also , but thanks to google, now I know. Seems like they were called something else though. OH I know, "cliche flickr shot objects" Sure I laugh and make fun, but I did screw up by cutting it off.