The Madison Project

these were taken today, as senior portraits for a very original young woman... Her mother suggested several scenarios. Madie wanted something different, unusual and absolutely refused to go to any kind of park .. I was happy to play along, and I hope her parents will be pleased... We went all over Boise, from the skate park, to the top floor of the parking garage, to a couple of different alleyways,the capital building and a train yard... Hope ya like them.. and hope you can tell me what I did wrong for next time..

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I didn't mean to put this over here... I was going to post it in People.. I know there's way too many for critique.... sorry..

sari.

Interesting series; I think they'll be pleased with the results. Personally, I really like the vividness of the fifth picture. The seventh picture is another superb shot. The first picture, I don't really like the background. Good work! I also like the last shot, but it could be rotated to make the dark line horizontal...if that works.

Thanks Sari for posting these. I like the pose on the second one. I went down to what is sorta considered the other side of the tracks in a neighboring city today (Lexington, Ky). I just drove around a little bit. I saw a lot of great sights to shoot. No trouble at all finding those old run down distressed buildings I hope to use as a background.

I find making sr pic individual sometimes tough, you did a SUPER job. I especially love the last one- I would hope your client is tickled. good job

Of the 8 pictures, #'s 3, 4, and 6 are the ones that I think show the model at her best. The background in #5 was excellent, but I did not like her pose in that one (it's as if she isn't quite sure what she's there for).
#4 seems a little soft to me, but it works - perhaps you did that on purpose? Most important is her smile in that one. Really makes it!

They are all very good, but those are my preferences.

Hey Sari, why are you bothering with landscapes when portraits are your forte? I love all of them.

While I don't think it detracts much from the pictures, 3 and 4 are a bit soft probably because of the longer exposure time. Does your lens have IS? If not, you could consider using a monopod, or upping the ISO and use a faster speed.

Would you think it appropriate to edit out the elastic band around her wrist?

No 5 has the background dominating the subject...perhaps a simple crop like so..

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thanks meaty soo much!! I really appreciate it. I do love my landscapes ..... admittedly this was very new to me and I really liked it.
I also have had a speedlight on loan to me that has been sitting in my camera bag for about a month, the night before this I pulled it out and decided to give it a shot I was a little unsure of a high ISO with a flash... live and learn. As to different angles, I did a few but wasn't overly thrilled with the results.. (maybe something you have to develop a taste for?)..
Poses... were very much a combined effort. I took a lot of notes from watching people move and interact with the things around them. I didn't want anything too obvious.
I can't really describe how I come up with how I choose the pose for a composition.. The shot is generally already in my head before it's in front of my camera. Just a matter of putting things together and then being willing to throw it all out the window and shoot.
I spent half the day telling her to move a shoulder, look down, look right, look at the car.. put your hand down.. etc.. and the other half of the day was shooting randomly while chatting about her college choices, and telling jokes. I'm more than willing to wait for a photo to unfold in front of me and then tweak it as I see fit..


p.s. Any advice really appreciated, I have another shoot on Wednesday for a woman graduating college.. almost the exact opposite of Maddie blond, fair, very calm and soft.. Now, i'll spend the next several days thinking about it....Wish me luck ..

sari.

These shots are fun and I am sure she will enjoy them for years to come. The range of expression in her face is awesome. I do find the set as a whole a little humorous. This is an obviously affluent, sophisticated young lady being shot on the street and in train yards. The theme might be titled – Aspirations For Homelessness. All she needs in shot seven is the shopping cart full of junk to complete the scene. She is dressed a little bit too well to hop the train in the train yard. The last picture where she is daydreaming glassy-eyed on the concrete steps does not need to be changed at all for full effect.

My wife tells me the shabby-chic look is what all the kids want now. You seem to have captured that effect very well, with a little emphasis on the chic of course.

I do agree with you on the train yard costume... I hadn't planned on that look for it..As for her being a 'sophisticated young lady' completely makes me smile and realize I got the effect I was going for.. I did try to show a wider range of setting and compositions, some were just for the creative, fun factor and some more traditional. I was trying to please two points of view in a short amount of time.. Madison, the artist who doesn't want to do anything that's already been done.. And her mom, who has put up with tattoos, the almost shaving of a head, eargages and a select of stories that left me with my eyebrows raised, and feeling very old .. I do think that she's pleased with the results she loved some of the more PP shots. and I think that I had enough pretty photos to make her parents happy....

sari.

Perhaps without realising it, you have just typed one of the most prophetic phrases, to do with photography, that I have read in a long, long time

Visualising a shot and planning ahead are some of the first things I learned in photography. Your phrase should be emblazoned across page 1 of every photographic text. And then at the beginning of each chapter thereafter, because we tend to forget it too easily. Better make it your sig.!

Meaty0 wrote:
Perhaps without realising it, you have just typed one of the most prophetic phrases, to do with photography, that I have read in a long, long time

Visualising a shot and planning ahead are some of the first things I learned in photography. Your phrase should be emblazoned across page 1 of every photographic text. And then at the beginning of each chapter thereafter, because we tend to forget it too easily. Better make it your sig.!

that's a compliment if I ever heard one... I was really trying to come up with an excuse as to why I didn't have the answer.... . I took your advice by the way......

sari.