Advertisement: This is a full page ad I will be running in the Mrs. Minnesota Pageant program to be held next month. (The ad is paid for through the generosity of my niece that will be...

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

This is a full page ad I will be running in the Mrs. Minnesota Pageant program to be held next month. (The ad is paid for through the generosity of my niece that will be competing). I like the impact and simplicity of it. I would be interested in anyone else's thoughts on it.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I'll be interested in hearing the response you get from people at the event. I think simple is the way to go. I know my first ads were way too busy/wordy. I tried to get examples from several weddings all in the same ad. I think you are on the right track. Honestly, there one thing that just doesn't work for me personally, but I think most of that is coming from a photographer, not from a "real human person" ( I do think that we all tend to be a lot more picky than "normals"

I will share my thought, only if you are interested. The last thing I would want to do is make you feel like I'm putting down an image. Overall, I do like the same thing you do, the simplicity, and the overall feeling expressed in the image. Just let me know if you would want my critique.

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

I am always willing to graciously accept anyones thoughts on my images. I'd be the first one to admit I don't know it all. Not all images fit in to eveyones vision. Accepting others thoughts and incorporating them (whether a little or a lot) is how we grow and develop our own style :)

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

OK, then, let's start by saying I'm a dork.

At first glance I really loved the photo. The problem is, when I first saw this phenomenon in this image, now it is all I see.

The way the sun cuts into where the chins should be, it makes it look like the mouths on what could be "muppets" or cartoons. Now, instead of a lovely image, all I can see is 2 people with no chins and funny mouths.

I'm probably the only one that sees it this way, and I apologize for even bringing it up, but once my dorky mind went there, it seriously is all I can see.

Like I said, I'm guessing that 99.9% of "normal human beings" would never look at it that way. I'm just in the .1% of dorks that see muppets and cartoon characters everywhere I look :-)

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

bkyser wrote:

OK, then, let's start by saying I'm a dork. br br... (show quote)

Haha, I think dork is being a bit harsh :)

I can appreciate your thoughts, thanks. Turning this into b&w and pumping up the contrast because it needs to be for the program did make the sun burst a bit more prominent causing the effect you mention I agree. I do think you are right with the general population seeing the image for what it is. As pro photographers, we can probably always find some aspect of just about any image to take issue with. That is the beauty of such a subjective art.

Thanks for your input.

fotodon Loc: Oberlin, OH

skidooman wrote:

This is a full page ad I will be running in the Mrs. Minnesota Pageant program to be held next month. (The ad is paid for through the generosity of my niece that will be competing). I like the impact and simplicity of it. I would be interested in anyone else's thoughts on it.

First, let me say a agree with Bob's critique. Now let me give you my thoughts in the order that I had them.

1. Nice shot. Kinda like it.
2. Wonder what it would look like framed without the light post.
3. Wonder what it would look like in color.
4. After reading Bob's post. Son of a gun. He is right. Now I can't see anything else.
5. Partner Terri, she is the real artist in the team, saw Bob's perception immediately.

Maybe you should go back to the color original and see if the facial outlines are there. If so you could PP to maintain the sunset but not destroy the outlines. If so, this shot would be great for your portfolio.

BTW...I keep Terri around to catch all the PP mistakes I frequently make. Don't tell her this because she thinks I keep her around because I love her. Imagine that.

Moral of the story...It is a very good thing to seek and accept critiques of your work. It is important to get them from your peers and your intended audience.

Don

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I just hope that my bringing it up doesn't make it start bothering you.

Don, your secret is safe with us. We'll let Terri believe what she wants.

I'm just a little scared that there is someone else out there that thinks like me.

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

bkyser wrote:

I just hope that my bringing it up doesn't make it start bothering you.

Don, your secret is safe with us. We'll let Terri believe what she wants.

I'm just a little scared that there is someone else out there that thinks like me.

Not at all. If I was sensitive to cc, no one would ever see any of my photos. Fixing the chins is an easy fix, I'll check it out. If it looks better, good. If it looks more like it's interferring with how the suns rays look, maybe I leave it alone, we'll have to see.

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

fotodon wrote:

First, let me say a agree with Bob's critique. No... (show quote)

Thanks for the input, I appreciate you taking the time. I'll tweak it when I get home and check it out.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

skidooman wrote:

Not at all. If I was sensitive to cc, no one would ever see any of my photos. Fixing the chins is an easy fix, I'll check it out. If it looks better, good. If it looks more like it's interferring with how the suns rays look, maybe I leave it alone, we'll have to see.

I see that point about the chins also.

There are two things that I see and this is meant as constructive opinion.

One is the silhouette of her neck looks very thick and not feminine. I have no idea the cause of that or if she is just that way, but here, it looks off.

The second thing is, as a graphic artist, I don't like the choice of font you are using. The basic script style is way overused and has become kinda pedestrian. This particular one is not well proportioned for an elegant idea of a beautiful wedding. Too wide a script and too much serif.
I think you can see it where you have your info at the bottom. I have to fight the script style to read the words,especially since there are on spaces to help the eyes differentiate.

This is a great photo in B/W. Good luck with the ad.

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

jdubu wrote:

I see that point about the chins also. br br Ther... (show quote)

Thanks for the tips. Graphics are not my strong suit, so thanks for that. I will take everyones suggestions and put them in play. Thanks again.

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

I'll take a font suggestion if you have one :)

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

jdubu wrote:

I see that point about the chins also.

Too wide a script and too much serif.
I think you can see it where you have your info at the bottom. I have to fight the script style to read the words,especially since there are on spaces to help the eyes differentiate.

This is a great photo in B/W. Good luck with the ad.

As a "non graphic designer" what does "too much Serif" mean? I always just thought it was a font. Is it a description of how the letters work together, orrrr ????

This stuff fascinates me. Sorry if it is a stupid question, but this way, I'll learn something, and be just a little smarter than I was yesterday.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

bkyser wrote:

As a "non graphic designer" what does "too much Serif" mean? I always just thought it was a font. Is it a description of how the letters work together, orrrr ????

This stuff fascinates me. Sorry if it is a stupid question, but this way, I'll learn something, and be just a little smarter than I was yesterday.

In this case, it wasn't really a technical term, since it isn't actually a serif script (except for the serif on the 'h') but meant more as a descriptive to the feel of the style to me. So, no it's not a stupid question.

Fonts are serif fonts (like a roman or times) or sans serif (like arial). Strictly speaking, script fonts are not classified that way, but may or may not have a serif flair.

Like you, I want to learn always, and an artistic background took me through a long phase of doing calligraphy and an appreciation of type and illumination. Working with my wife (an interior designer and graphics person) I keep learning the importance of the correct font for the correct usage... according to her, I am still learning. Maybe why I've always pursued photography, she appreciates but doesn't delve into it. Except to tell me when I do it wrong. :D

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

jdubu wrote:

In this case, it wasn't really a technical term, s... (show quote)

:oops: OK, you lost me. Guess I'm proving that I really don't know anything about graphic design. What part of the letter would be a "serif flair?" Too bad we can't use fonts in posts so you could show me the differences. I'll probably just stick to going by "names" of the fonts. Thanks for trying, but my use of fonts is just about as bad as my horrible hand writing. Appreciate the effort, but I think I'm a lost cause.