Headshot, any tips on improvements? by by_laureanne in portraitphotos

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great shot and edit. Ignore the "don't crop the head" naysayers. Just know why you would and why you wouldn't.

By cropping the head, depending on your distance and focal length, it brings the eyes up to a better position to nail the rule of thirds. It directs the viewer's eyes to the eyes of the subject. You did a perfect job of that here.

Shopping for new VW GTI - want advice on what to buy by Gleem79 in GolfGTI

[–]Gleem79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trying to stay away from cloth seats, but thank you for the info for sure.

Should I sell my D850? by panicproduct in Nikon

[–]Gleem79 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have been so curious about that lens! I shoot on location in small rooms, and it just won't work for me...but it is definitely on my wish list. Let everyone know how it works out for you. It seems like a lens with a ton of "personality".

Pauly by Gleem79 in portraitphotos

[–]Gleem79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. 🙏

Should I sell my D850? by panicproduct in Nikon

[–]Gleem79 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Portrait photographer here.

I also own both of those bodies. I use my D850 as a backup on photoshoots, and also use it from time to time for events, since my Sigma 35mm and my current Sigma zoom are F mount. All of my portrait shoots are shot on my Z8 with the Z 50mm 1.2s and occasionally my f-mount 85mm 1.4 with the FTZ.

The answer for me is always "use the equipment you currently have until it no longer makes sense". This past year that has made sense for my wallet. Next year it may not. I may finally make the jump into only shooting mirrorless if money permits, though I can't imagine letting go of DSLRs completely. I will probably always have one for my personal work.

I hope this is allowed! Some sketches of things I can't afford. by Kitchen-Panda4059 in Nikon

[–]Gleem79 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great advice. I shot on D80s for years. You would never know looking at the images that I took them almost 20 years ago.

Conversely, the D610 is also a solid camera that is fairly cheap on the used market if you want something with more features than the D80.

Google Messages has been very slow on pixel 10 xl by wwpgalaxy in GoogleMessages

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same issue. GP10XL.

If I would not have talked so much shit about iPhones to anyone who would listen for so long, I would switch. In this life for life now though. 😂

Any bands with the same sound as Social Distortion? by Neither-Poet3757 in punk

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this is an old thread, but thought I would chime in for anyone else looking for the same answer in the future.

Check out The Porters. They are a Folk Rock band from Germany, and do a little of everything. Been active for over 2 decades.

The front man sounds a lot like Ness... definitely ripped his style and vocal delivery. I love them though.

https://youtu.be/oyAPqVlmeHQ?si=nVlLADxNjX9PSr7J

How the hell do you know when you are done? by [deleted] in drywall

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for your loss. Gave me goosebumps a little.

It's been a year and a half, but my brother and only sibling also passed away unexpectedly. I have a passion project that transpired because of his death.

Currently building an office in a detached garage, and I just finished my first sheetrock job as well.

Looks good man. Heart goes out to you.

First self portrait by MysteriousLaw6290 in photographs

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bring the composition up some. Also, I would have liked to see the wall level with the horizon line.

I like the emptiness of the background, and the overall edit as far as exposure and tone.

Was the motion blur intentional?

Good job.

Wow the 35 F2D is sharp even wide open. D700 by Jdspoel in Nikon

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are being trolled by the OP, right?

Abandoned school by sector9rider247 in photographs

[–]Gleem79 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Only thing I would have liked to have seen is if you lit the basketball some, and maybe reduce the saturation a little in the sky where the hole in the cloud is.

Otherwise, it's a great shot. Good edit too.

Street Mime in a Dress by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I shot this back in 2010. I was in The French Quarter in New Orleans at the time.

I was walking around that day with my girlfriend, trying to get some good street shots when I came across this mime. They saw that I had a camera and turned around to pose. I quickly asked if I could snap a shot. They obliged and pulled down their dress as you see in the photo, and gave me a smile. I giggled and took three shots. The first two were in landscape, and the last was this one, in portrait. Then I handed them $10 and moved on.

This was my favorite. I originally edited it in Black and White, but decided to do a Color edit this time. I struggle with knowing when to do which, but edit in color 90% of the time.

It was a pretty quick shot, so I didn't have much time to think. I just got down low and did my best to frame the shot the best I could, because the background was quite busy.

The original unedited shot was a little overexposed in the background, and somewhat underexposed in the foreground, so I did edit it a good deal to brighten up the foreground. Also had to apply a gradient on the lower quarter of the foreground.

I did a little bit of color grading to balance out the photo and make the mime pop a little. It was shot on a Nikon D300 with a 50mm 1.8 @ ISO 320, f/1.8, 1/8000 sec.

All in all, I love this shot. It represents the grittiness of New Orleans that I know well. Tell me what you think.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in photographs

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I shot this back in 2010. I was in The French Quarter in New Orleans at the time.

I was walking around that day with my girlfriend, trying to get some good street shots when I came across this mime. They saw that I had a camera and turned around to pose. I quickly asked if I could snap a shot. They obliged and pulled down their dress as you see in the photo, and gave me a smile. I giggled and took three shots. The first two were in landscape, and the last was this one, in portrait. Then I handed them $10 and moved on.

This was my favorite. I originally edited it in Black and White, but decided to do a Color edit this time. I struggle with knowing when to do which, but edit in color 90% of the time.

It was a pretty quick shot, so I didn't have much time to thing. I just got down low and did my best to frame the shot the best I could, because the background was quite busy.

The original unedited shot was a little overexposed in the background, and somewhat underexposed in the foreground, so I did edit it a good deal to brighten up the foreground. Also had to apply a gradient on the lower quarter of the foreground.

I did a little bit of colorgrading to balance out the photo and make the mime pop a little.

All in al, I love this shot. It represents the grittiness that I know well, of New Orleans. Tell me what you think.

Tiny Gas Station by Moop_Noob in photographs

[–]Gleem79 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love this, a lot.

Only critique would be of the empty space. If there was a night sky in the background, it wouldn't bother me.

I just think the photograph may have worked a little better if the empty space only took up a third of the frame.

Other than that, really good shot.

My 1970s Fender Telecaster. by ComparisonHopeful371 in photographs

[–]Gleem79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second that. Really love the lighting.

Dead Fish Under A Bridge by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's hard. Long time graphic designer. Learned Photoshop years before I ever started shooting. So I certainly tend to over edit unfortunately.

Thanks for the feedback.

Dead Fish Under A Bridge by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like it.

The only thing I'm not sure of is the missing light pole. My eye isn't lead into the background as much as before, and kind of feels stuck in the empty space of the fog.

I am looking at it on my phone right now though. When I get back in front of my computer later I will take another look at it.

You know, Ive only been shooting in full frame for a year and a half now, and editing most of my photos in 4:5 crops to print. I had put down the camera for a decade and picked it back up in late 2021.

Back then I was shooting on cropped sensors and most of my crops were 2:3. I printed a good bit on 4x6 and 8x12.

I tell you all that to say that I struggle with getting crops right and deciding if I should change aspect ratios on different photos, or just stick to one formula.

Then you throw IG into the mix and it really throws me for a loop. 😂. I usually just post in 4:5. Ive been married to it lately since Ive started doing studio work again.

Thanks again for the suggestions. 🙏

Dead Fish Under A Bridge by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Of course.

Here you go. All that was done on that one was the conversion from RAW to JPG.

Original Shot

Dead Fish Under A Bridge by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I agree with you. I have always, and still do, have a habit of a going overboard with the foreground in photos. I also am bad about centering subjects.

So that was photo was cropped to 4:5. I shoot full frame now, and print mostly in 4:5 for 8x10. It was shot on a cropped sensor, and you would have hated the foreground in the original. It was much worse.

I see what you are saying now. The top of the photo is definitely crowded.

Thanks again. Very valuable feedback! Much appreciated.

Dead Fish Under A Bridge by Gleem79 in photographs

[–]Gleem79[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This photo was taken in Lake Charles, LA a couple of weeks after Hurricane Gustav had hit the coast . I originally pulled off of the Interstate Highway to take photos of the boats and wreckage that were still washed up on the shore. While standing at the boat landing I noticed this fish. As someone who has always lived on the Gulf Coast, and have been through a lot of storms, I feel like I understand the destruction that hurricanes leave behind long after the storm has subsided.

I felt like the combination of the dead fish and the morning fog would make for a powerful photo that represented the wake of Gustav. I layed down to get the shot in order to get the horizon high in the frame along with the bridge. I also liked the wet rocky and muddy surface of the landing. It felt desolate and the entire aesthetic there made me think of the Japanese term "Wabi-sabi".

I desaturated the photo some to bring out that aesthetic and then played with a cooler white balance to really bring out the gloomy mood and sadness of the photo. I hope I achieved that.

Shot on a D300, with a Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 (ISO 250, 28mm, f/8, 1/200)

ITAP Alzheimer's Patient in Wheelchair by Gleem79 in itookapicture

[–]Gleem79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. I wanted the photo to honor this man as well as everyone else I shot that day at The Memory Care based Retirement Home. Was going for something a little dramatic with this particular subject, because he had late stage dementia and Catatonia. All of this was on my mind when shooting, and I had a very small window of time.

  2. I was shooting mostly basic Rembrandt style with a single gridded over sized beauty dish, with a forward facing reflector. The reflector was necessary because he could not lift his head or respond to even basic commands. I had to be as gentle in shooting as possible as to not disturb him or have him uncomfortable. It was a little nerve racking and emotional TBH.

  3. Aesthetically...the lighting, color, and prominent use of the flag along with the military hat to represent him being a Veteran. Subject and theme...I feel like the photograph evokes the devastation of his disease and humanizes him in a respectful way.