I had a lot of fun today with two girls!!

[jilovephotography]

please tell me what you think my sister and her friend

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Jennifer,

please tell me what you think my sister and her friend

Please tell me that's not an active line/railroad on the day you shot and that you were all safe
(no rust on the railhead worries me)

We wouldn't want to encourage putting lives at risk and/or trespass.

I'm not a people, far less 'model' shooter, and I'm not arty enough to mess with exposure, etc., as you have and get away with it - but I'll try to make some helpful comments;
#1 feels unbalanced, by being framed too tight on the left and a couple of the telegraph poles are unfortunately placed
#2 just a hint too tight a crop above their heads, otherwise very nice
#3 I could say the same as I did #1, on top of which perhaps shoes as a subject is more of a girl thing
#4 probably my favourite of the series, but if mine, I'd clone out the dark poles above them
#5 and #6 prefer #6 for the colour and the slightly more intimate pose
#7 I'd have preferred to have seen a little more of the girl on the right's face and there are a couple of highlights, on her hip, and under her, that might benefit from being toned down a bit in PP
#8 The leaf is a tad attention grabbing and again, although there are none growing out of the models, there are just so many poles

I look forward to the next batch, although if I might suggest having say 5 max. (and numbered for easy reference) may attract more replies.

Hope that helps,

[binsurf]

The girls are beautiful and clearly patient and willing subjects. I've shied away from major post processing in portraits, myself, so the PP I won't comment on. I agree with much of the suggestions Dave makes. Clone out those poles. They aren't important and only act as static in an otherwise clear image. Your profile doesn't show any info on your equipment, so it's difficult to get a sense of what was used behind the photos. There is great potential in what you see in your portraits, so I'm looking forward to seeing more as well. Great job!

[Mito]

I also am no expert but I like 7 & 8. I think they could beimproved by reducing the DOF. The poles would not be so obtrusive and the effect of the track disappearing in a blur would I think improve them.

[Andrew76]

Hi Jennifer - I think the comments above have summed it up pretty well. Although I'm a HUGE fan of edgy, over-the-top processing, I'm not so when it comes to photos of people. So, for my taste, although you've got some really good poses, and the girls are beautiful, they're just too cooked.

PS - it may just be my tired eyes, but the black and white checkered jacket may not be the best choice for these shots too - with the processing you've done, it looks like a huge moire distraction, and that's all that's catching my eye. But again, maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks, or my monitor for that matter.

[RustBeltRaw]

Without trying to be brutal, I have to agree with everyone advocating a light hand when post-processing photos of people. You added a cool sort of post-apocalyptic charm to these, but I don't think that really agrees with the subjects' expressions, gesture and dress. These two look like frolicking, lovable types, which (in my opinion) disagrees with the post-processed appearance. Specific comments follow.

1: I like the concept here, but I think a number of small changes would improve it. Spacing the girls further apart to make their arms point more clearly to the heart their hands are making would create a stronger focal point, and shooting from a lower angle to put the sky behind their hands would make the gesture much clearer. I think the vignetting was a mistake, since it's very obvious in the upper left. But again, I like the concept.

2: Your post-processing works rather well here. Washing them out a little draws attention to the colors of their dresses and the texture of their hair. To my mind, this is the most successful photo of the bunch.

3: The white vignetting is a strange choice here. Normally, vignetting is used to draw attention to a central subject, but the center here is just a rail tie when their shoes are the focus. Next time, try composing from a lower angle with their legs near rule of thirds positions and see if you like it. Kudos for pointing their feet to the center of the shot to keep the viewer's eyes from wandering away.

4: I like the concept, but the PP's strong. I think it draws too much focus to the shiny bits on their dresses, when to my mind, the most interesting part of the shot is wondering what they're whispering about. To that end, a landscape crop closer to their faces might be worth a try.

5&6: There's a clever bit of spiral composition peeking through here. Their poses subtly evoke a yin-yang. But again, very strong PP. Of the two, I like 6 much better, but would have skipped the heavy white vignetting. Note how much more flattering it is when the model on the right has her face totally clear of her shoulder. Watch out for one body part hiding another. It's easy to make that mistake with complicated poses or multiple models.

7: This is cool. Looks like the cover of a penny-dreadful steampunk novel. A slight composition change (similar to what you did in image 8) would make this a really, really cool shot. If you get a chance to re-take it, go a bit wider on the left side so both girls have the same amount of their bodies in the shot, and shift yourself a little up and right to let the swoop of the railroad tracks pass between them without running behind the girl on the left's head.

8: Also cool, but since the girl on the right has her face hidden, the photo's a little biased toward her friend, when the shot's really about both of them.

Keep shooting. Every shot you take is a good start for the next few thousand.

[jilovephotography]

i want to thank everyone for helping me i did not choose the outfits they kinda did what they wanted we wanted something odd and fun so went with it

[RustBeltRaw]

i want to thank everyone for helping me i did not choose the outfits they kinda did what they wanted we wanted something odd and fun so went with it

Nothing wrong with that. It's important to let your models have flexibility if they want. Let them weigh in on location, dress, pose, and the mood of the final shot. Make them realize they're as critical to the shot as your camera, and they'll usually get into it.

[jilovephotography]

Nothing wrong with that. It's important to let your models have flexibility if they want. Let them weigh in on location, dress, pose, and the mood of the final shot. Make them realize they're as critical to the shot as your camera, and they'll usually get into it.

thankyou so much!