Image Review... can't hide any longer!

[Heather_L._Smith]

Alright, guys... time for me to suck it up and post my images for certification. My breakdown is 80% portrait, 20% corporate/commercial, so for the 20 images, we're looking at 16 portrait, 4 corporate/commercial.

Have at it...

http://www.smithphotodesign.com/Certification/

[Roger_Williams]

Alright, guys... time for me to suck it up and post my images for certification. My breakdown is 80% portrait, 20% corporate/commercial, so for the 20 images, we're looking at 16 portrait, 4 corporate/commercial.

Have at it...

http://www.smithphotodesign.com/Certification/

Luv them. I'm the last person you should ever take advice from as I just entered my first competition last month ( and got 1 80) but the very last picture bothers me. Her blouse is way to billowed out, looks really strange to me. Can you crop the image across the top and cut out her arm, just right where the arm meets the pink. This will cut out most of the open blouse and I think it looks better but as I said, I am not even in the same ball game as you and so many others here.

[Nylora_Bruleigh]

Hey Heather!

You have some great images here!
I think all you have to worry about at this point is the exam!

[Angela_Lawson]

Hi Heather.

I'm still in the process of trying to pull my submissions together (again), since I didn't make it first time out, so I'm not really the right person to comment on much. Especially since I keep second guessing myself on everything. Anyway, there's one that doesn't grab me; that's number 14. With her arm covering her mouth, so you can't see a smile, I'd really want to be drawn to her eyes then. But there really aren't much for catchlights to draw me there either. Just my very small $.02, if it's worth that much. I must say that I really liked most of the baby and kid ones - very cute.

[John_Metcalfe]

Overall I thought things were fine, a bit over retouched for my taste but good. My least favs were:

14 the eyes fell short, 18 the front of the item was not lit as well as the rest of the image, 23 too hot on forehead, 27 eyes look closed

Hope this helps.

Best of luck

[Heather_L._Smith]

Great feedback, guys! Thank you very much. The ones you've pointed out so far are the same ones on my "pull" list, so that's good news!

[Noelle_Zaleski]

Heather, I think they are all really nice. you have a great variety and your lighting is really, really nice.

[George_Hawkins]

Alright, guys... time for me to suck it up and post my images for certification. My breakdown is 80% portrait, 20% corporate/commercial, so for the 20 images, we're looking at 16 portrait, 4 corporate/commercial.

I am commenting before reading other posts - fresh in my mind. I am not a judge, but have viewed and coordinated judgings as the CPP liaison. I see a great body of work. I'd take out the Marathon ruler, unless you have a tear sheet of how image was used. Or rephotograph so that verticals are vertical: maybe longer lens and camera positioned lower, if not a view camera. The black plexi is nice for that kind of subject. Also, I'd not position it so almost square to the camera; it's always better when photographing a cubical "box" type item that we see three facades, two sides and top. That goes for a portable radio, a vehicle, etc. I'd actually substitute to another image.

George

[Heather_L._Smith]

Super - thanks, George! John had some great comments about the measuring tape, too... two strikes and you're out in my book!

So, here's a quick question - do I need to have tear sheets for all of the commercial/corporate images? I indicated an 80/20 split on my CPP application (80% portrait, 20% corporate) because I do regular, on-going product work for a firm that provides online stores to companies like Microsoft, Nortel, International Truck, etc. of their logo-specific products. All the work I do for them is for online catalogs. Do I need to include screenshots or some proof of that, or are the images themselves sufficient? It didn't indicate anything like that in the "guidelines" so I want to make sure I'm not missing something!

[Erin_L._Clark]

you have beautiful shots Heather! What retouch processing do you use on the skin out of curiosity?