Cover Girl Skin tone

This last cover girl ad is for "Natureluxe" foundation. This one is focused mostly on the light airy skin tone, but uses the eyes again to draw the viewer in.  The models position and body language is perfect for the ad. The position of the arms gives visual direction for the viewer, and also emphasizes the beautiful skin tone. The background here is bright and slightly pink. which brighten up the model adding to the effect.   

Covergirl Lip stick

This is a Covergirl ad for lipstick. This shot is so spot on. The only thing i might change is to give a bit more space to the front of the middle and less to her back.  Again, they do very well to minimize all other make up to enhance to lipstick. Also, the neutral colored clothes and the silver/blue jewelry bring out the models lips and eye color even more. Although i'm not a big fan of the confused, ditsy look on the models face, it does work pretty well for the shot.

Cover girl eye make up

This is obviously a cover girl make up advertisement. The photo is very close up with the eyes in the middle of the composition. It's interesting because it is an eye make up advertisement, so the other facial features are somewhat light and faded so the viewers eyes are drawn only to the eyes. The models expression is very sexy and deep, with the messy hair and heavy eyes adding to that effect. Cliche, but effective.

Courtney Reese... eh.

This is from another Maryland area portrait photographer named Courtney Reese. Her website is fantastic, but her photography is... not special to say the least. It all looks like this; amateur. Way too centered, way too cliche, way too plain; and maybe that is the nature of couples photos but it just lacks a spark that i have seen in other wedding photography.

Sarah Michelle child photo

So, my wife's sister Sarah is a professional wedding/family/group photographer. So i figured i should look at her work and critique it. This is obviously one of her child photo shoots. I like it. The watermelon as big as the kids head is adorable, the bow is adorable, the composition is strong with the child eyes right on a third, and her eyes pop most which is important. However, if your going to show this on an online portfolio, it shouldn't be obviously photoshoped. There is a huge noticeable halo around the kids head and arms.  Photoshop is great, but you should be able to tell it is shopped. It just looks unprofessional.  

Tools on a table

So this is the last nameless photo i am posting but i wanted to post it because i find it extremely interesting, but i dont know if i like it. Like, the tools are very historic and old and used, and the are placed on a white cloth which is very modern and pure so the contrasting ideas give a very unique emotion. Then the photographer placed the tools in a way that they are somewhat messy, but somewhat organized. They are grouped but scattered. Very cool to break down.  I like it, i just feel like it needs more.

Unique ocean photo

This photo is very interesting. You would think the photographer would make the model the point of interest, but i am first drawn to the blues in the ocean by the horizon line. Then, my eyes are led down by the alga/seaweed ploom right to the model. Her position is a little unnerving though. Is she doing stretches or yoga or something? Strange. However this is a unique and interesting shot. Well done whoever you are that took this photo. Lets call him Jimmy McJohnnystien just so i get the points!  :)

Train Bridge

I love this shot. There is so much to see in it. Everything from the moving tree lines in the back, to the fact that the girl is seemingly swinging her legs. I actually like that she is smack in the middle because the girl still has some room to breath, but we also get a go glimps of the drop and the leading lines of the train track. I also like how everything is in focus because usually in photos like this they put the foreground and background out of focus, but it is nice to see everything very sharp and in focus here. I could not find any info on the photographer for this one.

David's super fun time

I just love the action shots. Thank jesus for GoPro! The movement and action that is captured in this one frame is unreal. the crashing wave, the water line in the foreground, the pose of the surfer, the gradient in the sky, it is incredible. I like the surfer in the middle, It puts the top of the wave and the bottom of the bubble on the thirds. Powerful and super cool! This one is by David Skinner.

Holly's Punch

This photo is very unique. It is so simple, but it is extremely interesting. I am just so drawn to the bowl right in the middle. After looking at it for several minutes, i think it is because the deep red of the bowl is so strong and contrasting the white around it. It is also the most angry and energetic color. the rest of the foods are very light and faded, but the red is so bold and powerful. Also, i actually like that it is directly in the middle of the shot. it makes the composition more confrontational. This is by Holly Andres who is know for her photos of tension and disturbing subtext.

Classic Cityscape

This is a historic cityscape of New York City by Louis Stettner from 1954. There is so much going on i could talk about it for days. Compositionally, metaphorically, proportionately; it is all on point. The fence seems like a barrier for the black boy, keeping him out of Manhattan. The skyline seems like it is an upward slope, maybe pointing to a better future. I could go on and on. This picture definitely says 1000 words.  fantastico!

Elvis?

This shot is alright i guess.  It is from Matthew Lloyd, a young photographer for New York Times, Bloomburg and mostly corporate clients. This photo is alright i guess. The composition is very strange.  Why is the door so close and in the middle of the shot?  I cant think of any reason for it. Plus, their is way too much sky and he just gets kind of lost in the car. I'm just drawn to the black blob of the door and i don't even see the man. A great idea, but not pulled off very well.

Cameron Rad's freedom photo

This photo is great. Another great example of life or freedom. Young, free-spirited, topless, what a great generation we live in.....  But seriously, the shot is very strong but could use some attention. The tall grassy field, the tree and the background, her track in the foreground and the action and movement if the girl running is great. I wish the sky had a little more movement being it takes up a lot of the shot, and i wish she was closer to a third, but other than that the shot is very fun and strong. This is from a very young woman's portrait photographer named Cameron Rad. 

cute father daughter photo

This photo is cool. This would be a good example of life. A young father and his kid trying to see a game or a show or whatever it my be. The fact that its centered actually works here, the movement of their arms give a great visual direction, and not to mention the shot is just adorable. This is from an up and coming photographer named Mark Jaworski, in his early 20's.

Joey L. shot of a fisherman

This is another photo from Joey L. This is a fisherman wrestling a catfish with his bear hands. I have no idea how he got this action shot but it is beautiful.  So much emotion and movement it almost seems like a video. The texture on the fish through the splash, the slightly blurred emotion on the mans face, the visual direction, the composition, it is all fantastic. I only with the man's head had a little more room at the top. great shot, great photographer.

Joey L. action photo

I love this photo. Everything about it. I would say the composition could be realigned to the third, but i like that the paddle and the splash in the water is on the third because that is what my eyes are first drawn to. Then they are led right up to the rowers face. I love the discoloration and the foggy haze in the photo. This is near perfect. The leading lines of the canoe, and the rower in the background, fantastic. This was taken by a young 21 year old photographer and director. He has shot for Verizon, nick, History channel, FX, Smirnoff, Kawasaki, and even the Government of Abu Dhabi, and all at the age of 21. Insane!!

Rob Simmons Divergence photo

Another photo of divergence. This one is a little more obvious from a gentleman named Rob Simmons. So, clearly the stream is going the opposite way as the road. However, I don't like it. It's so dark and ambient, which is not a bad thing, but here it is not working. Design 101, the viewers eye is drawn to the biggest contrast, so why is the biggest contrast a giant under exposed shadow spot in the clouds.  The trees and forest are way too dull and the mono-color street and bridge don't help the issue. The best part of the photo is the water, which isn't even that strong. I love the composition here, and the idea of the photo, but everything else needs some work.

McFarlane's Divergence

This is a photo of divergence from a man named McFarlane (no first name found) in the form if a futuristic house popping out of the middle of a forest. I like it. Its not perfect but its nice. The house looks great, but the trees and the cliff are a little too dark for my taste. Also, I just wish the house were bumped up a little bit to put it on the third and that would erase some of the empty sky. Its a great idea and a fairly strong piece, but just a little more Photoshop attention.

Child Portrait

I love this portrait photo. It just screams playful and childish. The messy hair and the slightly over exposed skin make this shot very powerful.  I also like how the f-stop is very low which makes a small window of focus so the eyes and face are sharp and everything else just fades off. I just get lost in this little boys dark blue eyes. I wish the composition of the photo was a little bit higher up to put his eyes on the third, but other than that its very strong. This is from a portrait photographer in Portland, Oregon named Marisa.

Willie Huang's Paradise Cove

If you want to talk about the essence of life, this photo pretty much captures it. Beautiful blooming flowers in the foreground, crusty old mountain tops in the midground, a breathtaking sunset in the background, and even a moving noisy sky all at the same time. Its flawless from Willie Huang in Paradise Cove, Hawaii. The levels work is great. The eye catching sunset is right on the top third and the field of flowers draws the eye right up to the foreground. Beautiful.

Miles Morgan, Mount St. Helen photo

I decided to look at some landscape photography because they tend to be full of color and I think my color photography is a little bit weak at this point.  I stumbled across this shot of Johnson's Ridge and Mount St. Helens from USA landscape photographer of the year winner Miles Morgan. Ignoring the copyright logo, this shot is extremely beautiful. The excitement of color in the foreground, matched with the dark movement in the background gives polar opposite moods, yet Miles managed to catch them together here. Also, the heat lightning in the back is just excitingly awesome for lack of a better term. The color is great, the composition is great, the movement is great. Fantastic photo.

Clayton Bozard portrait

This portrait is... eh. This is from Clayton Bozard, an ex-musician who found a new love for photography. This photograph is mostly bad.

Top Hoops portrait

This is a portrait from Tom Hoops; known as the Dark Knight of portrait photography. This portrait is interesting. Mostly good, some bad. I love the idea. Bad ass looking woman in a old, ransacked room, kicked back in a chair and smoking a cigarette. The idea of relaxing in a Chaotic environment is very interesting. I also like the position of the woman. I am drawn into her pointed stilettos and my eyes go up her legs and then i am drawn to her lips and the cigarette. However, why not crop out the bottom a little and give more space to the top?!?  The rest of the photo is nearly perfect, but the primary focus of the shot, her shoe, has no room to "breathe."  and there is a lot of useless information below the chair that could be removed to compensate. ARG!

Stan Seaton Engagement photo

This is an engagement photo taken by Stan Seaton, a young photographer who does mostly wedding photography and portraits in the United Kingdom. This photo is very good but could use some composition edits. I love the blurry rain throughout the shot which gives more movement to a somewhat still shot. Also, the out of focus diagonal building in the background gives some movement as well. The levels are decent, although it is a little dark for a wedding shot.  But, the composition is pretty off. The couple is way too centered and I am just getting stuck on the umbrella because it is in the top left third. Okay overall, but could just use some shop work.

Eric Anderson b&w portrait

This is a black and white portrait from a young photographer from Eric Ryan Anderson. I absolutely love this shot. Aesthetically, everything works. The out of focus chain link fence in the foreground gives a great "street" feeling. The angles made by his arms and legs add great movement to the joyous expression of the boy. His eyes and hat are the focus because of their placement on the top third which is great. and the levels of the photo are on point. Highlights aren't too bright, and the shadows are nice and dark.