Task 3 Critiques

Ranking #1: The Lost Girls, Venus Fly TrapPhoto 1

Photo 2

Photo 3Photo 4

Photo 5

Ranking #1: The Lost Girls, Venus Fly TrapDESCRIPTION:

The Venus Flytrap is one of the rare carnivorous plants. Like the Native Americans of the Carolinas that it is native to, it is a hunter, a warrior. Beautiful and deadly, its victims don't stand a chance...

The greatest thing about this set of photos is that every single one is worthy of being turned in for judgment. Unlike many other teams, you didn’t appear to have a throwaway photo that you added to the set just because you needed another one. Each photo is beautiful and of good quality. It’s nice to see that your photography is indeed improving and the model is definitely getting better at posing. In fact, she really seems to have broken out of the safe box that she previously seemed a little stuck in. These poses are interesting, eye-entrancing, and really express the essence of a Venus Fly Trap. I love how comfortable in her own skin the model is and she looks fantastic. I’m just waiting to see a set of photos that is spot on. Overall, I always find your photos entrancing, yet when I look closely to critique I find a lot of small details. You’re great at delivering awing photos, you just need focus on the details.

+Photo One: Amazing and strong pose. I love how the entire photo is comprised of greens and browns except for her face which is bright red. Just like the Venus Fly Trap, the model is hidden in her environment. Her body language just reminds me so much of a Venus Fly Trap, it’s amazing. My only complaint would be that the model really blends into the tree, but in this case I think it works since the point is kind of to blend in. I simply just love this photo. Kudos.

+Photo Two: The model has such amazing and striking eyes. I’m really glad that you sent us some close-ups and far shots, it adds variety and shows versatility both of the model and the photographer. I wish that her hands/arms weren’t cropped, though, because they seem to be so graceful. Leaving them in would’ve also worked well in framing her face. It’s especially important with close-ups to know where to crop things as cropping to much can detract.

+Photo Three: The third photo is probably your weakest one, although that isn’t saying much since it’s still very good. The photography is a bit awkward as the tree branch kind of awkwardly cuts in and the green in the right corner is out of place and distracting. However, your model still looks fierce and really shows that she knows how to use her body. It’s amazing how strong she looks, yet her body language is curvy and elegant...just like a Venus Fly Trap. I can’t express enough what an amazing job your model did of portraying a Venus Fly Trap.

+Photo Four: Love love love the model’s expression here. Not only do her eyes look amazing, but her mouth is smirking just right. I love how the spines overlap her face and provide an interesting element to the photo. My only issue is that the angle makes it look like she has no neck and in the case of a Venus Fly Trap, I think a long, elegant, and strong neck would look great. I also wish that her arms were cropped evenly on both sides which would have created some pleasing framing.

+Photo Five: I absolutely love this photo and I think it’s amazing that you pulled off such a beautiful and strong photo without even showing the model’s full face. I love how the photo goes from black to white, bottom to top. I don’t know if you planned this, but it looks absolutely stunning. I love the model’s fierce pose, and serious props for remembering to point your toe. My only suggestion would be to straighten out the horizons, so the photo wouldn’t look so crooked. Overall, amazing set of photos this week.

Critiques, Head Judge: Kris Ramos (1)

Critiques, Photography: Kaitlyn (3)

Critiques, Photography: Nick Sullivan (1)

Critiques, Photography: Tragidy (2)

Critiques, Modeling: Cassandra (3)

You guys really embodied your plant! All of your photos really give the impression of venus fly trap, even the close ups. Photo four is my favorite, the implied framing is very nice, and the textures of the paint on her face and the skewers really adds to the savage nature of the picture. I couldn’t find much that could be improved, other than the glare on photo two, and maybe a bit of dodging on the upper right corner of the third picture.

As I expected from last week, the other teams are creeping up on you. With photos as phenomenal as yours are, its hard to go up. But you must! Or the improvement of the other teams will overshadow your amazing work.

That being said, what an amazing set of photos You took a huge risk with the face paint and choosing such an unconventional plant. Kudos on your costume design and I’d like to personal thank the model from this team for enduring all that make-up and those strong poses. Your concept was unique, but your execution was similar to last weeks.

You chose your location, and stayed in it (the same little clearing of grass). I would have liked to see a bit more swampy/tropical feel…which can be created with lighting.

There isn’t much to critique in these photos, they just didn’t jump out at me as much as some others these week. Step it up! Your work is amazing, and thank you for sharing it with us.

Excellent: Risk-taking, Unique choices, posing/composition, color Needs Work: Location, Pushing your limits

Every week, you two bring us great pictures, but I think this is your weakest set of photos. I liked that you used the face paint, as it draws us to the model's face(and makes her eyes pop). However, there was nothing that stuck out. I think your last photo should have a tighter frame.

Critiques, Modeling: Shawn Keeney (1)

This team did an exceptional job at portraying their plant and it was very obvious and clear that the model was the venus fly trap. The model's posing is wonderful as always with just a few slip-ups to tweak with to make sure that every picture they turn in is picture perfect. The model also did a good job with showing emotion in the images however I felt that in the second image the model appears to be zoning and in their third image it's hard to tell what she is trying to communicate which is why I didn't give this team a higher ranking; no matter how beautiful an image is, unless there is emotion it is boring to look at. Make sure that there is plenty of emotion in every image you turn in and that the message you are trying to express is clear.

Once again, I am very impressed with what this team has turned in. I love the plant that they chose and I really liked that they kept their explanation short and to the point. In my opinion, their best photo this task is Photo 4; her face just screams "beautiful and deadly" right in my face. I also like how they incorporated the different descriptions of the plant into their photos, such as a warrior and a hunter in Photos 3 and 5. One point I want to address is that in Photo 2 the face seems just a little flat, as there could have been more power in the eyes. Also, I think the full body poses look a bit forced to me, like poses for a bodybuilding competition, and I would have liked to have seen the pose pulled back a bit (looking predatorial, but with a bit more sensuality). All in all, another phenomenal job.

Critiques, Modeling: Momo (2)Pros! + The first picture has such an interesting shape to it. To me, this seems more of a facing-the-sun type of thing than a lying in wait, but that pulls the plant part of it to attention. Though I don't know if Venus Flytraps really face the sun, why not? The angles in this particular picture are so cool to look at, really interesting, and they draw your eye straight towards the model. You get the neck, arch of her back, jawline (<3) and pretty much most of her body. I really love this posing. + The bright red against all the dull greens is a wonderful "POP!" in the picture. Plus, it brings attention to her wonderful face. + In the second picture, I love the framing with her arms and the spikes facing in. They help draw your attention to her face. Once again, the red really stands out wonderfully here. + Once again, the posing really stands out everywhere. In the third picture, I like how her fists are closed-- it's a subtle effect, but when you notice it, it really brings power to the model. Her silhouette is really cool because of the bows on her arms. The bending of the legs makes her look ready to spring at any moment-- you can sort of see the tension, and it really brings to life the "I'm going to jump out!" aspect.

+ In the fourth picture, her grin is really... wow. It's really a "I won't bite...hard" kind of grin and it's amazing. + I really really can't get over the posing here. It's so...awesome. I love looking at the photos because of the posing! In the fifth picture, there's so much tension and strength in the model. She looks determined to catch something, that's for sure. I especially love how the back leg is lifted just enough so there's a gap between it and the lower leg. An inch could have not made that pose work, made the legs blend together, yet you made sure it wasn't like that. Amazing!

Cons. = My only problem with the first picture is how much she blends into the background. This could have been on purpose, but it's kind of hard to focus on the model at first. = In the second picture, I just wish the horizontal spike on the right-- the top one on her vertical arm-- was moved just a tiny bit. It cuts off an odd portion of her face. = I wish the bodypaint would have been smoother around the face-- a little photoshop could probably have fixed it-- but I understand how freaking annoying that stuff is and how easily it sloughs off, so it doesn't bother me too much.

Plant Portrayal! This is probably one of the best plant portrayals here! In each and every picture, I really get the feeling she's waiting to trap something. She even has wonderful facial expressions to match the plant (in my opinion!). Also; the costume? Stunning. I love how you managed to get the... teeth things. It looks awesome, and I really could probably look at these photos and ask, "Is this supposed to be about a venus flytrap?"

Ranking #2: 1867, Spanish Flag Vine

Photo 4

Photo 5Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Ranking #2: 1867, Spanish Flag VineDESCRIPTION:

This vine is commonly referred to as the “Firecracker” or “Exotic Love” vine. Easy to grow, averaging six to ten feet, they are a favourite among plant lovers. The vines grow in branch formation and bloom year-round in the tropics as a perennial. The flowers are unusual and strikingly beautiful with vibrant oranges, reds, yellows, and white. This is where the vine gets its name as it resembles the Spanish flag. The colourful flowers attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies but the seeds can be poisonous if too many are ingested; some symptoms include drowsiness, muscle tightness, vomiting and hallucinations.



You guys really stepped it up this week. It’s obvious that you’ve been listening to our critiques, especially since you really added variety this week. Every photo is tied together by the wardrobe and plant, but they can all stand on their own as special and individual photos. Speaking of wardrobe, great choice in clothing this week. They’re bright, they stand out, and they clearly represent your plant. I like how the model got more creative with her posing and movement, although I think she still needs to get a tighter command of her limbs as they sometimes look over-exaggerated, out of place, or unintentionally placed. The photography has also improved greatly with different angles and cropping. As with the Lost Girls, it’s really great that you gave us a variety of close up and far away shots. Your team especially has come really far in this competition, I’d love to see you keep improving and I’m extremely excited to see what you turn in in the future.

+Photo One: Quite an intense shot. The model has stunning eyes and I love the fierce expression on her face here. Although the sun is a bit too bright and glaring here, I do like that her face is in sunlight while the rest of the photo is not. It adds an interesting element to the photo. I also really like her make-up here. It’s really hard to look comfortable while laying down and looking backwards, but your model does this easily. My only critique is that the models legs look amputated.

+Photo Two: This is definately a really cool photo and major props to the model for not only climbing that tree, but getting into an obviously uncomfortable position. It’s impressive that she managed to maintain good posture, placement of limbs, and look at the camera at the same time. That being sad, she does look a bit like she’s being choked to death.

+Photo Three: This photo is...interesting. I’m a not a big fan, mainly because the pose is forced and kind of silly, but the colors are great and I like how the window and bush balance each other. I also like how you took the flower and somehow put it on the vine. Very cool idea, and quite visually pleasing. The make-up also looks fantastic here.

+Photo Four: This is by far my favorite photo. The colors are brilliant and I really like how you integrated the flower into the surrounding plant. I also love the butterfly touch as you mentioned that specifically in your description of your plant. The lighting is a bit harsh as it makes the model’s face look yellow. Her hand is cropped and her legs look a little awkward. Other than that, wonderful photo.

+Photo Five: I love how you tied in the nickname with this photo. Photos at night are hard to pull off, but you do it rather well. As expected, the quality isn’t as good, but the photo is still striking. I especially love how the photo is framed with the curve of the model’s body and the plant ends pointing at each firecracker. It looks a bit Halloween like with the main colors being orange and black, but overall nice shot.




I really really love your choice of plant! I’ve never heard of the Spanish Flag Vine before, but I think its one of the best possible choices for this task, due to its wonderful and vibrant colors! You’re photos are all really well composed, and the use of color on all of them, especially 3 and 5, is quite impressive. The bright colors associated with the plant, in contrast with the dull background. The only two things that I think could be improved upon are the lighting in photos 1 and 4, and the “amputated” legs in photo 1.

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW. What a magnifiscent set you’ve turned in this week. I’m floored. Striking colors, amazing movement and posing, interesting angles and above all: a unique, special photo in each slot, all contributing to your main theme. This team really gave it their all this week.

What am especially impressed with is the risk taking in these photos. Hanging upside down from a tree to get a shot? Amazing. Fire sparklers? EVEN MORE AMAZING.

I also was glad to see little to no use of photoshop. If anything, you all used photoshop to clean up your pictures, not to “enhance” them in anyway, showing the true art in your composition in modeling. Your subtle use of your flower was nice too. It was barely noticeable but enhanced the photos very well, particularly the last one where the concept is a little more abstract.

Frankly, I have only good things to say this week. My only caution would be to keep it up!

Excellent: Research, Incorporation of plant, Costume/make-up, risk-taking composition, location, Needs Work: (Can’t think of anything this week.)

I loved that every single picture looks different, but still has the same theme. The colors are amazing and the approach is unique. Great job on the research. The only negative remark I have is that the lighting on your model is not the best but not horrible and if I was a modeling judge, I would suggest on other facial expressions.


Just like last week this team really stepped it up again and I am very thrilled about this. The model has really learned a lot about how to properly pose herself as well as to give us strong emotion in every image; amazing job. I would have ranked this team in first place had it not been for a few errors I found; firstly, in a couple of the images the model doesn't clearly communicate that she is a spanish flag vine and looks more like she's just posing with nature. Secondly, in their second image because the model was hanging upside down for a while before the image was taken you can see all the blood that's rising cause her to turn an unattractive red. But all-in-all, fantastic progress so far; just keep up the good work and keep on improving until you blow us away.

First off, I really like the model's hair with this new blonde color. I have to give this team props because I think they picked the most difficult plant. I also really liked the makeup and wardrobe they chose. Their best picture of the set, for me, is Photo 2; when I think of a vine, I think of plants that grow up around trees, and this photo fits that image the best. I also liked Photo 3 because the pose is really interesting and it shows the vine travelling up the sind of a building, which is the second thing I think of when I think of a vine. Unofortunately, I don't think that Photos 4 and 5 really go with the rest of them. Neither of them give me any idea that a plant is being portrayed and they just seem out of place in the bunch (especially Photo 4). This team is getting better each task, but I really want to see them

Critiques, Modeling: Momo (1)Pros! + I'd have to say the main reason this is number one is because I was blown away with the improvement you guys made. You took our advice and ran with it. Faster than ran... you flew with it! I'm really amazing at how awesome these are compared to the past photos. + The first two pictures are mind-blowingly awesome. Here i can really see the poisonous aspect. The dark smudges around the mouth really adds to this effect-- it creates a really sickening look, adding to the shadows naturally around the mouth, especially mixed with the orange around the eyes. In the first picture, the awesome jawline is there, and the rest of her body kind of fades away into the leaves--like a plant. Her face is very serious, which is appropriate as I feel this helps the poisonous theme for this picture. + For the second picture, I don't know if this was accidental or not, but it's really cool--and normally a no-no-- her lower body is completely hidden. This makes it appear as if she's coming out of the tree. In this case, it's really appropriate for the situation--her being a plant. The shadows are extremely dramatic without losing much of her body. Once again, this screams 'poisonous' to me.

+ The third picture's posing really looks like a vine. Even her hair looks like it's creeping up the wall! + In the fourth picture, you get even more from the vine, not just one aspect. The little butterflies are a cute touch, showing--obviously--other's attractions to it. It's also kind of warm and fall-y, reflecting the time it blooms most (from what I've read). This is a completely different tone from the other, almost scary pictures--this one is warm and comforting. + The variety in the themes, locations, and wardrobe is AWESOME!!! I'm so glad you took the advice really to heart. + Sparklers! Cool! I really like how you literally translated the nickname for them. Also, the posing here is really interesting--funky, but not distracting. This shows the 'festive' side of the vines.

Cons.. = In the second picture, her left arm really doesn't look like it's attached, due to the shadows. While the lower body was missing and OK, the upper seems to be a main focus of the picture, and the strange severed arm looks funny. = I'm not a fan of her facial expression in the third photo-- there's not much going on there. Also, while the pose is cool, the sweatshirt creates a strange square around her middriff and I'm not a huge fan of the outline due to that. = In the final picture, I don't get much of a 'plant vibe', though you do describe other characteristics of it.

Plant Portrayal! Amazing plant portrayal-- you hit multiple factors on this (wonderful variety!). I've had no prior knowledge of this plant (I have an anti-green thumb... not much of a plant person), so I had to read the articles, but I feel you portrayed this really well. The poison of the plant's seeds was seen in your model's amazing facial features, and the autumn time when they bloom was portrayed (whether you meant this or not, I think it's awesome). Not to mention the wardrobe/makeup choices that really matched it!!!

Ranking #3: Mooncat, White RosePhoto 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Ranking #3: Mooncat, White RoseDESCRIPTION:

After some deliberation, we chose to portray a rose, specifically a white rose. The first place we went, of course, was Wikipedia. There we learned that a rose is of the family Roseacea, usually has five petals, that there are over 100 acknowledged species, and that what we call "thorns" are technically "prickles." However, rather than getting too technical and sucking the life out of the shoot (trying to portray exactly five petals) or too cliche (gluing things to our model's face), we decided to try for a more minimalist approach, letting our model embody the meaning of a rose, rather than the concrete object, through her face and body language.

Roses have been traditionally associated with love and beauty, and are one of the most common ingredients in love potions. The white rose

specifically is associated with innocence and purity. We have attempted to portray that innocence and purity through a simple style of makeup and dress, as anything too over the top would ruin the message.

Critiques, Head Judge: Kris Ramos (2)Your photos may be simple, but they’re also quite elegant. They basically embody the phrase “simply elegant.” All first four

photos are strong in both photography and modeling aspects. However, your fifth is a bit of a let down considering how nice the other ones are. You mentioned earlier that we wouldn’t have a problem with your lighting or quality, and for the most part you were correct. Most of them are wonderfully crisp and the framing is excellent. Additionally, the lighting is phenomenal and the photographer really understands how to create depth using shadows. I love how you managed to create so much variety with such a simple set. However, my one issue is that while your photos are by far the best in terms of photographs, they don’t necessarily stick to the task. My main problem is that you plainly stated that you purposely did things to make sure the point (innocence and purity) stands out, however, only photo one portrays this correctly. I will describe this more below, but if your photos had all depicted your interpretation of the white rose, then you would have taken the top spot by far as your photos were the best photographs. This set of photos is striking and quite professional. It’s especially great that even though your photos have been consistently good, you’re still improving. Major kudos this round, this is a set of photos where, unless they read the critiques, will be very surprised that you didn’t rank first this round..

+Photo One: Breathtaking image. The modeling is almost dead on as her face looks so gentle and kind. My only suggestion when it comes to modeling is that her arms look slightly strange. The placement is good, however, her right arm is a bit too sharply bent and interrupts the natural curve of the arm. Since the photo is supposed to be gentle, a curving arm rather than an angular one would work better. The model is great at posing, the next step up is to watch how your body correlates with the mood. In terms of photography, this isn’t the best photo. The angle is a bit off and diminishes the model’s neck and I wish that the petals, rose stem in the lower left hand corner, and the top of her leaf wreath on her head, weren’t cut off. +Photo Two: This model’s body language is really beautiful here, however, I really wish it was bigger. The size limits go up to 800 and with horizontal photos, it’s suggested that you take advantage of this. If larger, I have a feeling the nice framing of this photo would have made more of an impact. While the model’s arms and legs are placed perfectly, the look on her face is not at all innocent or pure. She appears to be snarling; making it seem as if she is quite angry or very uncomfortable. Through this photo especially, it is apparent that the model knows how to move and express emotion through her body, but still needs to work on softer facial expressions. The look on her face simply doesn’t match the interpretation.

+Photo Three: Again, breathtaking image. As a photo, I am completely in love. The lighting and photography is phenomenal...it’s such a beautiful image. I would hang it up in my art gallery, no joke. However, it isn’t very innocent or pure. While her eyes do look soft and innocent, everything else about the picture suggests otherwise. The tilt of her head takes away from the eyes and creates more of a “come hither” vibe. While the shape of her body is beautiful, the fact that she’s naked takes away from the purity of the white by tearing down the innocence. I love this image to death, it just doesn’t follow your interpretation. It’s photos like these that make me want to give even more



leeway for creativity with the tasks, but I feel as if this was an already pretty open task. Honestly, this is the best photo we’ve received in this competition so far, it just doesn’t match with the description you gave us.

+Photo Four: This photo is another breathtaking but off-task photo. This photo is simply beautiful. The set up, the lighting, the pose; all come together to create a beautiful photo, however, once again, the task isn’t portrayed. The nakedness and the tattoo, defy the idea of innocence. I’m literally tearing myself apart here, because these photos are, no doubt, absolutely beautiful, but the don’t follow the task. I want to rank you first, but I feel that would be unfair to the competition because you didn’t completely accurately portray your chosen vegetation.

+Photo Five: This photo is completely out of place, mainly due to the fact that it’s not really in focus. The model looks pretty, but the angle is weird, the crop is awkward, and the area around her neck and left arm is confusing. This is definitely not up to your potential and it makes me wonder if you’re only getting the few shots that you send us. Being able to take good photos and be a good model, is that it happens often. Yeah, there may be that one perfect shot, but that should be among other, very good shots as well. Turning in a photo of such low quality compared to your others, makes me wonder about your consistency in taking good shots.

At first glance I was extremely impressed with all but your last photo, due to their professionalism and amazing modeling and composition, but once I kept looking I slowly got more and more disappointed. While the first photo is really good, and definitely fits the theme you presented, none of the other photos match the task or your interpretation of it. I wouldn’t really describe any of them as innocent, and so, no matter how good of photos they are, I couldn’t rank you higher than 3. Other than this, I really liked all of your photos, even though number 5 could have used some compositional work.

As usual, these photos have excellent lighting and focus and are of true professional grade…except…the last photo in the set doesn’t quite seem to fit. The focus is a bit fuzzy, and not in the soft-focus sense, and the lighting is off. What happened? This photo stands out against the others as what seems as a tacked-on ending. It seems to me you guys got a bit tired at the end and had to give up? Not sure, but none-the less these photos are stunning.




I really commend you on choosing to take a minimal approach to a challenge that was easily catered to something over-the-top, it made your theme of purity and innocence all the more clear. I’m so happy to see so much variation in your posing and costume, and am especially fond of the photo of the model’s back, utilizing the tattoo: very nice.

Like I said to The Lost Girls: watch your back. The other teams are sneaking up on you because of their improvement. I’d be wary and really push your limits, just to keep your top spots. This team is consistently amazing, but try and push it every time. Excellent: Minimalistic Approach, Risk-taking, message portrayal, photo variation Needs Work: Pushing your limits, pushing through

Your pictures this week was, for the most part, great composition-wise. Your focus and lighting was great, up until the end. However, they look a bit cheesy to me. I wish you would have changed it up a bit in the background, although I appreciate the clean background.

I am still thoroughly impressed with this team but in comparison to last week they've really fallen back this time around. I appreciate the effort they put into how they went about portraying their plant although they should have pushed a bit harder as not all the images really say "purity" and "innocence" as they were going for. The model did a very well job at expressing emotion in this round however it is not to the level that she can be at and it did disappoint me. The posing itself is still very well played out but the model needs to still work on learning what angles are awkward and don't go with her body well. Everyone has some poses they can and can't do and it's important to learn what they are.

Critiques, Modeling: Momo (4)

Again, another set of good pictures from a consistently good team. However, that being said, I think the plant they chose was way too safe. To portray a rose, one must simply look sweet and innocent and soft and pretty, and she did that, but I would have liked to have seen a greater risk be taken. For me, Photos 1 and 5 are a tie for their best picture of the set, because those are the two that wholly capture the essence of the plant. A couple improvements could have been made: in Photo 2, her expression is a little sinister and she looks like she's straining; Photo 3 is just a little too on the sexy side and crosses the line from being coy and looking a little like "come and get me;" Photo 4 just doesn't work for me because the tattoo ruins the "innocence" vibe (just because innocence makes me think of kids which makes me think of smooth, pure skin--not that tattoos make a person impure, but I think what I'm trying to say is clear enough). Another good job and they just need to keep up the good work.

Pros! + I really love the contrasting colors of the model's outfit and the black background. It really makes everything pop. Also, the roses blend in--in my opinion, this is good, because you were to become the rose. + I love love []love[/i] the make-up on the model. It's so soft, and flower-like. Innocent. Wonderful! This really helps out the first picture, as well. The touch of pink helps bring a child-like quality to her which I relate to innocence. The first picture is my favorite hands-down. She's also kind of caressing the roses, tenderly. + The tones in the third picture are amazing. The whole picture feels... soft. Like if I were to touch it, it would be like a kitten. Her skin looks nice and smooth and there's the perfect balance between cool colors and warm ones-- she doesn't look too pale or too red. + The way her hair is placed in the last picture is gorgeous. I love it when the models spread out their hair like that. It almost resembles a halo.

Cons. = The last picture is blurry! The model's not as in focus as I'd like her to be. It makes me feel like my glasses are off. = In the third picture, I don't feel innocence or purity coming off of her. If you were to have said to be focusing on the 'love potion' part, I would have liked this better; she seems seductive rather than innocent. The look in her eyes is 'Come hither', rather than an innocent, naive look. = Once again, in the second picture, I see a feisty look, not the innocence or purity you stated to be going for. = In the second picture, her legs look a little strange-- it's hard to tell which one is which, due to the sheet cutting of most of the figure. Also, the upstage hand looks like it's appearing out of nowhere-- it cuts off right at the wrist, an awkward place in my opinion.

Ranking #4: Uh Oh Spaghetti-O's, Lady Fern

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4Photo 5

Ranking #4: Uh Oh Spaghetti-O's, Lady Fern

DESCRIPTION:

We picked the Lady Fern. Lady ferns are characterized by bright green leaves and stems and are often used for decoration. Many people grow them outside but they are very common in outdoor areas, especially moist or damp environments. Lady ferns grow in deciduous forests in the North America and Europe so they're very often surrounded by trees and leaves, if not growing on/close to them. Ferns can often be associated with fertility (in old festivals and folklore) and were used/held during celebrations of marriage to encourage high fertility in women.

Critiques, Head Judge: Kris Ramos (4)I know it may be a little discouraging that even though you tried really hard for this task, you still landed at fourth, however,

you should not be! This set of photos far exceeded your past shoots, in fact, I was quite impressed. It just so happened that everyone actually did amazing this week and placing everyone in order was really difficult. Your photos really were great and it’s good that you’ve shown vast improvement. My biggest problem was that you were the only team that I felt didn’t really embody the plant very well. Yes, the clothing is AMAZING (serious props, you’ve got some real talent the wardrobe looks sooo good) and the body paint is cool, but I don’t really get fertility here. I see the plant, but I don’t feel it. Although the photoshopping is kind of nice, it also takes away from the professional feel of the photos. You would never see photos in a photography or modeling magazine photoshopped like this. I would focus on making your photos look more professional.

+Photo One: This photo looks the most like mother nature to me and yet it still doesn’t embody fertility...especially since she’s holding a dead leaf. Additionally, the angle is a bit unflattering to the model’s face. The top looks wonderful here though, I still can’t believe you made your clothing yourself. Very impressive.

+Photo Two: This is by far my least favorite of your set, mostly because it looks like it was taken at random, with no agenda. The angle is awkward and I don’t understand why the model has a bit of an angry expression on her face when she is suppose to be embodying fertility. Overall, it’s just not a very good photo.

+Photo Three: My favorite in the set, I think this is the only one that embodies fertility. The model’s expression is soft, young, and lively. However, the cropping is extremely awkward as she has several amputated limbs. It’s also overexposed.

+Photo Four: This is the best photo of the model’s face and perhaps the most striking overall, however, it really doesn’t fit your interpretation at all. Her hands are gripped, and while it looks cool, it doesn’t say fertility at all. Additionally, the angle of the photo kind of makes the model look like she has a hunchback. I’m really confused by what’s going on in the collarbone and cheek area. It kinda creeps me out. The model’s face does look very beautiful here, though.

+Photo Five: This is probably the best photo of the set when it comes to photography. The model and tree are framed nicely and I like the fern in her hair. Unfortunately, the model does look like she’s creeping on someone. Rather than fertility and seductress, I see creeper coming to get me. I think it’s mostly the sharp eyes and firm hand that give me this impression. The model still looks very pretty, but I just don’t see fertility here.




The costume you guys put together for this shoot was one of the most intricate and interesting props I’ve seen throughout the season. I also really liked how photo 3 really expressed your theme, showing the softness and tenderness traditionally inherent in fertility. Typically when I think of ferns, I think of a forest, a dark, moist place where the sun hardly shows its face. I think the photos could have a been a bit less exposed, in order to more create such an ambiance.

This is an instance where I can tell you used photoshop in every photo, but it enhances and beautifies them rather than taking away. VERY nice work.

Very nice work in general! These photos are very beautiful, and interesting in each one. I think what would have put you over the top and ahead of 1867, for me, would have been a little more excitement in the background. I know that you chose a location where ferns grow, and for that I gave you extra points, but I would have liked to see a little bit more of that green. All of your photos are a close-up or mid-shot. With a theme like this, the plants AROUND your plant are just as important. That’s not a critique, necessarily, but its something I would have done

Otherwise this shoot is phenomenal. You picked excellent colors to match with your models skin, hair, and eyes. You chose a plant that was a little boring on its own and jazzed it up, making it sorta sexy to match your research about the Lady Fern’s connection with fertility. I can’t think of any improvements to be made to these photos. Keep up the amazing work! Excellent: Lighting, Rule of Threes, Variation, Color palatte, location, Photoshop Needs Work: (can’t think of anything this week!)

I absolutely love that you made that outfit to portray your plant. The colors in your photos are beautiful. All of your photos are tight and neat. The only critique I have is to rely less on photoshop because in some of the photos, photoshoping takes away from the photo.

Critiques, Modeling: Cassandra (1)Just like the last round this team has once again stepped it up a notch. While the modeling still has some more tweaking to do

this team was able to get by without having a "shouldn't have been submitted" picture which helped me to give them such a high rating; another factor was how well this team was able to demonstrate their plant and really convince the viewer that the model was a lady fern. Out of all the images they submitted I would place their first one last as the angle of the model is fairly awkward and really detracts from her features. I was pleased with the amount of emotion the model was able to communicate to us however she still needs to push it a bit more. Her posing has really become a lot better but, as I said earlier, she does need to work a bit harder. Excellent job all around and keep up the great improvements.

Critiques, Modeling: Shawn Keeney (4)The photos aren't really bad, but they're not particularly amazing either. I liked how the bikini looked like it was made out of

leaves, but I think some paint on the face could have made the effect better. One of my main problems is that their paragraph was all about how their plant was used to promote fertility, but I didn't see that in any of the pictures. I have to say that I think Photo 3 is amazing (this one does give me a sense of sensuality that might be related to fertility), probably one of the best that any team has turned in for this task, but the other photos kind of don't meet up with that one. Photo 5 is not bad either becuase this photo also shows some sex appeal. In the other three pictures, however, the model is giving off a feeling totally different from what they told us the plant is supposed to mean. From Photo 1, I get "Gee, I hope that huge bird over there doesn't come try to land on me;" from Photo 2, I get "Oh, God, that huge bird is coming right at me;" and from Photo 4, I get "Whew! I cowered and the bird flew right past me." Overall, I would like to see a better portrayal of what is being explained to us from this team.

Critiques, Modeling: Momo (3)Pros! + The third picture is gorgeous all around and embraces the fern very well-- it's clingy-ness, close to the ground, etc. I wish you could see her chin a little better--the light causes it to blend in-- but the posing is phenomenal. The facial expression is gorgeous, I don't see how it reflects a fern though. But as far as modeling goes this is amazing. You get a strange angle to it, but because of the view you're seeing her face-- that is, upside-down and at an angle-- it's okay to have weird angles on the rest of her body. The hair is lifted from the neck and splayed on the

ground, one of my favorite things to do. Oh, and holy cow, the eyelashes! Gorgeous. This could be a mascara ad. + The makeup and wardrobe is cool. I really like the ferns on her arms and how the wrap around--not tacky at all like I'd imagine something like that would turn out. Good job! I especially love the fern in her hair in the last photo. + I like the modeling in the second photo. You get a nice outline of her whole body, especially around her face. The way the hair is hanging is pretty, and her outstretched arm really looks like she's clinging to the tree-- almost as if the fern is a part of her body--her arm--and grabbing for the tree.

Cons. = I don't understand the pose in the fourth photo. Is she trying to convey the clingy-ness of the ferns? I just don't get it. Also, her neck is completely lost and she looks hunch-backed from the pose-- it just doesn't look to comfortable or nice. = In the last picture, I feel like she's pushing away from the tree rather than clinging to it. = In the first picture, there's a bit of an up-the-nose angle and I'm not a huge fan of it. Also, her left shoulder is completely lost in shadow and it looks just...strange. = In the second picture, the lower half of her body looks awkward and uncomfortable compared to the flowy, natural look to the top half.

Plant Portrayal! Plant portrayal was alright here. I feel more could have been done, but it was pretty good. You got the beauty and clingy-ness of the fern down, but I feel you could have gone more with the meanings of them-- you included that they're used for encouraging high fertility, yet didn't go anywhere with that. I would have liked to see what you could have done with it.

Ranking #5: Tegan and Sierra, Pansy

Photo 1

Photo 2Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Ranking #5: Tegan and Sierra, PansyDESCRIPTION:

We chose to do the pansy as our plant because it's Sierra's boyfriend's favourite flower. The pansy was domesticated by Lady Mary Bennet of England in 1812, who gathered every type of wild pansy she could find and planted them in her garden. A florist named Mr Lee discovered her garden and began cultivating them for his shop. Pansies have been called by many various names, including "Heartsease," "Love in Idleness," and "Jump Up And Kiss Me." The name pansy comes from the French word for thought, because in late August pansies droop and look like heads tilted down in deep thought. Many authors references pansies in their work because of it's whimsical names,

most famously in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," where the juice of wild pansies is placed on eyelids of sleeping people in order to make them fall in love with the first person they see when they wake up. This whimsical love-inspired nature of the pansy is what we strove to incorporate into our photos



I was happy to see a great improvement in your photos this week. Although you came in last, you shouldn’t feel bad about your photos as they’re a very big step up for you. Some judges may say they’re kind of boring, but I personally like the approach you took. The softness of the photos works really well with your plant, although I wish that the model’s face was at least in focus. In fact, I think the problem comes with the fact that there isn’t a single point in focus in all of your photos and that there isn’t any variety in them. They’re all kind of the same thing. I was kind of expecting contestants to go all out on this challenge, and although these photos are pretty, they don’t really say professionalism. I think you have some good ideas and the skill to carry them out, you just need to sit down and think them out a bit more so that your shoot can go exactly as planned. Think of things you can do to spice up your shoot. What props and other details will make the tone of the photos just right? Right now you’re playing it safe, and you need to work on getting out of that box you’re stuck in.

+Photo One: The cropping and angle make this photo kind of weird to look at. I like the small smile and peacefulness on the model’s face, but I wish I could see it more clearly. The colors are also really beautiful and soft. It’s just not crisp enough to look like a professional photo though.

+Photo Two: This is my favorite of the bunch and the model looks so beautiful here. Her jawline looks great, especially since the angle of the photo accentuates this. I think that if this photo was more in focus, it would be breathtaking, but as it is, it’s too blurry to fully enjoy.

+Photo Three: I like the model’s expression, however, the make-up just looks kind of scary here. While it works for the serene photos, here it looks kind of like pus or a skin disease. For the most part though, I really like the make-up choice. Again, the model’s face needs to be in focus.

+Photo Four: I like the sentimental approach that you took with this photo, the photo inside the frame is very very cute. However, you could have done a lot to make this photo more interesting. Additionally the angle doesn’t make a especially interesting photograph. As with the others, it would have been nice if the photo had a focal point.

+Photo Five: This is the only one in which I don’t really see your plant. The model looks a bit angry rather than intense or joyful/serene. Her hand also looks awkward with her hand curled up into the palm. The crop of her right arm also looks bad.




I really think all of your photos are a great improvement from your previous sets. The link with A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a very nice touch, and your fifth photo well expressed your idea of the pansy a love-inspired flower. I just think that the soft focus and photoshopping could use a bit of work.

Nice work this week in portraying the theme much better than previous weeks. You’ve improved greatly. These photos capture what you set out to capture: a thoughtful and dreamy atmosphere. Purple is an excellent color to choose, since its dark, but still rich. I know well that pansy’s come in many colors, but the purple one is the most recognizable AND the version described in Shakespeare…which also goes along with your theme. Nice.

Having said that, each of these photos portrays the same part of your theme: They’re all thoughtful, they’re all soft. I would have liked to see more variation in these photos. In the second, third, and fifth photos it doesn’t look like the model moved much at all except to open her eyes. Try for more angles, more locations, or more props to get variation in your photos.

I did especially like your soft focus effect; your photos weren’t blurry! HOORAY! Good work, keep improving and I’m sure you’ll rise up in the ranks. Excellent: Soft Focus (Not Blurry! ), Soft Lighting, Make-up effects, Color palate. Needs Work: Photo variation. Set design/location.

I liked that you picked a plant that was important to you. However, I think there could have been better ways to portray it. The pictures are a bit too blurry. I understand that you are doing it for the effect, but next time I suggest only soft focusing[?] it at the points that are not of focus, such as the background, or perhaps making it even softer. I also feel that almost all of your photos were the same, and as a judge that makes me feel as though you don't spend enough time brainstorming, or perhaps don't care.


Critiques, Modeling: Momo (5)

I will admit that the model did a very lovely job at improving her posing techniques as well as expressing emotion however she still has a lot more progress to make. Additionally, the way this team chose to portray their task honestly was rather boring. I couldn't see the model being a pansy, all I saw was simply a girl with a flower on her eye. I understand they were incorporating the myth of pansies being able to make you fall in love but this was just rather sorely played out. This team really needs to try to kick it up a notch, try something crazy and blow us out of our seats. Don't be afraid to do something that might not work - try it and see how it comes out. One last point is to also try to avoid having all of your images appear to be the same; while it's true that none of the pictures were the same, with how closely related they were I just felt like I was looking at two pictures taken at five different angles.

I am literally completely unimpressed by this team's photos. All of them, for me, are just flat and just nothing makes them stand out. One thing I've noticed from task to task with this team that is really quite bothersome is that they seem to have no regard for wardrobe choices or anything like that because in every single picture the model has simply been in a t-shirt and pants, and finally they put a flower on the face. The best picture from the bunch is their Photo 2, because I really think that the way the light is hitting the model's face makes the shot magical in a way. However, when put with al the other pictures, it's just kind of boring. All she did was lay there in the same position, basically, in all the pictures. I just really want to see this team step it up and deliver something fantastic because I'm losing faith in them rather quickly. I really do appreciate, though, their dedication to the competiton and that they've participated in every task that's been put out.

Pros! + There's a definite, strong 'love' feel to all the pictures, along with an innocent softness. + I love the color scheme! + I like the cleverness behind the placement of the pansy-- over the eye, like how the juice is placed over the eyes to make them fall in love with the first person they see. The first picture and second fit nicely with this, too-- sleeping, with the pansy over her eye, and then waking up with the pansy over her eye.

Cons. = In most of the pictures, I feel the facial expression was the same. The location didn't change much, either, and was a little boring after a while due to the repeated facial expression as well. = In the third picture, it just looks like a nice headshot-- but on our left, her arm has completely disappeared! = Same with the last picture as above--it just looks like a nice picture with nothing behind it, really.

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Task 3 Critiques