My first shots for c + c

LordTalbot

These are a few shots I took at the Good Bits. The first time I used my studio lights in anger. Opinions and constructive discussion welcome.

Misstaken

Nice work. For my own personal taste, I might take out a slight bit of contrast, just to give more mood, slightly too bright on the sleeve on the first image. Just a suggestion. Cool !

LordTalbot

Thanks Misstaken. I see what you mean about the sleeve on the first image. It's worth a revisit. Thanks for your comments

OldGoat

As you already know I love #2 and #6 but I'd like to see #6 either in full B&W or with the saturation brought back into it. The 'almost B&W' dosen't work for me and I really think her tattoo work deserves a bit more colour.

BlastedGlute

1st image had great potential but either you over exposed the shot when you took it or you overcooked in photoshop afterwards. I have a particular distaste for high key on male subjects to begin with but especially when the bridge of the nose burns into the side of the face. Also the mark on his left elbow is glaring of him leaning on it too long. You should have spotted that in pp and clone tooled it.

The 2nd image is nicer but the out-of-whack angle,split toning and again over exposure on the face ruins it for me. It feels like a "movie" shot but I think the reason you dont see angles with similar portraits like that is because you can't connect with the subject quickly enough to make it intriguing. Did you shoot this like that or did you turn the image?

The next couple of images are a it awkward for me. I think the male is doing the best job here. Seems to me that sometimes the more overly emotive the expression/pose for a photograph, the better resonance the image has with what it's trying to achieve. The goes for this kind of concept work anyway.

It's clear you wanted a suspect-backroom-poker shark card game vibe where each person is a character with intent. But the women are giving nothing to the images but the props they carry. Even the props are not given individual focus, the gloves in the foreground dont seem to fitting with the scene, and they obscure the shape of the weapon which you wouldnt even notice at first. Static or weak poses with uninspiring expression telling me nothing about the individual intentions of the players.

The last image has no place in the set and it does nothing for the cleavage or her shape.

I'm not trying to be scalding but when I see things that are close to my own interests and when you ask for C+C it has to be pointed out that I'm not convinced of end result for what has the potential to be a catchy subject matter. You need to focus on your PP work as a set. The colours in every image are so different, the 3 of the same room make the repeat characters look very different from image to image. If you want a set to look like a set then you need to PP with that in mind and repeat the steps to maintain a look or a vibe. You can go b+w with some and colour with others but there has to be continuity in the ones with a shared scene,colour,character etc.

Also, when you say studio lights, you really should invest in more than one. Key light the hair and points of interest in the room/image etc. Create a dynamic that will give several dimensions to your work and make the viewer engage more with the separate details on offer.

Other than that you've done a good with composition I think, the placement of the models seems right and the level you shot them from feels good. I think you just need more involvement from the models, continuity in your PP to make a set feel like a set, and a bit more thought about keylighting and the dynamic it creates.