Help with a portfolio project please..."ALONE"

[steve rb]

Hi folks, I occaisionally like to put together a project book of work, themed - say 12-15 images. Sometimes I exhibit, sometimes they just go around the house. i think it's very good practice and a nice activity. Haven't done one for a while but have had this at the back of my mind for ages. Topic title I picked was "Alone" - with a central idea of there being a single person in each image.

What I'm after is some critique on content, do the images fit together, are there any weaker ones I should remove or elements that I should focus on with alternative images. Do the tonal ranges match and the theme come through etc etc etc.

I'm happy with each of the images on their own, just not sure how well they go together, so don't be worried about being brutal, I'm after critique after all.... Is this a portfolio you would happily spend time looking at in a gallery or is it a walk-past!

Thanks folks

[MrSmith]

my 2p worth. great images but i don't see the human aspect of the 4th image, the colour/b&w one makes me cringe, your images are strong enough without having to resort to that and it jars with the others. i would be tempted to shoot a few more and drop the mountains as they seem a different theme (and maybe make that a separate group)
for me 3,5,6,8,10,12 and 16 are nice and strong, i would not add any more cloister ones though unless they were stronger so you could drop a weaker one.

IMHO etc, don't be offended by what somebody says on the internet :-)

[tkimages]

A good set you've got there, my only c&c would be:

Image 4, hard to identify the lone person, I'm still not sure if I have spotted him/her.
Image 6, the colour splash works well as a single image, but stands out too much in an otherwise mono collection.
Image 11, the tonal range of this is high compared to the other images.
Image 8, the figure is looking the 'wrong way', all the figures in the other images 'look into' the image - I know that is pedantic, but with a folio where all the images may be seen at the same time (see next point), it could have an effect.

You need 20 images for a Fellowship panel

[steve rb]

my 2p worth. great images but i don't see the human aspect of the 4th image, the colour/b&w one makes me cringe, your images are strong enough without having to resort to that and it jars with the others. i would be tempted to shoot a few more and drop the mountains as they seem a different theme (and maybe make that a separate group)
for me 3,5,6,8,10,12 and 16 are nice and strong, i would not add any more cloister ones though unless they were stronger so you could drop a weaker one.

IMHO etc, don't be offended by what somebody says on the internet :-)

Yeh, agree on the colourised one. It's crap. Better in B&W and I really don't know why I did that.
And the lone hiker one is also no good, I spent a while on that, shitty exposure too and the shadows block so that's a gonner.

If you were trying to cover a range of topics, say keeping the cloister and mountain stuff as an integral part, what would be missing, I tried to cover a bit of 'street rep' some landscape, some architecture and strong weather shots - what's missing...? I get the feeling something is but I can't put my finger on it....

Perfect feedback, thanks!

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A good set you've got there, my only c&c would be:

Image 4, hard to identify the lone person, I'm still not sure if I have spotted him/her.
Image 6, the colour splash works well as a single image, but stands out too much in an otherwise mono collection.
Image 11, the tonal range of this is high compared to the other images.
Image 8, the figure is looking the 'wrong way', all the figures in the other images 'look into' the image - I know that is pedantic, but with a folio where all the images may be seen at the same time (see next point), it could have an effect.

You need 20 images for a Fellowship panel

As per above, agree on #4, gone. And the colour...
Hadn't noticed the direction issue, good point, though I've a ton of stuff with people facing away... I was trying to hit 'Alone' rather than 'Lonely' on 'Lone' as I think they are all very different interpretations.
I'll see what other feedback I get then perhaps have a re-jig


As for FRPS, I did well in the A, but think that would be a step too far, my images aren't up to that (especially this assortment!)

Cheers for the help!

[macvisual]

Lovely set Steve, excellent work ok!

The girl with red tee-shirt stands out as "it shouldn't be there" as it's alone by itself compared to the rest etc, and I think the guy reading the newspaper with the lantern shot is probably a weak photo compared to the rest. Only my tuppence worth thoughts.

What size will they be, and, are they going to be framed or what presentation..?

[barneys dad]

I reduced them down to 60% to see if they still made the Alone statement.
If then, the figure has all but gone, ditch.

The colourised didnt do it for me, a bit jarring.
I would crop out the cafe bistro sign & see how that looks.

Bloody good set of pics.

Thats your hifi critiqued the other week, your photos sorted............anything else I can help with?

[auralflea]

I am by no way any sort of expert, but I'll add my tuppence as well if I may;


Ignoring the aspects mentioned previously and amended, the other thing I noticed about the compositions are that pretty much all of them are quite vertical compositions - by that I mean the impact of the buildings and mountains in each (and looming cloud in the sea one).

You could consider adding 'flatter' pictures, a lone figure in a flat field emphasises the lone aspect more as well.

Another aspect to consider would be lone figures in crowd or busy scenes, although that might be for a different project.


Must add that I really do love the eye you have for pictures Steve.

[tkimages]

As for FRPS, I did well in the A, but think that would be a step too far, my images aren't up to that (especially this assortment!)

Cheers for the help!

Same as you, I got my ARPs with mono digital prints when they were still regarded as inferior to wet prints, but I keep on toying with the idea of a Fellowship. Each time that I do consider it, I cannot maintain the standard required across 20 images 'cos I'm too impatient.

[steve rb]

Thanks folks - a few I 'ditched' at round 1 - maybe they fit somewhere better than others....

I've also gone back to mono on the 'girl' shot - does that work or too weak?

[steve rb]

Lovely set Steve, excellent work ok!

The girl with red tee-shirt stands out as "it shouldn't be there" as it's alone by itself compared to the rest etc, and I think the guy reading the newspaper with the lantern shot is probably a weak photo compared to the rest. Only my tuppence worth thoughts.

What size will they be, and, are they going to be framed or what presentation..?

I wasn't totally happy with the newspaper one, seemed a bit lacking in pop and dynamics compared to the others, but I like the shapes and forms in it.
Not sure on what I'll do with them yet, just seeing what I can pull together first.
Thanks for the help!

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I reduced them down to 60% to see if they still made the Alone statement.
If then, the figure has all but gone, ditch.

The colourised didnt do it for me, a bit jarring.
I would crop out the cafe bistro sign & see how that looks.

Bloody good set of pics.

Thats your hifi critiqued the other week, your photos sorted............anything else I can help with?

thanks Steve - keeps me busy! I kinda liked the Bistro sign, the thought of someone looking in a restaurant emphasised the alone concept to me, I agree it's not a very striking image on it's own but I felt it worked in the group. As for the other comments, completely agree.

(and my dog is limping a bit, and my long thoracic nerve of bell is paralysed at the mo - any ideas on those two much appreciated!)

[steve rb]

I am by no way any sort of expert, but I'll add my tuppence as well if I may;


Ignoring the aspects mentioned previously and amended, the other thing I noticed about the compositions are that pretty much all of them are quite vertical compositions - by that I mean the impact of the buildings and mountains in each (and looming cloud in the sea one).

You could consider adding 'flatter' pictures, a lone figure in a flat field emphasises the lone aspect more as well.

Another aspect to consider would be lone figures in crowd or busy scenes, although that might be for a different project.


Must add that I really do love the eye you have for pictures Steve.

Good points Kevin actually - I've added a few above - perhaps they could make the group a bit more contrasting?

I didn't want to add lone figures in a crowd for the reasons I touched on above -

Lonely - could be an interpretation, indeed could be surrounded by people, state of mind rather than actuality
Lone - a single item of anything, a bird, a boat, a cup
Alone - Having no one else present - that's the formal definition.

[auralflea]

Hi Steve

Yep, train man, the flats/ tide-out pic plus the rooftops one should all expand the collection in a rounded fashion I think.


The solitary aspect appeals to me, and as you say the contrasting definitions make that aspect interesting as a topic anyway. My thought about the group pictures was a sideways one - on further reflection I think that would work best as a one or tweo shot selection only, not a collection.


I would be definitely interested in seeing your final group choice btw.

[steve rb]

Just wondering again - do I have too much mountain stuff in there?

What about order?

[tuga]

Good points Kevin actually - I've added a few above - perhaps they could make the group a bit more contrasting?

I didn't want to add lone figures in a crowd for the reasons I touched on above -

Lonely - could be an interpretation, indeed could be surrounded by people, state of mind rather than actuality
Lone - a single item of anything, a bird, a boat, a cup
Alone - Having no one else present - that's the formal definition.

Hi Steve,

From the three above I find "Lone"/"Alone" to be the least interesting....
It's easy to isolate one person in an image and it classifies.
You have some very "strong" images (though I don't agree with some toning/contrast choices) so I suggest you try for a different, more interesting theme.

Cheers,
Ric



P.S.: where did you go in Morocco?

[steve rb]

Hi Ric, thanks for taking the time to answer - personally I find it an interesting theme, I never claimed it was particularly hard (sometimes it is, try getting an isolation shot in Venice!) But anyway, it's for me personally and it's a project I've wanted to pull together for a while now, so the theme stays!

We were in Marakesh and the High Atlas - going back there in April for a trek too actually.

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A couple more I pulled together, both need some work, but they were a bit different....

[tuga]

Hi Steve,

You have no idea how much I envy you.
If you get the chance I heartily recomend a visit to the Dadés Gorges, and possibly the Todra as well.
I drove across a big part of the country and fell in love with the place and the food, the Atlas being one of my favourite bits of the trip.
Didn't really do any hard trekking but hiked for a couple of days around Imlil; it snowed during the night and the scenery changed dramatically from the first day.
The Erg Chebbi area is also very nice as is the the road from Erfoud to Er'Rachidia and Essaouira.
The problem with driving is that you don't really get the chance to photograph that much and I was never really comfortable "shooting" people in the large towns and cities.

Best,
Ric