Critique Local photo shoot

[jpgreenwood]

Im not comfortable taking photos of models/people as it can easily offend and maybe they wont like my photography, or how ive edited them. This was a local photography studio that had access to a local vintage air/land/sea museum, and a handful of models.
The thing i cant get away with are models that dont match the environment. Bearing in mind, i dont normally take photos of people, for this kind of photoshoot, some uniform or vintage dress, or 50's pin up costume would have suited much better.
I have no experience of flash photography, so luckily, the studio people laid on some lighting rigs and gave me some guidance. I didnt always have access to it though.

Im more than up for CC for this collection so please be brutal as i may pursue it more and try to improve on the little bit i already know.
_JAY6451 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6455 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6520 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6539 by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6641 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6687 by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6734 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr
_JAY6738 B by jason greenwood, on Flickr

 

[Harlequin565]

The thing i cant get away with are models that dont match the environment.

For me - this.

I think the B&W guy on the bike is about the best, because it feels like an environmental portrait. The others are just pictures of people in a vintage museum type thing (or that's what it feels like)

Looking at the B&W bike guy, you have a nice (strong) central subject. It feels like he's in a workshop (although he's not if you look closely). The roof provides an excellent frame to the top of the image and the lack of eye contact makes it feel sort of candid (much less so than the other images which feel posed). There's a really nice range of tones in the image too. I think this works well. The combination of a good exposure, composition, and model pose all work together.

I guess the question is - what were you trying to achieve? And if you don't know then perhaps that's where the problem is. The exposures are balanced, the compositions are all tidy, there's nothing terribly wrong with the technicalities but the images themselves feel a bit contrived. The models look bored (apart from the 2nd to last one which I quite like apart from the arm-over-the-head) which doesn't help and as you said - they don't really match their environment. If they were in 50s getup, it might have worked better I think.

Having an idea about what you want to achieve helps a lot. I don't get that from these images (other than guy-on-a-bike).

Hope that helps!
(As always - take what you like & leave the rest)

 

[jpgreenwood]

I didn’t have a clue. The bike guy are the better shots because I saw it as a scene, like i do with landscapes, I also noticed the roof lights and moved the bike as it was in the back corner. The rest are just people Posing on random vehicles. I didn’t really get much from it but I’m keen to learn more.

 

[boyfalldown]

Im not comfortable taking photos of models/people as it can easily offend and maybe they wont like my photography, or how ive edited them.

Meant as nicely as possible, but that comes across in the images. Not everyone will ever like your work...its easy to say deal with that but deal with it. With the exception of the guyot the bike the models are mirroring your discomfort.

A bit of advice if I may....hire a studio and a model. Be honest about your concerns. They'll help you lots and they will want you to succeed (and give them a good reference).

 

[Dave Canon]

I have often had similar problems when using amateur models who may look uncomfortable and without experience it may be difficult for the photographer to get them past this. In recent years at my club, we hire a professional studio and professional models. This has really paid of. While the models knew how to pose etc. some knew more about the lighting than I did. It also helped that we received some training from a professional photographer. We still hire his studio but he does not interfere or offer advice unless we request it. Like the others, I much prefer the B&W shot of the guy on the bike.

Dave