Urban Styles - Part 2

[Cre8tivepixels]

Thanks for looking..........







Cheers
Dan

[wendellt]

i really like the pose in the fitst got some really nice shapes in the body there only issue it looks abit too obvious down there panties showing through pants
but nice shapes anyway

i still think the angle used contributes to the image but it looks dramatic and its your personal style so i understand why you did it

i love ther dress in the 2nd do you know what brand it it?

[Nnnnsic]

Only good one there is your third one.

She's looking at the viewer and as such, that's where the eye gets drawn to.

This is a good thing compared to the other shots in this thread where in the first one, the eye is drawn to the colour (and that's one of the weakest reduced colour shots I've ever seen, what with the cement still retaining some colour only in one portion without even fading it to blend) and to the white of the ground... it looks back to the girl last which is probably not what you wanted.

Sorry about your second shot too... it's just boring and the colours are overblown. It'd be nice to see you do some shots that are interesting and not commercial for a change. It's almost as if you're trying emulate Ralph magazine here, which is fine to a point, but it won't teach you a whole lot about photography.
Moreso, the PP for colour is over-blown and you're letting details blend into the black which is entirely unnecessary. Black is a shadow, it's a background... remember that. You don't need to oversaturate her and have her blend with the black... she can be a few shades out, and because of the heavy saturation of master colours, you've almost completely lost the dog and that's the very reason she's holding the leash!

Crop that third one, though, so that the DOF isn't so blurred on the left and cut off her shoulder on the right and you'll get a nice intimate photo that would even work well monochrome as something like traditional black & white or even bromoil.



Or even crop the left a bit and leave the shoulder in on the right with some black space. It'll be nice, intimate, sensual, and moody.

[Cre8tivepixels]

i love ther dress in the 2nd do you know what brand it it?

Wouldnt have a monkeys uncle....sorry..thanks for the comments

Dan

[wendellt]

looks like a jayson brunsdon dress very shmick styling

[Cre8tivepixels]

Only good one there is your third one. (and that's one of the weakest reduced colour shots I've ever seen, what with the cement still retaining some colour only in one portion without even fading it to blend) and to the white of the ground .....Sorry about your second shot too... it's just boring and the colours are overblown. It'd be nice to see you do some shots that are interesting and not commercial for a change. It's almost as if you're trying emulate Ralph magazine here, which is fine to a point, but it won't teach you a whole lot about photography.
Moreso, the PP for colour is over-blown and you're letting details blend into the black which is entirely unnecessary. Black is a shadow, it's a background... remember that. You don't need to oversaturate her and have her blend with the black... she can be a few shades out, and because of the heavy saturation of master colours, you've almost completely lost the dog and that's the very reason she's holding the leash!

Crop that third one, though, so that the DOF isn't so blurred on the left and cut off her shoulder on the right and you'll get a nice intimate photo that would even work well monochrome as something like traditional black & white or even bromoil.



Or even crop the left a bit and leave the shoulder in on the right with some black space. It'll be nice, intimate, sensual, and moody.

lol.....thanks leigh i think.......i might just give the camera to you.....you can take the shots for me?

I like your Black and white version, but i like mine more....sorry  BTW there was NO colour reducement in ANY shot....(apart from the first one)

I cant say that your constant negativity towards my images hurts as it does....i dont see you tear strips of anyone elses images here...maybe i am not looking hard enough.....thanks all the same!

And i really do belive that you have seen worse shots over the years in your travels on the net and the like.....come on?


Dan

[gstark]

i love ther dress in the 2nd do you know what brand it it?

Do they come in your size, Wendell?

[Nnnnsic]

With respect, you don't have the composition skills yet. It's one of the reasons why practically all of your shots look the same. You're going for that commercial niche, but you don't really end up pulling it off all the time because you're trying to make it different and your personal touch on that commercial styling isn't bringing a lot of real difference to it.

It takes time to find a style for yourself in photography, even commercial photography, and one could easily agree that following in the footsteps of publications like various men's magazines could very well help, but looking through the viewfinder, making a shot more unique than just what's on offer in those mags... you're not there yet.

And unless in your first shot the girl is in black & white in real life and that part of the world is void of colour in general, you have created what is known as a "Reduced Colour" photograph or a "Colour Reduction" that is where the image is almost entirely black & white / monochrome save for an element or two that are left in colour.

Your first shot is a weak example of colour reduction because of the browns in the cement still being visible on the middle-right as the alley folds toward us. The graffiti is fine, but if you wanted the colour of the cement to exist, you should have faded it towards the viewer in the picture. As such, it looks more like it's just been badly erased in layers in Photoshop.

And I didn't say they were the worst shots. I said that the colour reduction was one of the weakest colour reductions I've ever seen. Don't feel the need to misinterpret me.

[Cre8tivepixels]

With respect, you don't have the composition skills yet. It's one of the reasons why practically all of your shots look the same. You're going for that commercial niche, but you don't really end up pulling it off all the time because you're trying to make it different and your personal touch on that commercial styling isn't bringing a lot of real difference to it.

It takes time to find a style for yourself in photography, even commercial photography, and one could easily agree that following in the footsteps of publications like various men's magazines could very well help, but looking through the viewfinder, making a shot more unique than just what's on offer in those mags... you're not there yet.

And unless in your first shot the girl is in black & white in real life and that part of the world is void of colour in general, you have created what is known as a "Reduced Colour" photograph or a "Colour Reduction" that is where the image is almost entirely black & white / monochrome save for an element or two that are left in colour.

Your first shot is a weak example of colour reduction because of the browns in the cement still being visible on the middle-right as the alley folds toward us. The graffiti is fine, but if you wanted the colour of the cement to exist, you should have faded it towards the viewer in the picture. As such, it looks more like it's just been badly erased in layers in Photoshop.

On the mens magazine thingy, did you know Leigh that i have NEVER bought a mag, reason being as i didnt want to be stereotypical or fall into any trap, i do things my way! Whilst i can see what you are saying (and take it on board) i would like to do things a certain way for now......weather they are right or wrong, i will sort that out over time....i have only been doing this for (photography) for roughly 8 months...........but yeah cheers!!

And thanks for taking the time to critique my images....

Dan

[Nnnnsic]

Could you stop editing your posts?

For crying out loud... you want criticism, and you want to be treated like a professional, hence the showcasing of what you're doing.

I don't seriously care that you're putting a lot of images up, but if you want the criticism, and you want criticism by people who have been taught by the industry and who do work in the industry, then take the criticisms with a bit of pride.

I don't tear everyone else apart because most people are being themselves in their work. Yours... I don't see it. I see someone pretending, quite frankly.

That's my opinion, though. You obviously want to make it somewhere in this industry and if you don't have a thick skin about this and if you're expecting everyone to fall over hand and foot over your work, you're going to have to develop those expectations a little more in the darkroom because you're nowhere near "quality" yet, provided the majority of your images have to have a pretty girl to make them good.

This isn't an attack, by the way. You want criticism on your images and your "style"... you got it.

[Cre8tivepixels]

Could you stop editing your posts?

For crying out loud... you want criticism, and you want to be treated like a professional, hence the showcasing of what you're doing.

I don't seriously care that you're putting a lot of images up, but if you want the criticism, and you want criticism by people who have been taught by the industry and who do work in the industry, then take the criticisms with a bit of pride.

I don't tear everyone else apart because most people are being themselves in their work. Yours... I don't see it. I see someone pretending, quite frankly.

That's my opinion, though. You obviously want to make it somewhere in this industry and if you don't have a thick skin about this and if you're expecting everyone to fall over hand and foot over your work, you're going to have to develop those expectations a little more in the darkroom because you're nowhere near "quality" yet, provided the majority of your images have to have a pretty girl to make them good.

This isn't an attack, by the way. You want criticism on your images and your "style"... you got it.

And i am cool with it.........cheers

I hope one day we can sit down and have a chat....as friends?

Dan

[Tim]

Can you feel the love? <3

Some great pics Dan... again!

[PiroStitch]

#1 would be a lot stronger if the end of the tunnel wasn't in colour. Dan, if you want to get better you really need to be able to seperate the subject from the background. Right now with the b&w conversion, the model blends straight into the background and becomes a pattern. The angle is interesting, I'll give you that but as a result of the model blending into the wall, the image has lost depth and impact.

#3 - I prefer Leigh's rework. Even in colour, the cropping is a lot better. Also be careful of your PP. I'm sure you've done something to her eyes as now they're just a flat white and quite scary. Not very glamorous at all.

Sorry if my comments appear to be critical and harsh. Critical yes, harsh no. You've mentioned in the past that you want constructive criticism of your images and I'm doing my best, as is everyone else. With the initial wow factor that the pics contain beautiful girls gone, the images unfortunately are not up there yet. I understand you are in an experimental stage and that's cool however study lots of editorials done by photographers who really make their images into fine art. Trash mags like Ralph and the like will take you nowhere if you really want to grow.

[drifter]

With respect, you don't have the composition skills yet. It's one of the reasons why practically all of your shots look the same.
I

That's your opinion and probably yours alone .You seem to be overly harsh in your critique of Dans stuff .I know your going to turn around and say its to help but it appears to be more a personal issue to me .

[PiroStitch]

Tony, I have to disagree with you there about whether or not Leigh is being too harsh on Dan. I am not defending Leigh in anyway.

First of all, Dan did ask for strict critique and suggestions of his work. Leigh provided that and I guess it was misinterpreted as a personal attack. Frankly speaking, I'm not overly fond of the composition in some of these pics and the fact that they are overly processed to try and give the image that extra edge, when fundamentally it wasn't an interesting pic to start with.

As I mentioned previously, look past the girl in the bikini and dress and view the whole image.

Also I have never met Dan before and I'm not a person who has a personal vendetta with anybody I've never met before...even if I have met the person before I wouldn't still attack them. What's the value in that?

[sirhc55]

Dan - of the three posted I have to admit that #3 has the appeal - in colour or as the B&W they both shine