Having people say nice things about your work is always a nice thing, but if you are serious about modeling, it is important to consider the source of your feedback.
I’ve seen this again and again, much to the detriment of the models… You have a portfolio or some photos posted on ModelMayhem and others have left feedback…
“Great photo!”
“Best shot evaaaar!”
“You look soooo good in this!”
While it may be true that model is attractive, the outfit is revealing, the location is stunning — none of this really matters if the photo is flawed.
While “John Smith” thinks your photo is “the best shot ever!” and someone else thinks you are “Sooo sexy!”, the photo itself may be complete crap for modeling purposes.
Why? It’s usually something along the line of:
Poor lighting, an awkward expression, odd pose, or distracting background.
And yet, some of the worst photos featuring any (or all!) of the above get rave reviews on public sites.
This doesn’t mean you should invalidate all feedback you receive, it just means you should always take it with a grain of salt.
Unfortunately, the people who most likely have an eye for good photographs don’t leave feedback because it may offend the model. Especially if it follows any of the types of comments listed above…
“This is an awesome shot!”, says one person.
And then your review…
“The expression on your face is completely out of sync with the style of the photo and the lighting is very poor.”
Doesn’t exactly work, does it?