So after my initial reaction (see  yesterday’s post), I started to think: what was it that made these photos so horrible?  Since I don’t want to violate copyright, I will post links, their description from the “John” guy, and a description of each photo.

Today’s link: http://www.nicolemorgenthau.com/faces14.html
Description: An older lady in a loose, pleated (almost wrinkled) light-yellow dress.  She sits on a chair, her arms resting on the arms of the chair, straight at us with her hands hanging down.  She is square to the viewer and facing us in the frame.  The background is a reddish-orange, and the light from the background is reflecting throughout, giving a slight orange tint to her face and dress.  Her lips are a fairly bright red, and she is wearing sunglasses.

Overall, it’s a warm image of a happy person.  At least, that’s the impression that it makes on me.  I suppose if I were Jörg Colberg, I might trash the work and agree with the others.  Of course, if I were Mr. Colberg, I’d cite good reasons to support my position (if I were really him, I doubt I’d waste my time with this).

So, my first glance impression: a little too warm for my tastes, but not too bad.  It has a couple of important elements: the person is relaxed, happy (seemingly genuinely so), and seems to be full of confidence.

Further review gives me the following pros and cons:

Pros:

It’s a warm photo, and endearing.  If this was taken for me (as the purchaser), I’d doubtlessly have a strong emotional attachment to it.  There are good colors and textures going on – too many for some, but I think they help draw the eye to the least textured part – the lady’s face and her smile.

Cons:

There is a lot of color bleed going on here.  The oranges are overpowering, especially as they get reflected into the frame.  The sunglasses – perhaps appropriate for this client, but in a portfolio?  The general rule of thumb is to show a person’s eyes.  You connect to the person through the eyes, and the shades spoil that.  Hand position: hardly flattering, and considered a huge negative – this shows the wrinkles, which in turn show her age (not that there’s anything wrong with that, exactly).  By leaning her back, you lose her figure in the dress, which in turn creates a less-than-optimal pose for showing her face and neck.  Her neck, as a result, has more wrinkles and shadows than might otherwise be.  The dress: by hiding form, she is turned into a blob.  And the yellow of her dress is too dull for such a vivid background.

Boy, that sounds like a lot, no?  Well, no – I’m being extra-critical here.  I’m trying to figure out what makes this a disaster.

Summary:

So is this the “disaster” that it was described as being?  I don’t think so.  Not my taste, for sure. But that horrible?  Again, I don’t think so.  At best, it’s exactly what the client wanted.  At worse, it’s merely tough to look at and overly bright in a way that I find grating (to the eyes)

I wonder what Jay Maisel would say.