Headshots (overall critique of style)

I ask that if anyone has some time, and i know we all fight for free time, so if no bites on this, i totally understand, but if you have a minute...check out these 4 sites.

http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/jrowep​hotography/headshots/b​randon

http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/jrowep​hotography/headshots/m​arc

http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/jrowep​hotography/headshots/w​hitney

http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/jrowep​hotography/headshots/w​illiam

just glance through and tell me what you think of my headshot style. this is something i've recently been studying and researching, and i'm going for both the "new york style" and the new age color mode. these photos have absolutely no editing done to them, this is my form of proofing for my clients for now.

if you don't have time, i completely understand, but if you get a chance, glance over them and let me know what you think. this is my first attempt at a true "headshot" shoot, and am learning more each day. honest opinions, my goal is to grow as a mature photographer. you will not hurt my feelings.

thanks in advance
Jon Rowe
www.JRowePhotography.c​om

I looked at the Whitney shots, so all my comments are geared towards that one. I'll check out the others if you like later on when I am done working

First thought was that the page was a little slow loading, I know you asked for comments on the photos but I thought I should mention that. I am on DSL but it still took a while to load up.

I like your choice of backdrop with her eyes! The colors came across very nice in my opinion

**Not a critique on the model**
I don't think the choice of wardrobe was the best for her. The shirt just didn't flatter her much. If she was trying to slim down, maybe a dark baground would have been better?

Some of the crops look accidental, not artistic to me. You have her framed to the side in some of them cutting out a shoulder or part of the head. If done right I like creative cropping, but some of them seemed accidental.

I would have tried to light the eyes a little better. I love taking shots of people with light colored eyes becuase it's easy to make them jump out at you. I try to light them up from the side.

I wouldn't call some of them headshots, because my focus is drawn away from the head. You should pick a few that you like and post them. I'm sure you'll get much better feedback.

Hope it helps.

I agree with Sam on his comments. And I'm on cable and they load slow.

I like the style. It looks like something you would see in a models portfolio. Whitney's shots look pretty good. The lighting is a bit flat - I think you need more background light and perhaps a hair light to get more separation and definition. Marc's poses and crops look a bit more conventional but the lighting doesn't look right. Too harsh and direct.

Perhaps that's the style your after but I prefer a more classic, subdued portrait. In many of Marc's pictures there is virtually no shadow on the face. William's images are a bit better shadow wise but the background is showing too well.

And now it's just taking too long to load....

What is your set-up? Light is an issue IMO. It looks quite harsh. Whitney's lighting looks much better.

lighting was one B800 alienbee strobe/umbrella kit, with my slave Sigma 500dg super flash bouncing off the ceiling for a hairlight/left side fill. i know nothing about studio lighting, so this was all just thrown together, as it probably shows. from standing in front of the models, i had the umbrella behind me to the right, and the flash to my left, bouncing off the ceiling. too shiny . i need a softbox badly

any suggestions??

Jon,

I also looked at the 'Whitney' series as well. They are nice photos but they all need a bit of a curves or levels adjustment. If you can look to getting her shirt to a truer black everything else should fall into place.

You've got a fairly harsh shadow of her forehead in many of these images. That's something to watch for next time I guess.

Yeah, loading pretty slow. Probably the piece of crap server they are hosted on Jed my album did the same thing with Jessica's album. I think we may need to upload smaller rez images.

Greg

I would put the B800 to the right and up above their heads, slight tip down, and the Sigma would be a background light from the opposite side of the camera. The light looks harsh for an umbrella. How far away is it? Can you crank it down?

I like the lighting on Whitney for the most part. And I think it looks totally different from the others.

If you are using the same server as g-money it explains a lot. Everything in Arkansa is a bit slower.... Or so I've been told.

I do like your gallery of Summer Carter. Nice images.

Ohhhhh. Titus213 that's the second shot at AR today from a member here. You guys are ruff I would suggest be careful if ever come down here....You did see the movie Deliverance didn't you. What's that I hear banjo's??

Greg

JRowe... I have never tried any studio work, I shoot mostly sports and some nature stuff, and I am strictly a recreational photographer. (So you know where I am coming from).

I looked through all of the sets, and while I will agree that they loaded slow, there isn't much you can do about that. (I had some time to kill waiting for a report to print...)

Overall, I liked them... You certainly have some keepers in there. There are far too many to start commenting on any specific pics, but generally...

- Your lighting seems harsh on the men. (This has already been mentioned)
- There are sharp shadows in some of the pics which were very distracting. (Maybe light the background to soften them, or PP them)

- I, too, thought the best set was the set of Whitney. You seemed to use more varying backgrounds in that set and the lighting was a little better.
- I felt like I was looking at "head shots" when I looked at her set.
- I like the varying angles from which you shot, and the varying angles which you had them pose. Good variety.
- I could tell you developed a good repoir with them. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are friends of yours. There are very few which looked "staged".

As Solinger Said... ** THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT COMMENTS ABOUT THE MODELS **
- Avoid "reclined positions" with all but the thinnest of models. Very few people look good in a reclined position.
- The imperfection on the left side of Whitney's nose was very distracting in all of the poses where you were shooting the left side of her face. In the headshots where the left side of her face is exposed, her nose becomes the natural focusing point, the blemish therefor is unavoidable as a distraction. (This is only true on the close ups from the side. From the front, it was not an issue, nor was it an issue on the shots from a distance)
- On the guys as well as the gal, extreme nose wrinkle (while the result of a hilarious laugh) takes the eye away from the smile. You have several photos with GREAT smiles without the nose wrinkle, but there several with it as well. Headshots (IMHO) are all about the smile and the eyes. The nose between them can be distracting. In a good headshot the nose is not noticed.

These are of course, my opinions. I don't mean to sound snooty or judgmental. Others may totally disagree with me, and that's ok... I would like to know which are your favorites. I'd like to see you Post your two favorites from each set.