Gary, thank you for sharing...
btw, noticed that in the second image has a leg banded bird... way too awesome...
Nice to know the wildlife biologist are watching over this flock...

CaptainC the first two are superb... You have a splendid eye for compositional element here...
And drama induced with thoughtful innovative illumination takes this entirely to the next level...

Thank you for sharing...
Looking forward to more of your creative artistry...

Photoflea if you are involved in a photo session with a model then it is incumbent on you to assure the safety of the talent... Professional responsibility in regard to the health, safety and welfare of all personal involved typically falls on the person in responsible change of the session... If you are working with agency personnel then you will likely have to finish a statement of Liability Insurance... I have also encountered this requirement numerous times when applying for a permit to shoot in public space...

That said, corn starch is typically used along with food coloring... However the real and present danger here is damage to the cornea, iris, pupil etc. As a licensed makeup artist I only used product that is certified for cosmetic use... To do otherwise would likely place a talent at risk... In my formal training we were constantly taught how potentially harmful many products could be when used on persons with unknown allergies.... SOP is to always to a sensitivity patch test at least 24 hours prior to use unknown product (even cosmetic grade) on a new talent...

Also please be advised the food coloring dies are not tested/certified for ophthalmic use... You've been warned!

Other problem areas involve the use of fans to blow hair for creative effect... This can also be highly dangerous in as the talent's hair can wip around at considerable velocity (think angular acceleration here) and cause injury to the sensitive eye area...

So strange that the majority of those responding were only concerned with gear, making no mention of the inherent risk to the talent... Which speaks to want of tenure in actually working on commercial sets...

And while I'm certain many would retort that "others are doing this" that will not bode well as a defense in a civil suite brought against you in a case involving an adverse reaction or physical harm..

When collaborating with others it is always germane to error on the side of caution...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...

SharpShooter first why did you preface this image with an attitude of arrogance? It unfortunately detracts from your credibility.

And tsilva is actually quite on point... This image would never get even a second glace from an editor.
Food for thought... Simply post your work without comment and keep an open mind to those who would take the time to reflect.

Typically I don't feed trolls... That said what follows is for others who might review this thread...
In addition to what tsilva noted there is an "elbow" pop... i.e. the elbows should never be pointed toward the lens in as they compete with facial features... Additionally the hair lacks a kicker to separate it out from the background... This is a major illumination flaw... dark hair against a dark background begs a hair separation light a.k.a. kicker...

Also contra to what SharpShooter claims this is not beauty genre, it is pure glamour which sadly reduces the talent to merely a sex object... Thereby marginalizing the women to a "Tabloid" level... This btw, is a hallmark of GWC's which are omnipresent and pervasive on this site...

As for portfolio work? I would suggest all of you who wish to take your work to the next level to review the New Faces or Development boards on model agencies in your market... Here is DNA's Development Board...
https://www.dnamodels.com/div/women-development/

Food for thought...

At SharpShooter's request for a "go-by" concept example... (which was an excellent query btw)
The following is a beauty genre image for a hair stylist's book...
I'm totally guilty of flaws in illumination and makeup artistry, albeit the hair stylist deserves all the credit for hair, wardrobe and concept narrative... I only painted face and pushed the shutter... I'm first and foremost an MUA

NIKON D3x w/ AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED

"Who are you as a photographer?" Actually Rongnongno I'm a licensed commercial makeup artist
Photographer? Only as a mercenary as an adjunct generating marketing material to increase my revenue stream

Noticed there are a lot of hobbyist on this site and sadly no makeup artists
Also very few photographers who still actually work in the current marketplace

Bruce Springsteen got it right with "Glory Days" which is pervasive on the Uglyhedgehog
Or should I say ubiquitous...

Get over it people still photography is disappearing quicker than snowflakes on a Phoenix sidewalk
The commercial market has long since moved on to video
The Lion's share of my makeup assignments are now corporate video sessions... Stills are rarely in the mix anymore
Yes bridal makeup is a major component of my revenue stream so I guess you could infer that a wedding is indeed a photo-shoot, albeit it is by far and away the most important day in a women's life... Albeit guys just don't seem to get that...

But that's Ok, this thread (and the Uglyhedgehog) is so absolutely quintessential Springsteen

"but all he kept talking about was
Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days"

Commercial Makeup, it’s what I do…

"Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro ... Anyone have it? What are your thoughts?" Yes I have this glass albeit I now use it for full length fashion... As others have mentioned it has outstanding contrast... And is an ideal focal length for catalog fashion on a crop sensor... But for macro? Maybe not... working distance is far too close... I use the AF 200mm f/4D micro Nikkor for commercial work and more recently the Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 Pro D macro for beauty genre work... All these lens are absolutely superb in my humble estimation... As for cost effective? the Tokina was a sweet deal this September with a Rebate offer from Tokina... Check DxO mark's glowing assessment of the Tokina... especially against other competitors costing more than twice it's price of admission...

Now the good news on the AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G micro Nikkor it works with the Nikon ES-1 Slide Copying Adapter... which is one of the main reasons I purchased it... So glad to be done with the hassle of using Nikon's BR-2A and BR-3 combo for copying slides... the DX 40mm solves that issue... But this isn't for large production runs... way to labor intensive...

Hope this helps...
Or is at least food for thought...

Love the colour harmonies latent within...

Congrats!

Harvey as others have mentioned a 10megapixel sensor is not likely ideal for bird photography... regardless of lens...
If you want to stay with Canon there are ample cost effective third party glass offerings that go out to 600mm from Sigma and Tamron...
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD

Best advice? Used glass can be a very cost effective option...
But be certain you can test and return if it doesn't meet expectations...
KEH is a good vendor for previously owned glass...

Bird and Sports photography do have rather high "kit" barriers to entry...
Have you consider portraiture? It is far and way the most commercially viable genre...

All the best on your journey...

"...Raw sensor data does not define one specific image..." Totally agree this is indeed a valid inference albeit the same can just as easily apply to JPEG... Example opening a 8-bit JPEG in PS and then converting the aforementioned to 16-bit allows far more latitude in tonal range manipulation... Same with TIFF... One who has mastered Photoshop is quite likely able to craft effective imagery regardless of source material... However the learning curve is rather steep thus a compelling desire to remain in the JPEG camp... this debate has raged since the dawn of digital...

That said there are compelling reasons why RAW is far and away the format of choice for high end commercial work...
As oft said, Money doesn't talk it shouts! i.e. there is no arguing with success...

Food for thought... "Good men do not argue. Those who argue are not good. Those who know are not learned."
From the wisdom of Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - chapter 81

Rather than wasting time in a vain attempt to assert territorial imperatives I would suggest instead investing in a study of Tao Te Ching...

A beginner's mind is a beautiful thing... those who are learned do not know...
enough said...

Superb compositional elements on the second capture...
Thank you for sharing...

mpryor42 there are no "best" answers on watermarker a.k.a. branding imagery...

That said there are generally accepted protocols in regard to specific genres...
If you are doing test creatives for an agency model it is just that... And the imagery needs to be sans branding of any nature... Especially since the agency is doing you a favor by allow collaboration with talent on its boards... Logos, watermarks etc will render the imagery virtually useless for agency talent... hope this makes sense...

For commcial clients it's best to resolve this prior to an assignment as to specifically what the client's expections are on deliverables...Experience can be a brutal teacher here...

One thing you'll likely notice is as the tenure and expertise of a photographer increases the likelyhood of them branding their imagery deminises proportionally... At the zenth of the industry no signature is needed since by then an artist's visual statement is so compellingly strong and well noted that their work is instantly reconnizable to those who matter.... i.e. publication editors, agency bookers, and such...

While this may not make sense to you now if you continue to work commercially within the industry I would wager that if you revisit this query again in several years there will be absolutely no question on what is appropriate and what isn't...

And as other have mentioned this query has been broached endlessly for decades and likely represents a search for establishing one's identity a.k.a. a rite of passage... Passing thru this stage is a ubiqious occurence and whlle it may at present seem important with time I'm certain you will arrive at what is right for you...

All the best on your journey...

Docphoto you are indeed a master of the craft of photo-journalism... The quality latent within your imagery is absolutely superb... And as such truly serves as an inspiration to each and every photographer who takes pride in their work...

The technical excellence of this series is way beyond commercial quality... it is at a level rarely found outside of major gallery exhibits... So wonderful that you have the gift of foresight to focus on the very essence of serious concern in the faces of these noble public servants rather than simply shooting the "spectacle" of an emergency "event" as oft seen with hobbyist naive to the fine art of photojournalism...

I for one am humbled at the level of mastery your artistry achieves... And find it an honor to have the privilege to behold the imagery your shared on this thread... Truly looking forward to viewing more of your lenswork... having grown professionally from this brief encounter...

Thank you so much for sharing...
My sincere best wishes on your journey...

Greg I have the screwdriver version of this glass... as others have mentioned price point is a strong feature here albeit want of Nikon's superb in camera distortion control and VR isn't... This glass's acuity is remarkable good, enough so to allow use for commercial architectural work (which is why I purchased it). Picked up my copy used (Like New on KEH) for considerable savings albeit would NOT recommend a used copy of the newer version with on-aboard focusing motor in as there have been reports of issues with backfocus that required Tokina's service intervention... Google this to confirm... btw, Tokina Service was given excellent marks for correcting the aforementioned. Thus having Tokina's Warranty is well worth the price of admission for the newer version...

Nice that the 11-16mm f/2.8 uses 77mm filters which don't rotate during focus which is a major plus...
The major detraction of this lens for casual use is its weight... There are better "walk-around" options available...
That said for commercial architectural assignments weight is virtually irrelevant since the only thing that matters is exceeding client expectations...

Note: this lens has been in production for a number of years and still remains very popular amongst high end users... There is a reason why i.e. it preforms extremely well regardless of price... Even wide open at f/2.8

Since you asked here are sample low res images...
Hope this helps... or is at least food for thought...

Tokina 11-16mm @ f/5.6

(Download)

Tokina 11-16mm @ f/2.8

(Download)

Not a fan of crude exploitation of a women's femininity...
Speaks of one who is rather clueless of agency level work...
enough said...

docphoto you have a good eye for compositional elements and capturing decisive moments...
Most impressive is the diversity of venues and sporting events in your book...
Truly a pleasure to review your masterful captures...

As others have mentioned, looking forward to more of your sports action artistry...
Thank you so much for sharing...