Photoshoot 1(C2): In Black and White
DETAILS: This challenge is all about lighting, composition, and what it takes to bring a great photograph to life. You'll be taking black and white portraits. You can only use humans in the photoshoot but other animals are allowed as long as they aren't the main focus. You can use any number of people that you would like, but since everyone is using the same colors, you should use your own personal style to get your point across.
IMAGES: All photos must be either 800x600 or 600x800. THEY SHOULD BE IN BLACK AND WHITE! 6 PHOTOS!
PHOTOSHOOTS: Challenge 1 Photoshoots
VIDEO: Challenge 1 Video
Critique--------
Hannah- Great photoshoot! We really like that your style is consistant and it looks like it all belongs together, and that the locations are very much the same. All of your editing looks good: smooth tones, smooth skin, contrast. Using dark makeup in black and white photographs is hard. In 7321 one of us felt the makeup was a little bit awkward and might have looked good if it was vibrant colors, but not quite as black. In the second version, "shy," the makeup looks like tears so there is a mood and the black makeup has more of a purpose. We're speechless...
Insan - Overall it's a strong submission and you have an excellent choice of models., but we'd have liked to have seen at least one close up classic portrait in the set. And we think that "Mdee" (I think that's the shot's name) could do with a little more contrast. The style of contrast and exposure is a little bit hodge podge. Half of the photographs have a mood and try to tell a story while others say "hey, i'm standing in front of the camera." Try and avoid the ladder of the two. Apart from that, awesome stuff.
Joe - We love your concepts! We also like your usage of bold black and white tones...especially on the shot titled "Black and White". Good mixture of classic and conceptual. Some seem to be a little bit over exposed but it's consistant so it's clear that it's your style and it works. You also did a good job of splitting the theme: traditional portraits for half and abstract closeups for the rest. A pleasure to view. :)
Kerem - We love the contrast and the sharpness really stands out against the other deviants. Consistant style too, but pictures 02, 04, 05 look too related and progressively loose impact. A great photographer can use the same lighting, same subject, and same clothes, and the same photoshoot, and get completely different looking photographs. Try and get the model to change emotions and posture. There is very dramatic lighting, which is great. However, the lighting doesn't feature much in the other shots though.
Mandy - Every photograph tells a story. Nice variety, although a close up classic shot would've conveyed more emotion and injected a little more life. We like how they all look like they belong in the same city or even work with each other; they all have the same problems in life. Try not to sacrifice skin tones in your efforts to get contrast and please take more. Despite that, great models and concepts.
Muge - The first time we saw lens06 was on the home page in the "recent fashion photographs" page and we were blown away. Then I was surprised when I saw it was for non other than Project Lens. Without a doubt it's the best photograph for this round. However, the rest of the pictures look like they were taken by a different photographer. The sharpness, contrast, exposure, are all different. lens05 would also be a really strong photograph if we could see a silhouette of her face too. We feel lighting could have been used more constructively on some shots though...perhaps a more harsh side lighting on "lens06" would have given the shot more life? Great photograph though.
Muhammad - It looks like you brought your camera to school one day and took a bunch of pictures. We love it. Interesting range of emotions, although we feel the completely white background was too harsh for a couple of these pieces.
Winner: Rebecca - Brilliant captures! We particularly like how this photographer can pick out one person amongst others and give them a story. We also love their usage of lighting. We think this is the strongest overall set of submissions. "2" doesn't really do anything for one of us. A little too snapshotty maybe? The rest of the photographs have great emotions and they really connect with the camera. It also looks like you put a lot of time and energy into these pictures.
Will - Nice locations and concepts. Very consistent style. We like the concept and framing in "photo lens 2." They all seem to need the shadows darkened because they're a little bit flat. If all of these were taken with the strobe as it is shown in "pl2," then we really recommend getting an umbrella and reflectors to fill in all of the awkward shadows.
IMAGES: All photos must be either 800x600 or 600x800. THEY SHOULD BE IN BLACK AND WHITE! 6 PHOTOS!
PHOTOSHOOTS: Challenge 1 Photoshoots
VIDEO: Challenge 1 Video
Critique--------
Hannah- Great photoshoot! We really like that your style is consistant and it looks like it all belongs together, and that the locations are very much the same. All of your editing looks good: smooth tones, smooth skin, contrast. Using dark makeup in black and white photographs is hard. In 7321 one of us felt the makeup was a little bit awkward and might have looked good if it was vibrant colors, but not quite as black. In the second version, "shy," the makeup looks like tears so there is a mood and the black makeup has more of a purpose. We're speechless...
Insan - Overall it's a strong submission and you have an excellent choice of models., but we'd have liked to have seen at least one close up classic portrait in the set. And we think that "Mdee" (I think that's the shot's name) could do with a little more contrast. The style of contrast and exposure is a little bit hodge podge. Half of the photographs have a mood and try to tell a story while others say "hey, i'm standing in front of the camera." Try and avoid the ladder of the two. Apart from that, awesome stuff.
Joe - We love your concepts! We also like your usage of bold black and white tones...especially on the shot titled "Black and White". Good mixture of classic and conceptual. Some seem to be a little bit over exposed but it's consistant so it's clear that it's your style and it works. You also did a good job of splitting the theme: traditional portraits for half and abstract closeups for the rest. A pleasure to view. :)
Kerem - We love the contrast and the sharpness really stands out against the other deviants. Consistant style too, but pictures 02, 04, 05 look too related and progressively loose impact. A great photographer can use the same lighting, same subject, and same clothes, and the same photoshoot, and get completely different looking photographs. Try and get the model to change emotions and posture. There is very dramatic lighting, which is great. However, the lighting doesn't feature much in the other shots though.
Mandy - Every photograph tells a story. Nice variety, although a close up classic shot would've conveyed more emotion and injected a little more life. We like how they all look like they belong in the same city or even work with each other; they all have the same problems in life. Try not to sacrifice skin tones in your efforts to get contrast and please take more. Despite that, great models and concepts.
Muge - The first time we saw lens06 was on the home page in the "recent fashion photographs" page and we were blown away. Then I was surprised when I saw it was for non other than Project Lens. Without a doubt it's the best photograph for this round. However, the rest of the pictures look like they were taken by a different photographer. The sharpness, contrast, exposure, are all different. lens05 would also be a really strong photograph if we could see a silhouette of her face too. We feel lighting could have been used more constructively on some shots though...perhaps a more harsh side lighting on "lens06" would have given the shot more life? Great photograph though.
Muhammad - It looks like you brought your camera to school one day and took a bunch of pictures. We love it. Interesting range of emotions, although we feel the completely white background was too harsh for a couple of these pieces.
Winner: Rebecca - Brilliant captures! We particularly like how this photographer can pick out one person amongst others and give them a story. We also love their usage of lighting. We think this is the strongest overall set of submissions. "2" doesn't really do anything for one of us. A little too snapshotty maybe? The rest of the photographs have great emotions and they really connect with the camera. It also looks like you put a lot of time and energy into these pictures.
Will - Nice locations and concepts. Very consistent style. We like the concept and framing in "photo lens 2." They all seem to need the shadows darkened because they're a little bit flat. If all of these were taken with the strobe as it is shown in "pl2," then we really recommend getting an umbrella and reflectors to fill in all of the awkward shadows.
Eliminated----
Sarah + Jens + Nele
