HOME | DD

mrpunch [2013-11-05 13:26:44 +0000 UTC]

My critique is based on my preference for cosplay photos with a theatrical flare and backgrounds to match the characters. I realize these cosplayers are young and are not professional models so please don't take my words too harshly for they are not meant to insult. I also understand the limitations of time and effort when dealing with a group like this, especially if they don't know you well enough to follow you to some out of the way location.
1) The background is dull compared to your works like 'Lara Croft - Tomb Raider : Hero or Survivor' or ' Elf Priestess from Forsaken World'.
2) The poses seem stiff and pointless. With this background I get no sense of "why" these people would be standing like this. To me, the most interesting poses are the short blonde right of center and the girl in the center is a close second. The girl in the far left is cute and has a good costume but her pose seems un-inspired.

A better background could help this group a lot if they were willing to travel to a scouted location but I also think you would have to work out motivation for their poses. Though the girl in the center is holding a sword, she doesn't seem to be particularly threatening or in danger so she could fit in most any anime themed shot but there should be some sort of reason for her weapon to be drawn. All three girls in the center seem fairly relaxed and "natural" even though the blonde is the most dramatic in the group. The boy to the far right seems to need the most attention. His hands suggests a desire to attack, either in a psychotic clawing action or the summoning of "power" (I understand the title 'Psychic Male') but nothing else about him seems dangerous or ready for action. If he really needs to be "ready for action" then there has to be an obvious threat in the image because no one would spend long periods with his arms up in the air just to look cool. It would be painful and exhausting to hold that kind of pose for no reason. Perhaps a more relaxed pose with just one hand suggesting the use of mental powers would bring him more in line with the rest of the group but he'd have to do some thing else with his hand then the extremely tense claw look. I think a person with mental powers would have little reason for physical exertion, unless there was an obvious local threat but then the entire group would have to match his reaction to such a threat. And finally, the girl on the far left should do some thing different with her right arm. Again, no one would spend any time with an arm up in the air like that so maybe if she had her right hand at her waist or hip, it would probably bring her more inline with the casual "feel" of the group while keeping her stance's individual persona. The only real exception to my "arm up in the air" comments is the "cat girl" who is touching the ear with one hand. That seems to suggest an immediate and short term action rather then a "hey, look at me" long pose so I don't have a problem other then it being less dramatic then those around her. Perhaps if she could twist her body a little more at the waist, it could add some dramatic tension. One last thing about the poses, although the girl in the center and the blonde to the right are my favorites as far as dramatic stances, having them both thrusting their right hand (and sword) in the same direction while every one else seems to be doing their own "thing", throws off the balance a bit.

I would also recommend in any future location shot like this to stagger the height and distance. Having these people more or less in a line and equally spaced is dull, unless there was an obvious threat present and they were standing their ground. Your piece called 'Shizuku Sango by Akire Violan 02' is an excellent example of staging. Even though there's one main character and the other people are just foggy moving shapes, it still shows the power of displaying more depth in the image. Another good example of depth could be this image from your favorites, jaytablante.deviantart.com/art… ( Alexandra Trese by jaytablante ). A good example of a group in a line could be this illustration scary-panda.deviantart.com/art… ( xeven xamurai by scary-PANDA )  All though they aren't moving, they give the impression that they are heading in the direction they are facing, or at least have a reason for all standing in that direction. It also shows an interesting form of spacing between them. Larger people or people with large items have more space between them and the others for obvious reason. No one wants to get their eye poked out by a stick but it also demonstrates the principles used in spacing alphabetic text in graphic design.

Well, those are my thoughts. All though I got extreamly specific about motivation in the stances, I hope I haven't come across sounding more experienced then I really am. I could never get an image that compared to some of yours that I have referenced in this critique and I'm sure the circumstances involved in your photographing this group were not as favorable as your better works.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1