[Michael6551]

Thought I'd post another thread given how helpful my other one was to me. I took this photo shoot a while back for a friend. I had some really good options so I'd like to know what you think and how I could improve. I just do this for fun, but I'd really like to have professional results. Specifically, what could I do to make these photos more professional?








Bonus Question: Which one did my friend choose for his album cover?

[TaoMaas]

Since you titled this thread "Album cover", can we assume that's primarily why these were shot? If so, then I think you've done a good job because you've left negative areas where copy can be placed. When shooting for something like this...or maybe a magazine cover...it's important to leave room for the graphics. Sometimes, that's more important than the quality of the shot itself.

Edited to add: Oops...didn't see your "bonus question" until after I had replied...so obviously these ARE for an album cover. lol My guess for your friend's choice would either be shot #1 or #4, depending upon what type of songs he writes/sings. Shot #1 implies something more upbeat or varied, while shot #4 seems introspective and personal to me.

[atupdate]

I agree with TaoMass, the compositions are good for an album cover. However, the images look a little flat to me due to the overcast day. There are several ways to add a little pop/dimension to the images, depending on what post processing software you have.

Here is an example using Unsharp Mask (USM) and Duplicate Layers. This method was shared by Benjamin Kanarek when he was shooting with Pentax.

- Duplicate background layer
- USM with Radius @ 50 & Amount/Strength @ 15
- USM with Radius @ 0.30 & Amount/Strength @ 300
- Duplicate the USM layer and set the Blend Mode to Soft Light.
- Adjust the Opacity of the Soft Light layer to taste (69% for this image)
- Optional: If the saturation is too strong - convert the Soft Light layer to B&W and adjust opacity to taste.



Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Tim

[Kerrowdown]

Me I'm straight the bonus, no messing... I'd have picked image three for the cover, as it's something different and would get noticed and even more importantly remembered.

[MSL]

Image 3 would make a great cover, and image 2 as an inside cover (close and personal).

[micromacro]

Agree with posters above about #3.

[Michael6551]

Nice job guys! He ended up picking #3 for his album. I don't think he's going to make CDs but rather just keep it as a digital download, hence there would be no inside cover .

[MSL]

It can always be a bonus image for loyal followers