Tough for me to critique these - I can usually give helpful critique to a novice, but these are much more difficult for me. At this point in your skill level, it's becoming much more about personal aesthetics and style, and less about how you can technically improve.
With that in mind, I have a bit of a different opinion than WJS above.
The set does a good job of showing off several different styles. However, as a set, I would have liked for you to include some less stylized shots, that show off your skill with natural light portraiture - you're usually really good with setting up, composing, and processing/retouching a natural-light portrait to show off a face & costume in a pleasing composition. Don't leave that work out of your portfolio, in favor of heavily stylized shots.
Out of this set, I think I like #2 the best and #4 the least.
#2, I like the use of colors (gels?) - I think it works well with this character. Good pose, pretty good composition and use of background. If I have to nitpick, the background lines aren't perfectly square with the edges of the frame (that's just a personal obsession of mine, though).
I don't think the light is flat in an objectionable way; it's off-axis enough and hard enough that you get a little bit of butterfly-light effect to define the nose and face structure.
For that character, I might have underexposed the background more, and/or maybe used your kicker light as an environmental/background light, to give that hallway more of a Castlevania feel. But, that's just my usual style, to underexpose the background and pop the subject.
#4, I don't think it would have been a keeper for me. The barely-clipped highlights don't bother me. The edge of the veil cutting across the face & lips, and that little crease in the veil that's right on top of the visible eye... the veil just competes too much with the facial features in this one for me.
I do like #1 and #3 as stylized environmental portraits.
Last edited by nathancarter : 01-28-2015 at 09:49 AM.
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