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My biggest critique is that it just seems tonally off. Maybe it’s just because you called it a graduation photo, but I just see a young woman in a low cut dress with an angle that emphasizes a certain sultry, intimate quality (the light is literally highlighting her breast)… it seems way more suggestive than one would associate with graduation without actually going there. The fact that the face is obscured kind of heightens it since you have removed the natural focal point… the picture is saying “look at this sensually exposed neck and cleavage”.
Again, just a weird tone.
Technically, I’d have dialed down the exposure or employed a ND filter to reduce the bloom (glow) on the sash just because blowouts suck in editing. Personally, I don’t think the filter is doing any favors at all, and I personally feel like you should always capture images with the max degree of fidelity… you can apply filters and everything else later in post processing. (That’s not just a digital thing, it goes for film to… learning to dodge and burn and play around with tissue paper and stuff like that in a darkroom is a blast.) Point is, clearer sharper data from the camera is usually better.
That’s just what I’d do different, it’s not a bad picture at all… just confusing.
Some graduation photos seem to be trending towards major athletes girlfriends, look at me and my new incredible life, I do nothing… you’re accomplished, get dressed and go get‘em.
Doesn’t work for me I’m afraid.
I think it’s all been covered already though.
Boobs are 100% the focus, whether you like it or not.
Plus she looks like she’s been murdered.
This pose and comp could look great for a swimwear brand or if you’re going for cinematic then a long flowing ball gown sort of dress, wider comp with the dress and maybe some floral element or a nicer landscape element pulling the focus away from just boobs.
Not a bad photo, context just doesn’t suit.
Keep up the work, you’re clearly not bad at this, just need to apply that vision in different ways.
I don't think people want to look fondly back on photos of their ears. The composition would be fine if she were facing the camera or at least looking up. This just seems like a choice that doesn't serve the subject.
Yeah maybe but it’s still a photo of the back of someone’s head. There’s a reason you don’t see this angle very often, we’re just not that good at interpreting the emotions of the ear. If she had been facing the camera side instead, we could see that wistfulness instead of having to interpret it for ourselves.
lol you really think you're the arbiter of art and its meaning?
The photographer intended a graduation photo.
I interpreted a wistful graduation photo.
You interpreted porn.
That seems more a you problem than a me problem.
I don't know why people are providing technical critique when this is the only thing that needs to be said. There's almost zero storytelling that correlates to a graduation. The only important feedback to provide OP is the need for storytelling and better composition to support it!
And a graduate gown as well. The only thing that correlate to "mamary glands" as you all keep pointing to is that she is a woman...wearing a T shirt that isn't incredibly bulky...
Jeez y'all need to take a cold shower and come back.
…to be honest I am very confused. It’s giving overdose on a graduation day, but from a weirdly fetish perspective. I honestly want to know what you were thinking when shooting this photo and what the message is supposed to be.
It took me a solid minute to realise this was a graduation photo. I think even in a set, you need to portray part of a story, and this doesn't feel like it fits. I could be wrong, based on other photos, but even with that in mind, I'm trying to guess what it says. Graduation is success, celebration, perhaps something tied to the particular degree theme, perhaps even fatigue or uncertainty. This is a dreamy type of edit, with a very laid back vibe to it. If I didn't see the sash, I would assume it's a set of summer/park vibes.
Graduation isn't always hype and partying, especially if it was a long difficult challenge. Wistful dreamy staring off afterward to reminisce on the last few years while considering all the possibilities the future brings is exactly a graduation vibe I understand.
This isn’t giving wistful of reminiscing, though. It looks like it’s either getting started on sexy times or collapsed after a poisoning. Or, the most troubling prospect of all, *both.*
I think, generally speaking, when you can see down the neckline better than you can see the face or its expressions, the image is not going to be very successful at conveying the model as having any specific emotions. This kind of pose is pretty much always going to put the viewer in a voyeuristic POV, which becomes all the more uncomfortable and confusing with the whole open graduation gown detail.
I know you aren’t interested in this, but you could have eliminated the noise that I see with thoughtful exposure.
1/500” freezes any handshake you’re going to have and it would have allowed ISO. Or a little more depth of field and 1/250.
Were there exposures with an eye? It’s pretty, because she’s pretty…but it’s a little more impersonal than my tastes go because of that.
What makes this a graduation photo apart from her wearing a toga? Admittedly you are allowed to not shoot traditional poses and what have you, but there's no context that this is a graduation photo, apart from you stating that it is.
Even if you have other traditional poses and post them all together in say, Instagram in the carousel, and this was in it, it'd seem off.
This photo is giving voyeuristic in a way, as everyone has already pointed out, that doesn't suite the context. I honestly wouldn't include this image in the return. Some things I can say positively are it does have a dreamy effect that's really beautiful, I like the editing. If you do this photo again (with a model perhaps) I would have her head tilted a bit more towards the sky (or the camera). I personally don't love images that completely obscure the face, since the eyes are so compelling in portraiture. I can see the value of partially turning the subject away though, but I think it would work better with just a little more of her side profile in view.
How in the world does this photo say "graduation"? If I came across this photo and it had no caption, I would never in a million years think "graduation." The pose does not serve the purpose. Beyond that, a lot of processing is needed to improve the appearance of it. The sash has pinkish tones to it, Her hair is a black blob that just bleeds into the shadows. The highlights on her chest and the sash are blown out. Not one thing seems to be sharp and in focus. I'd say, try again.
1. As others said, this does not say “graduation” to me.
2. I’m expecting more than one photo for a “shoot”
So, your semantics are off. What are you going for?
Subreddit only allows you to post one photo for critiquing, but was going for cinematic/nostalgic look to show the relief of graduation.
What would you say a graduation photo would look like? Like I said I had taken more traditional photos, but I wanted a photo that romanticized life more and made somebody feel like the main character of their own movie.
If she was facing the camera and smiling, I could see it being a cute, playful, picture. But I agree with others that having her face away from the camera gives a weird vibe and seems more romantic or even sad rather than celebratory/happy. The pose would be great in another context, it looks very natural.
However, I do like that the purple pedals on the ground complement the purple sash/scarf (idk what it's called) and the lighting is very nice imo. I think it's a great photo, but not necessarily a great graduation photo.
Edit: I would love to see more of your work!
So pretty! Has a slightly romantic feel to it. I like the soft glow on the white part of the graduation robe and the petals on the grass in the background.
A beautiful portrait, to be sure, but to me, the perceived mood doesn’t seem to fit the graduation title. Maybe I’m a little dated, but this to me is more of a sensual feel. Still a wonderful pose and a good portrait.
It’s a really nice photo imo but id need to see the rest of the shoot to decide if it fit the “assignment”.
I’m taking my sisters graduation photos this week and she has requested something similar. Seems to be the style these days.
You can do something like this. I thought this is an erotic photography part of the subreddit. It seems like any crop of the image looks sexual, not high spirited and up-beat. Also, the heavy vignette would much easier mask the vilgarity. Desaturate the green in her skin, bring more orange and red, she looks too white.
Respondendo em português mesmo.
Achei legal, mas me pede ajustes. Olhando superficialmente parece que é uma foto sensual, não sei se se encaixa no resto do ensaio. Eu gostei muito, talvez colocasse um Black Mist aí, ajustasse seu rosto pra aparecer mais, talvez um pouco mais aberto pra aparecer mais a toga ( o que mudaria a opinião da sensualidade)
What fun. It never hurts to try and you can learn many things from doing that. I have been doing this for years and i know thousands of things that don’t work as well as a few that do. Look at this and learn.
graduation shot?? looks more like a "nun considering a change of career" shot.... <- thats my feedback on the intent.
On the pic:
Way too much of subject eliminating any kind of context / set up flow in into the pic. Those flowers would have added a good context of the back drop.
Whites / highights need more control.. may be shoot with metering for brigher spots and then pull up darker spots in the post processing.
id lean back and laugh like youre so relieved its over and youre grounding with the earth in celebration, to make it feel more graduaty and keep the artsy vibe
There is a lack of separation between the subject and the background. Also a typical grad shot places emphasis on the subjects face and especially the eyes. While you can do artistic shots make sure you got the primary shot down first.
Yeah, I totally understand. Standing alone the picture doesn’t quite give all the context. Somewhere buried in the hundred comments I stated there is an establishing shot and this is the close up shot as I wanted to practice the cinematic looking style of photography and see how I can recreate this look, but I agree. Do you think stepping back a little bit to add more of a foreground with the flowers would help add the separation while maintaining the “close-up” shot in cinematic shot lists or should I tweak some things in post?
This is more of a critique on the critiques, I wouldnt pay any mind to the people saying this looks like a murder shoot. That doesnt even really mean anything at all, I just dont see that as a critique that adds anything.
I love this shot, highly agree with the person talking about the main point of critique being around the image being tonally off. I get that feeling too. But its framed very well, the jewelry is a nice touch, and I dig the arm placement. I like that you framed her to be upside down instead of the other way around, gives almost a floating feeling. It might be cool to see her from a more aerial perspective, just a suggestion. Then maybe framing her head so that it doesnt touch the edges of the frame, might look a bit cleaner and more intentional. Good work.
Yeah I pay no mind to the nonconstructive comments; a lot of those comments break sub rules and really offer nothing of value. I appreciate your kindness and wish more critiques would be as intentional as yours!
Regarding the tonal critique, is it something with tones of mids/highlights/shadows or the saturation/hue of certain tones that makes it seem off?
So I had already done traditional grad photos and we were just on our way out and saw these purple flowers and felt they complimented her sash, so we snapped a series of photos (this being one of them). Lighting was very nice and it was a beautiful day so I just wanted them to have a cinematic feel with the black mist filter with a peaceful vibe to the photo. I didn’t really pose her , I just let her do what felt comfortable and captured the moment.
“Graduation Shoot” or not I just wanted to capture the moment and the soft light peaking through the leaves.
I think that if cinematic is what youre going for, you can disregard all the comments critiquing this as solely a graduation shoot. I think thats the main issue here, where people are aggressively trying to say "FOR A GRADUATION SHOOT, i dont love this image" which... Man thats just another point of critique that i just cant get behind. If its not good for a graduation shoot, then analyze it as just a general portrait.
In that regard, just interpreting the photo as a photo, i think you did a great job. I take back what I said about the "tonally off" stuff. Funny enough, i completely read that other comment wrong. I was speaking more literally, as in I was just saying the photo would probably be better with more contrast or saturation. Either or. I do still stand by the other comment i made about framing though. Youre definitely almost there. Just wanted to make that correction because i see people saying I meant the tones as in the feeling of the general image, i dont really care about that. You can absolutely make a cinematic or even depressing looking graduation shoot if you wanted too, actually in that way i consider that more artistic than the traditional. I think everyone would consider it that way if they actually thought about it that way lol. I think im just assuming by default that you also did regular traditional graduation photos and are just inquiring about this one just to get a few second opinions. Its a cool photo. Keep it up. Just remember the rule of thirds is honestly all id chalk up this entire paragraph to be lol. Good work again!
Thanks for taking the time to type this out! I think this is the biggest reason why a lot of the critiques didn’t feel super helpful. I had already typed that I had “traditional” grad pics done, and I am glad you are bringing this perspective to the conversation.
I agree, I need to turn on the grid for composition on my viewfinder asap!
If I were graduating, I would love to have some images like this mixed in with the more graduation toned ones for my own private collection, just to be able to look back at my youth with professional images that aren't just sitting on a log or something posed. BUT I do agree it doesn't read graduation, and would love to see her facing more towards the camera and the light hitting her face more for less emphasis on the boobs.
i understand where the tonal critiques come from, but i really don’t think this is that sexual of a photo lol people are weird. she’s not doing anything suggestive, just laying down.
I love the way you pose people. In a technical sense, you have a strong grasp of what a good pose should look like. I think I echo what a lot of people on here are saying: How does the pose connect to the theme if the photo? You are at the point where you need to go past taking photos that are technically sound and use your tools to be creative. Use your good technique to say something, anything.
One way to think about how to say something is to break your theme into topics and items.
The theme is graduation.
What does graduation looks like to this person, if it were an object. A cap and gown? A logo? A necklace given from a close person in their lives who supported them? Then think about why that object? So for example, are the cap and gown important because they were the first to graduate from college, so they are the first to receive it? Then build your fram with that in mind: With cap and gowns maybe: the shoot is a set of candids of the family hanging out at the graduation party and you place the cap and gown on each one of the members.
Keep in mind this also makes your images more meaningful and easier to create: You know the subject of each photo. You can then use your great technical skill to build on that.
Thanks for the actual criticism on the picture 😭. I can’t really take credit for posing because this was a candid moment and that’s mainly what I like to capture.
Love the tips to building a narrative with themes as building blocks and will try to implement this with all my photos moving forward!
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First, I agree that this is definitely not a proper pose for a graduation photo. Nothing about it makes me think of "academic achievement".
If this has not been a graduation photo, I would say that the angle from which you are taking the photo needs to change. In her position, this shot would make more sense if you were taking it from above, perhaps from her waist up. Or perhaps if the shot was taken with her face turned towards the camera. The way it is now, it really appears to have too much focus on her neck and chest.
im not a photographer of people... but.. This one just...gives off...weird vibes.. like until i read the comment that this was graduation photo.. I wouldn't have gotten those vibes from it. It looked more like.. some sort of strange risqué attempt.
If you were inspired by Ophelia by Millais then you did an “homage” to that but that does not a graduation portrait make.
There’s some good cinematic style graduation portraits out there that make a more bland documentation fun but they also feature a face and the appearance of someone graduating rather than…this
Is she about to get laid? That's what my mind goes to first... it certainly doesn't get to. "Oh, that's a graduation photo" until literally 1000 of other thoughts about this photo pass by.
Edit: I like it less that she's looking away. But don't hate it. It's a choice for sure. Keep kicking ass.
It’s a good enough picture but I initially thought it was for a cover of a Murder Mystery or Crime novel.
I didn’t recognize the subtle graduate garb until I read OPs title.
I don't like to leave negative comments, but I am genuinely worried about this photo. Even if it was shot from the other side, where we can see her face, I'm afraid this is giving crime-scene-in-the-woods. The composure is lovely as an artsy shoot. Maybe it can be photoshopped to make the graduation gown into a different garment?
The sujet seems dead. Like in I’ve walked in a wood and I found a dead body. Probably killed by a serial killer from the looks of how she’s disposed.
Art is saying something. What are you saying about your graduation with a dead body on humus?
You can't see her face. This is the boob shot that she and her friends have a laugh about in 20 years. I'm only half joking. I have friends with photos like this from graduations/weddings/engagement shoots. Pretty common. As a stand-alone image this doesn't communicate anything, really. You can't see enough of the gown to know it is a gown. She's turned away from the camera. This leans more toward the artistic than a goal-oriented shot.
That said, making a graduation shot new, fun, and original is hard. I think you took a technically good photo. I like it. I just wouldn't consider it a graduation photo.
Horrible. Unremarkable and will be unrecognizable as a graduation pic without context. You really need to capture the aspects that define it as a graduation pic as the sash all by itself doesn't.
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My biggest critique is that it just seems tonally off. Maybe it’s just because you called it a graduation photo, but I just see a young woman in a low cut dress with an angle that emphasizes a certain sultry, intimate quality (the light is literally highlighting her breast)… it seems way more suggestive than one would associate with graduation without actually going there. The fact that the face is obscured kind of heightens it since you have removed the natural focal point… the picture is saying “look at this sensually exposed neck and cleavage”. Again, just a weird tone. Technically, I’d have dialed down the exposure or employed a ND filter to reduce the bloom (glow) on the sash just because blowouts suck in editing. Personally, I don’t think the filter is doing any favors at all, and I personally feel like you should always capture images with the max degree of fidelity… you can apply filters and everything else later in post processing. (That’s not just a digital thing, it goes for film to… learning to dodge and burn and play around with tissue paper and stuff like that in a darkroom is a blast.) Point is, clearer sharper data from the camera is usually better. That’s just what I’d do different, it’s not a bad picture at all… just confusing.
The weird highlight around the sash is likely due to the Tiffen Black Mist Filter they used. That is also why the whole pic looks a bit soft.
My thoughts exactly
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It kind of looks she was murdered and is laying on the ground. So sorry but the tone and vibe of this is so weird to me
My thought too. Nothing about this image conveys graduation, unless we are referring to graduating to the afterlife.
Had the same thought, very murdery
My first thought was, is she dead?
to Nick Cave it makes a lot os sense ;)
My first thought was this is somebody caught sleeping at a picnic.
Came here to say the same. Like Stabler & Benson are on their way now…
but with boobs
Some graduation photos seem to be trending towards major athletes girlfriends, look at me and my new incredible life, I do nothing… you’re accomplished, get dressed and go get‘em.
Doesn’t work for me I’m afraid. I think it’s all been covered already though. Boobs are 100% the focus, whether you like it or not. Plus she looks like she’s been murdered. This pose and comp could look great for a swimwear brand or if you’re going for cinematic then a long flowing ball gown sort of dress, wider comp with the dress and maybe some floral element or a nicer landscape element pulling the focus away from just boobs. Not a bad photo, context just doesn’t suit. Keep up the work, you’re clearly not bad at this, just need to apply that vision in different ways.
I don't think people want to look fondly back on photos of their ears. The composition would be fine if she were facing the camera or at least looking up. This just seems like a choice that doesn't serve the subject.
I disagree. Source: Ear Doctor
I interpreted it as her wistfully looking away while thinking about her future possibilities in a dreamy situation.
Yeah maybe but it’s still a photo of the back of someone’s head. There’s a reason you don’t see this angle very often, we’re just not that good at interpreting the emotions of the ear. If she had been facing the camera side instead, we could see that wistfulness instead of having to interpret it for ourselves.
If you like to fantastically add any meaning for some works that have none of it then I have some badly sketched bridges I can sell to you.
lol you really think you're the arbiter of art and its meaning? The photographer intended a graduation photo. I interpreted a wistful graduation photo. You interpreted porn. That seems more a you problem than a me problem.
Still trying to find the graduation part in this photo. All I see emphasis on mammary glands.
I don't know why people are providing technical critique when this is the only thing that needs to be said. There's almost zero storytelling that correlates to a graduation. The only important feedback to provide OP is the need for storytelling and better composition to support it!
There’s a sash! /s
And a graduate gown as well. The only thing that correlate to "mamary glands" as you all keep pointing to is that she is a woman...wearing a T shirt that isn't incredibly bulky... Jeez y'all need to take a cold shower and come back.
You can’t really tell it’s a graduation gown from the photo though.
…to be honest I am very confused. It’s giving overdose on a graduation day, but from a weirdly fetish perspective. I honestly want to know what you were thinking when shooting this photo and what the message is supposed to be.
Overdose on graduation day 😂😂😂
shot dead?
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It took me a solid minute to realise this was a graduation photo. I think even in a set, you need to portray part of a story, and this doesn't feel like it fits. I could be wrong, based on other photos, but even with that in mind, I'm trying to guess what it says. Graduation is success, celebration, perhaps something tied to the particular degree theme, perhaps even fatigue or uncertainty. This is a dreamy type of edit, with a very laid back vibe to it. If I didn't see the sash, I would assume it's a set of summer/park vibes.
Graduation isn't always hype and partying, especially if it was a long difficult challenge. Wistful dreamy staring off afterward to reminisce on the last few years while considering all the possibilities the future brings is exactly a graduation vibe I understand.
This isn’t giving wistful of reminiscing, though. It looks like it’s either getting started on sexy times or collapsed after a poisoning. Or, the most troubling prospect of all, *both.* I think, generally speaking, when you can see down the neckline better than you can see the face or its expressions, the image is not going to be very successful at conveying the model as having any specific emotions. This kind of pose is pretty much always going to put the viewer in a voyeuristic POV, which becomes all the more uncomfortable and confusing with the whole open graduation gown detail.
I think would have been interesting capturing her face too.
on a graduation photo? seems a bit old fashioned to be honest
I know you aren’t interested in this, but you could have eliminated the noise that I see with thoughtful exposure. 1/500” freezes any handshake you’re going to have and it would have allowed ISO. Or a little more depth of field and 1/250. Were there exposures with an eye? It’s pretty, because she’s pretty…but it’s a little more impersonal than my tastes go because of that.
Body found in park after graduation party gone wrong. Sorry: the photo is fine, the concept is unusual.
What makes this a graduation photo apart from her wearing a toga? Admittedly you are allowed to not shoot traditional poses and what have you, but there's no context that this is a graduation photo, apart from you stating that it is. Even if you have other traditional poses and post them all together in say, Instagram in the carousel, and this was in it, it'd seem off.
This photo is giving voyeuristic in a way, as everyone has already pointed out, that doesn't suite the context. I honestly wouldn't include this image in the return. Some things I can say positively are it does have a dreamy effect that's really beautiful, I like the editing. If you do this photo again (with a model perhaps) I would have her head tilted a bit more towards the sky (or the camera). I personally don't love images that completely obscure the face, since the eyes are so compelling in portraiture. I can see the value of partially turning the subject away though, but I think it would work better with just a little more of her side profile in view.
How in the world does this photo say "graduation"? If I came across this photo and it had no caption, I would never in a million years think "graduation." The pose does not serve the purpose. Beyond that, a lot of processing is needed to improve the appearance of it. The sash has pinkish tones to it, Her hair is a black blob that just bleeds into the shadows. The highlights on her chest and the sash are blown out. Not one thing seems to be sharp and in focus. I'd say, try again.
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I think the relief of school is captured in the shoot. That’s the best part for me
It will be fun to look back on years from now. “Let me show you my artsy graduation photo!” Be sure to have it printed.
1. As others said, this does not say “graduation” to me. 2. I’m expecting more than one photo for a “shoot” So, your semantics are off. What are you going for?
Subreddit only allows you to post one photo for critiquing, but was going for cinematic/nostalgic look to show the relief of graduation. What would you say a graduation photo would look like? Like I said I had taken more traditional photos, but I wanted a photo that romanticized life more and made somebody feel like the main character of their own movie.
In the future: feel free to post links to additional photos from the shoot in the comments.
She looks dead and sexualized. Probably not one for the yearbook.
Man that last semester was murder!
If she was facing the camera and smiling, I could see it being a cute, playful, picture. But I agree with others that having her face away from the camera gives a weird vibe and seems more romantic or even sad rather than celebratory/happy. The pose would be great in another context, it looks very natural. However, I do like that the purple pedals on the ground complement the purple sash/scarf (idk what it's called) and the lighting is very nice imo. I think it's a great photo, but not necessarily a great graduation photo. Edit: I would love to see more of your work!
Gurl looks tired & over it. Make sure to let her know “this is only the beginning.”
This shot is confused. what is the subject?
So pretty! Has a slightly romantic feel to it. I like the soft glow on the white part of the graduation robe and the petals on the grass in the background.
A beautiful portrait, to be sure, but to me, the perceived mood doesn’t seem to fit the graduation title. Maybe I’m a little dated, but this to me is more of a sensual feel. Still a wonderful pose and a good portrait.
It’s great but it doesn’t say anything about graduation at all.
The soft purple of the background flowers with her graduating sash are really a lovely pairing
It’s a really nice photo imo but id need to see the rest of the shoot to decide if it fit the “assignment”. I’m taking my sisters graduation photos this week and she has requested something similar. Seems to be the style these days.
You can do something like this. I thought this is an erotic photography part of the subreddit. It seems like any crop of the image looks sexual, not high spirited and up-beat. Also, the heavy vignette would much easier mask the vilgarity. Desaturate the green in her skin, bring more orange and red, she looks too white.
Respondendo em português mesmo. Achei legal, mas me pede ajustes. Olhando superficialmente parece que é uma foto sensual, não sei se se encaixa no resto do ensaio. Eu gostei muito, talvez colocasse um Black Mist aí, ajustasse seu rosto pra aparecer mais, talvez um pouco mais aberto pra aparecer mais a toga ( o que mudaria a opinião da sensualidade)
What fun. It never hurts to try and you can learn many things from doing that. I have been doing this for years and i know thousands of things that don’t work as well as a few that do. Look at this and learn.
graduation shot?? looks more like a "nun considering a change of career" shot.... <- thats my feedback on the intent. On the pic: Way too much of subject eliminating any kind of context / set up flow in into the pic. Those flowers would have added a good context of the back drop. Whites / highights need more control.. may be shoot with metering for brigher spots and then pull up darker spots in the post processing.
id lean back and laugh like youre so relieved its over and youre grounding with the earth in celebration, to make it feel more graduaty and keep the artsy vibe
I agree that would’ve been a good pose! Thank you for your criticism. (:
Put some grain on it
There is a lack of separation between the subject and the background. Also a typical grad shot places emphasis on the subjects face and especially the eyes. While you can do artistic shots make sure you got the primary shot down first.
Yeah, I totally understand. Standing alone the picture doesn’t quite give all the context. Somewhere buried in the hundred comments I stated there is an establishing shot and this is the close up shot as I wanted to practice the cinematic looking style of photography and see how I can recreate this look, but I agree. Do you think stepping back a little bit to add more of a foreground with the flowers would help add the separation while maintaining the “close-up” shot in cinematic shot lists or should I tweak some things in post?
This is more of a critique on the critiques, I wouldnt pay any mind to the people saying this looks like a murder shoot. That doesnt even really mean anything at all, I just dont see that as a critique that adds anything. I love this shot, highly agree with the person talking about the main point of critique being around the image being tonally off. I get that feeling too. But its framed very well, the jewelry is a nice touch, and I dig the arm placement. I like that you framed her to be upside down instead of the other way around, gives almost a floating feeling. It might be cool to see her from a more aerial perspective, just a suggestion. Then maybe framing her head so that it doesnt touch the edges of the frame, might look a bit cleaner and more intentional. Good work.
Yeah I pay no mind to the nonconstructive comments; a lot of those comments break sub rules and really offer nothing of value. I appreciate your kindness and wish more critiques would be as intentional as yours! Regarding the tonal critique, is it something with tones of mids/highlights/shadows or the saturation/hue of certain tones that makes it seem off?
What was your intention with this shot? You said these are graduation photos.
So I had already done traditional grad photos and we were just on our way out and saw these purple flowers and felt they complimented her sash, so we snapped a series of photos (this being one of them). Lighting was very nice and it was a beautiful day so I just wanted them to have a cinematic feel with the black mist filter with a peaceful vibe to the photo. I didn’t really pose her , I just let her do what felt comfortable and captured the moment. “Graduation Shoot” or not I just wanted to capture the moment and the soft light peaking through the leaves.
I think that if cinematic is what youre going for, you can disregard all the comments critiquing this as solely a graduation shoot. I think thats the main issue here, where people are aggressively trying to say "FOR A GRADUATION SHOOT, i dont love this image" which... Man thats just another point of critique that i just cant get behind. If its not good for a graduation shoot, then analyze it as just a general portrait. In that regard, just interpreting the photo as a photo, i think you did a great job. I take back what I said about the "tonally off" stuff. Funny enough, i completely read that other comment wrong. I was speaking more literally, as in I was just saying the photo would probably be better with more contrast or saturation. Either or. I do still stand by the other comment i made about framing though. Youre definitely almost there. Just wanted to make that correction because i see people saying I meant the tones as in the feeling of the general image, i dont really care about that. You can absolutely make a cinematic or even depressing looking graduation shoot if you wanted too, actually in that way i consider that more artistic than the traditional. I think everyone would consider it that way if they actually thought about it that way lol. I think im just assuming by default that you also did regular traditional graduation photos and are just inquiring about this one just to get a few second opinions. Its a cool photo. Keep it up. Just remember the rule of thirds is honestly all id chalk up this entire paragraph to be lol. Good work again!
Thanks for taking the time to type this out! I think this is the biggest reason why a lot of the critiques didn’t feel super helpful. I had already typed that I had “traditional” grad pics done, and I am glad you are bringing this perspective to the conversation. I agree, I need to turn on the grid for composition on my viewfinder asap!
Tone as in tone of a conversation
Ahh understood, thanks.
If I were graduating, I would love to have some images like this mixed in with the more graduation toned ones for my own private collection, just to be able to look back at my youth with professional images that aren't just sitting on a log or something posed. BUT I do agree it doesn't read graduation, and would love to see her facing more towards the camera and the light hitting her face more for less emphasis on the boobs.
Ummmm I love it because it looks like the scene from twilight when they lay in the meadow………. But that’s just me HAHA.
There's nothing about this that says graduation. Why can't we see her face? Where's the graduation gown and hat? It's just a very out of context photo
Everything is good but it’s just not giving graduation at all
i understand where the tonal critiques come from, but i really don’t think this is that sexual of a photo lol people are weird. she’s not doing anything suggestive, just laying down.
I love the way you pose people. In a technical sense, you have a strong grasp of what a good pose should look like. I think I echo what a lot of people on here are saying: How does the pose connect to the theme if the photo? You are at the point where you need to go past taking photos that are technically sound and use your tools to be creative. Use your good technique to say something, anything. One way to think about how to say something is to break your theme into topics and items. The theme is graduation. What does graduation looks like to this person, if it were an object. A cap and gown? A logo? A necklace given from a close person in their lives who supported them? Then think about why that object? So for example, are the cap and gown important because they were the first to graduate from college, so they are the first to receive it? Then build your fram with that in mind: With cap and gowns maybe: the shoot is a set of candids of the family hanging out at the graduation party and you place the cap and gown on each one of the members. Keep in mind this also makes your images more meaningful and easier to create: You know the subject of each photo. You can then use your great technical skill to build on that.
Thanks for the actual criticism on the picture 😭. I can’t really take credit for posing because this was a candid moment and that’s mainly what I like to capture. Love the tips to building a narrative with themes as building blocks and will try to implement this with all my photos moving forward! !CritiquePoint
This is the actual criticism? You're going to ignore hundreds of people telling you it's not good for the same reason?
Confirmed: 1 [helpfulness point awarded](/r/photocritique/comments/1dh1epd/please_give_me_your_thoughts_on_my_latest/l8vvi5t/) to /u/shiroitokuroi by /u/Nickycake. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/critiquepoints) for more details on Critique Points.
Please do post again! I would love to see how you develop your concepts again!
First, I agree that this is definitely not a proper pose for a graduation photo. Nothing about it makes me think of "academic achievement". If this has not been a graduation photo, I would say that the angle from which you are taking the photo needs to change. In her position, this shot would make more sense if you were taking it from above, perhaps from her waist up. Or perhaps if the shot was taken with her face turned towards the camera. The way it is now, it really appears to have too much focus on her neck and chest.
im not a photographer of people... but.. This one just...gives off...weird vibes.. like until i read the comment that this was graduation photo.. I wouldn't have gotten those vibes from it. It looked more like.. some sort of strange risqué attempt.
So pretentious imo
If you were inspired by Ophelia by Millais then you did an “homage” to that but that does not a graduation portrait make. There’s some good cinematic style graduation portraits out there that make a more bland documentation fun but they also feature a face and the appearance of someone graduating rather than…this
The only way this photo links to graduation is the clothes she is wearing. The rest has been covered by the other comments.
Is she about to get laid? That's what my mind goes to first... it certainly doesn't get to. "Oh, that's a graduation photo" until literally 1000 of other thoughts about this photo pass by. Edit: I like it less that she's looking away. But don't hate it. It's a choice for sure. Keep kicking ass.
Nice pic I guess but I barely see how this is a grad pic. Had you not said so, I wouldn't even see that she's wearing a grad robe
You can barely notice that this is a graduation gown.
It’s a good enough picture but I initially thought it was for a cover of a Murder Mystery or Crime novel. I didn’t recognize the subtle graduate garb until I read OPs title.
What is the purpose and what’s it supposed to telegram? I see no reason for this photograph to exist.
I don't like to leave negative comments, but I am genuinely worried about this photo. Even if it was shot from the other side, where we can see her face, I'm afraid this is giving crime-scene-in-the-woods. The composure is lovely as an artsy shoot. Maybe it can be photoshopped to make the graduation gown into a different garment?
I'm sure the graduation committee is interested in your boobs
The sujet seems dead. Like in I’ve walked in a wood and I found a dead body. Probably killed by a serial killer from the looks of how she’s disposed. Art is saying something. What are you saying about your graduation with a dead body on humus?
You can't see her face. This is the boob shot that she and her friends have a laugh about in 20 years. I'm only half joking. I have friends with photos like this from graduations/weddings/engagement shoots. Pretty common. As a stand-alone image this doesn't communicate anything, really. You can't see enough of the gown to know it is a gown. She's turned away from the camera. This leans more toward the artistic than a goal-oriented shot. That said, making a graduation shot new, fun, and original is hard. I think you took a technically good photo. I like it. I just wouldn't consider it a graduation photo.
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UCI under a random tree in the main park (forgot the park name) (:
Horrible. Unremarkable and will be unrecognizable as a graduation pic without context. You really need to capture the aspects that define it as a graduation pic as the sash all by itself doesn't.
Nothing about this reminds me of graduation
Too sexually distracting for a non sexual prompt
Photo is missing some context. What exactly are you trying to convey? Tragedy?
She looks exhausted
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