First swimsuit shoot - comments welcome

luckydog

Big event for me as I delved into portrait stuff and this one was a toughy.

I won't go into all the details just now but the sunglasses were a problem, but as it was a TFP shoot I let her wear them when she wanted.

How did I go??? Be bruital as I am doing the lingerie shoot in a week!!

rahmonster

I really like the black and white. The others seem a little over exposed, and the poses don't work for me...but that just my 0.02c.

binghott

luckydog, i really like the first two. good light, nice poses, great job! i think they're a good blend of sexy and beautiful.
the first one is very classy and you did an excellent job on the crop and b/w conversion which helps display the terrific composition. the second picture has a very cute feeling to it. i like that she is looking down with that smile, it seems like a happy moment.

there are two that i do not enjoy. . .


(you asked to be brutal)
the pose, facial expression, and overall composition of this picture is not flattering. the sky is blown out, the horizon line shoots through her head, there are spots of light on her cheek that look out of place, the closer arm looks awkward and is blocking her body, and her knees are very bright.
i'm guessing you utilized a reflector here? try a different angle, watch for shadows/highlights created by the nose.



the blown out areas are very distracting, particularly her hip/thigh which is so bright that she looks either sickly pale or glowing from radiation. i don't think pose is flattering for this model and that facial expression isn't doing anything for me. i can easily see the area you lightened around the back of her head, kinda looks like her head and back are glowing.

the last picture is also very cute

i hope i could be of help. i would love to see more from this set if you have any!

System

Overall, not bad. I'd shoot a bit wider open, for less depth of field, but I like that look, most of the time. You were probably a stop over, or maybe slightly more; the skin tones are a bit weak.

And, no offense, the model's a bit weak, too. :-}

JimM

I really like the first two! Both great shots, like something out of a magazine. Nice job!

urbanaries

The first is technically great...composition, bw/conversion, even skin lighting, good crop. It's very classic. The 2nd is special because of her...her expression, the relaxed, engaging pose...the feel is great, and its by far my favorite. It is hard to believe this is the same model in the rest of the shots. I bet this might look nice in BW, too. Nice work.

Malte

Number two is awesome!

Malte

dogwood

It's crucial that your styling be top notch if you want your swimsuit shots to look like more than snaps-- that means hair, accessories, and makeup are as important as the swimsuit itself. Looks like some of that may have been secondary on your shoot-- her hair for one could use some help to spice these up. Also, don't be afraid to shoot swimsuits indoors-- sometimes that's the only way all the styling and posing can come together to look really great.

Seneca

The first one is your best one. The others are just a little too bright.

jerryr

Good Job - Like the second one a lot (my favorite) - capturing the wind , etc....yea, some are a little to bright, but a GOOD JOB at any rate - jr

luckydog

Thanks everyone. All comments loaded into the memory bank for tomorrow's shoot.

The model was a bit tragic I admit and you would not believe the time I spent 'weeding' around the bikini line in PS. It was a TFP shoot as she was just trying to get into the industry and what I saw of her appearance and grooming, well....

weather was a stinking bright late afternoon (41 degrees celcius and no clouds)

Thanks again

Lucky

xris

luckydog wrote:

Thanks everyone. All comments loaded into the memory bank for tomorrow's shoot.

The model was a bit tragic I admit and you would not believe the time I spent 'weeding' around the bikini line in PS. It was a TFP shoot as she was just trying to get into the industry and what I saw of her appearance and grooming, well....

weather was a stinking bright late afternoon (41 degrees celcius and no clouds)

Thanks again

Lucky

Hmmm. Nice to see a swimsuit or two this time of year -- Especially North of 40!!!

The two in black are by far the best, in my humble opinion.

As far as suggestions: Perhaps an assistant holding a reflector to fill in the shadow areas or shade the hot spots? (A gold reflector can add nice warmth to the skintone and hair.) A bit of selective softening could help the complexion problems. And don't be afraid to fill the frame, even if it means loosing the feet or a shoulder in the process. Accentuate the positive features, de-emphasis the weak features by using dramatic angles and poses and varying focal lengths. Most important: while all rules are made to be broken, if the focus is not on the focal point of the shot, like on the knee rather than the face, don't display it.

Good luck tomorrow!

dogwood

luckydog wrote:

The model was a bit tragic I admit and you would not believe the time I spent 'weeding' around the bikini line in PS. It was a TFP shoot as she was just trying to get into the industry and what I saw of her appearance and grooming, well....

LG:

Yeah, this is tough one. I shoot models all the time who show up and haven't done anything with their eyebrows-- they expect the MUA to handle that. But there's only so much the MUA can do right before the shoot. I'm sure you learned from this-- meet models in advance and give 'em a couple of grooming tips so they look their best when they show up for the shoot. I know, I know-- a model doesn't want grooming tips from some dude, but that's part of the fun-- convincing them that it's not YOUR grooming habits that will show up in the photos-- it's theirs!