Shots from my first paid gig!

heatherkphotography

Hi everyone,

Well I'm just starting out with this whole getting people to pay for my photographs type of thing and had my first customer on Labor Day! Had a fun time with the shoot and got some great pics. Posting some here - tell me what you think please! Thanks, Heather



This was taken at my boarding farm. Walt had just met this horse, turns out she was a great model! :clap



I love this one too - looks like they are having a 'moment'. Sweet.



I love the combination of the intense look on his face and the strong light vs shadow contrast in this photo.



Deep in thought...



Last one - the tree frames him really nicely...

Well please give me your opinions on these! Thanks, Heather

www.HeatherKPhotography.smugmug.com

Pixel Popper

Last one - the tree frames him really nicely...

Well please give me your opinions on these! Thanks, Heather

www.HeatherKPhotography.smugmug.com

Heather,

I can't offer a lot of technical critique, as the shots seem decently exposed ( although, maybe a little fill flash on the last two could have made them pop a bit more) and fairly well balanced. My biggest critique for this series is that in every shot until the end, I found myself wanting to see what this guy's face actually looks like. In every shot, he is turned away, or in a severe profile. I don't know if this was your choice, or that of the model, but I have to say, I would have gone for more shots that reveal him head on. This guy actually has a great looking face when you can see it, and unfortunately it is obscured in most of these poses.

Maybe that's what your client wanted, and you were just giving him what he asked for. But if I had a client with a face as nice as his, I would have encouraged him to show more of it.

Just my two cents worth.

And, hey, congratulations on getting that first paying gig!!! It's a real milestone. Good luck in your future endeavours.

heatherkphotography

Here are a few others - face showing...

Pixel Popper wrote:

Heather,

I can't offer a lot of technical critique, as the shots seem decently exposed ( although, maybe a little fill flash on the last two could have made them pop a bit more) and fairly well balanced. My biggest critique for this series is that in every shot until the end, I found myself wanting to see what this guy's face actually looks like. In every shot, he is turned away, or in a severe profile. I don't know if this was your choice, or that of the model, but I have to say, I would have gone for more shots that reveal him head on. This guy actually has a great looking face when you can see it, and unfortunately it is obscured in most of these poses.

Maybe that's what your client wanted, and you were just giving him what he asked for. But if I had a client with a face as nice as his, I would have encouraged him to show more of it.

Just my two cents worth.

And, hey, congratulations on getting that first paying gig!!! It's a real milestone. Good luck in your future endeavours.

Hi, thanks for your input. Those are only a handful of the pics I did take of him. I'll put up some others, so you can see his face also.



This one taken while still at the barn...



Here's another one...

It was fun to photograph him - he is a good looking guy! He didn't really want any smiling shots though so I had to respect that.

amscout

I think you did a great job! Very handsome man!

heatherkphotography

Thanks!

amscout wrote:

I think you did a great job! Very handsome man!

Thank you! Always good to hear. I am very happy with the way they turned out.

Seneca

amscout wrote:

I think you did a great job! Very handsome man!

- Extremely handsome!

photocat

They all look very very formal... Static. There is no life in them...
If you take profiles, make sure to follow rule of third, and put the face on the left, so he has room to look to the right.
There is no real connection with the horse, he stands very unnatural in the second horse photograph, and his hand is cut off. The hand that is close to the horse looks very unnatural too.
In most of the pictures, I find this face too dark, maybe a little fill flash would have helped.
He might be handsome, but his face sure could use a bit of a smile.
The one with the tree is too overcrowded in my opinion. A wider aperture would blur the background, and make his face pop more. Now it is lost between the tree branches... The branches are almost bigger then his head.
I think you need to try for more life in your photographs... more buzz.
Keep looking at the portraits in de d-grin galleries, I have learned a lot there and am sure so will you!

Cuties02q

I think you did a great job...although he does look a bit stiff. Congrats on your first paid job!!!

Tackylady1

I think they came out excellent. Can't be perfect with every detail, but I notice that most of them need to be straightened. They tilt to one side or the other. Watch your horizon line. What a great model for your first paid photoshoot. Congrats on a great job.

photogmomma

Man! What great shots of a very good looking guy!

You need to tell him to lighten up! ! I understand he wanted serious photos, but I would love to have seen a smile! But you did a great job capturing what the client wanted!

(I do agree about cropping to the 1/3 point, though, and that may improve them even more!)

heatherkphotography

Thanks for the compliments!!!

photogmomma wrote:

Man! What great shots of a very good looking guy!

You need to tell him to lighten up! ! I understand he wanted serious photos, but I would love to have seen a smile! But you did a great job capturing what the client wanted!

(I do agree about cropping to the 1/3 point, though, and that may improve them even more!)

Can you show me what you mean about the cropping, I'm not sure I understand...

Thanks,

Heather

PS. Feel free to use one of my pics...

photocat

heatherkphotography wrote:

Can you show me what you mean about the cropping, I'm not sure I understand...

Every pic can be divided with an imaginary grid (rule of thirds), that divides the photograph in 3 equal shares, horizontal and vertical. If you put the main point of the photograph on one of the crossing points (of the nine fields you have), your picture will look more dynamic.
You have some pics with the person in the first section, but he is almost with his nose against the border he is looking at, again imaginary, so it is not nice.
Google rule of thirds, as there are lots of examples to be shown... ;o)))

salazar

heatherkphotography wrote:

Can you show me what you mean about the cropping, I'm not sure I understand...

Thanks,

Heather

PS. Feel free to use one of my pics...

Something like this?

photocat

yes, even a bit more to the left for him, as he is gazing in the distance. So he needs distance to gaze into...