C&C of ad

No holds bared what do you think? I am trying to get a good portfolio together but don't know a lot of people in the area I'm in so I am offering portait work for the cost of printing. Target audience is mostly colege age students, I live in a University town and will be posting these on billboards and the like.

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Hi Jared,
Just a thought but I think it may help the overal look of your poster if the small pics were selected with a large feathering fading into an opacity 0, they will seem to blend in with your main background picture a little better, I think.
Regards Alan

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Alan
How do you go about feathering images like that. I am still learning photoshop getting better by the day. Thanks

Jared

Hi Jared,
sorry it took so long to get back. Hope you dont mind but I've added a pic of my grandson, Callum, just to show what I was meaning.
To do this, choose the pic you want to add, make a copy in layers pallate, make a selection using the oval selection tool with a (try 50) pixel feather. Inverse the selection so everything in the background is selected then hit delete. You can now drag this pic from the layers pallate and drop into your main picture and resize to suit using the transform tool holding down the shift key to keep it in proportion.
Hope this makes sense I'm not the best at putting things down on paper.
Regards Alan.

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And look at you Text maybe, drop shadows, fonts, blending etc.
Regards Alan

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Please do not take this as a criticism, but please review the guidelines for re-posting images.

Bob,
forgive me but I don't know just what i've done to receive any criticism. I certainly do not wish to overstep any guidelines in any shape or form I was merely trying to give a little help to Jared as he requested.
Bob if you could point me in the right direction to find these guidelines I'd appreciate it,
I can't find anything under the heading 'Rules' which I may have infringed.
Kind regards Alan.

Hi Bob, Think I've found what you'r getting at - 'Posting multiple images'
I think I only posted three images, each one with a different topic. I don't consider that to be excessive as there was very little content in this thread. Get your point though and will take more care in future. Any guidance from senior members will always be appreciated as I am a newcommer to these forums and will be open to any advice.
Hope this clears up this little point.
Regards Alan

No - the sticky that Pekka has posted at the head of this forum is the guidelines for "Critique Corner". Perhaps it would be better were it given more prominence.
It's titled "Sticky: Guidelines on posting images" and is signed by Pekka, the owner of Photography-on-the.net.
The issue is in regard to not having explicit permission to re-post another's image.

He means that newbie_photog needs to have the "Image Editing OK" checked in his User CP (Control Panel) before you can edit images.

newbie_photog: Note that under my avatar (picture), is the part I'm talking about, in blue.
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Some thoughts, my opinion only, of course:
1.) I think it would look better if the size of the font for "Free Portraits" was slightly smaller, so that the words were framed by that portion of the column rather that stretching from edge to edge.
2.) You need to correct the spelling of the word portrait (portRait, not portait.)
3.) You might want to change your wording to more obviously reflect what you intend to do. Some people might think "Free Portrait" means that they'll get a free print. Your line "Pay Only Printing" is not nearly as visible as "Free Portrait." It might be better to advertise "Portraits - no sitting fee" and "Prints available at cost", and omit the "Individuals, Kids, Couples, Families" since you're basically indicating that with the photos you've selected as samples of your work.
5.) To me, the column appears to be tilting backward - can you crop a bit to straighten it? I probably wouldn't choose a photographer who couldn't keep his verticals vertical.
6.) Aesthetically, I like Sharpy's addition of a close-up in lower right corner. To me it balances the page better, plus it directs your eyes to the text in the lower right corner.
7.) Do you plan to print these flyers in color, or in black and white? If black and white, I'd change the colored samples to B&W and re-check the appearance of the flyer.

Yes Bob, I know now what you mean - I see it. Sorry Guys (Pekka)
Regards Alan.

Dear Alan,

Above all, I hope I did not embarass you. It's just that I thought you would prefer to get a heads up from your peers rather than get your fingers whacked by the moderators

Great thread and lots of constructive criticism to help make this project better. For my two cents, I would avoid the word "free" all together for a few reasons. First, in this case it isnt free as there is a charge for printing. Secondly, few people are impressed with the term and in fact most people are wary of the term, viewing it as a potential bait & switch technique, to be avoided. Lastly, nothing is free and there is a cost involved with everything, so free is a poor choice of words...a better term to use if you are giving your services away is "at my expense". Keep up the good work and best of luck in your new business.

Robert_Lay wrote:
Dear Alan,

Above all, I hope I did not embarass you. It's just that I thought you would prefer to get a heads up from your peers rather than get your fingers whacked by the moderators

Robert,

Absolutely.

Regards Alan (and thanks for the way you handled it.)