When Photos Go Wrong

 AAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! Run!  RUN for you lives!  *stomp, stomp*

Anywho, today's dual post is going to be on some true photo bloopers, since I had promised some last week and not delivered.  Hopefully the post will work just as well, with both myself and Jen commenting on each one.

Aside from your typical blurry or poorly lit photograph, there's a lot that can go wrong with photographs during a photo shoot.  As you will see in the photos below (all from various shoots with Jen), there's a whole cadre of problems that can occur.

Jen blooper, Downtown

Haley:  Sometimes, some clunky photographer *cough, cough* gets their composition really, really wrong.  Where to start?  My original intent with this photo was an angle that created a sort of intimacy, as if the viewer were peeking through the ironwork at the model.  Yeah . . . so that didn't really work out . . . The ironwork in the foreground comes off as clunky and overbearing.  It's as if rather than peeking in at the model, your vision is being blocked.

Jen:  I do see where Haley is coming from regarding the blocked vision; the ironwork in the foreground dominates the photo, rather than allowing the viewer's eye to peek at the model.  (Tee hee, I refer to myself as "the model."  It should be capitalized, to make it more awesome: "The Model."  Okay, I'm done.)  However, this could be a photo that would benefit from extreme photo-editing.

Jen with the Scummy Water

Haley:  At other times, the composition can be affected by things the photographer might not have noticed to start with.  Such is the case with this next picture.  "What's wrong with it?" you might ask.  Aside from the fact Jen's goofy pose (which may actually have been intentional now that I think of it), it's not that bad.  Until you look at the water, which is disgustingly scummy, and unphotoshopable.

Jen: This is true; unless you are incredibly meticulous, the dirty water in this photo (and series of photos) is nearly impossible to fix.  Other than the fact that The Model (tee hee) looks very...special... (and I'm not sure whether that pose was intentional), the combination of the awkward pose and the dirty water mar the overall feel of the photo.

Jen and the Touchy-Feely Leaf

Haley: Then there are times when something entirely unforeseen ruins your shot, such as a photobomber leaf. I point to our third photo as an example: Jen is looking fabulous . . . until you notice the leaf that's trying to pick her nose.

Jen: Though The Model effortlessly has people throwing themselves at her feet to do any minute task for her, I'm fairly certain that she didn't really want that leaf to pick her nose.  While The Model is grateful that the leaf feels this way toward her, it is a wee bit creepy that the leaf is so willing to do that.  Ew.  However, Haley is correct.  Overall, the photo is fine--except for the fact that there is a leaf splicing The Model's forehead in two.

Jen Spots the Zombie Horde

Haley:  Still other times, you might find yourself with a photograph of a pose that you thought was the awesome sauce in the moment, but in reality . . . well, not so much.  As you see in this fourth photo, Jen looks a little crazy, almost as if she sees a giant zombie horde starting towards her.

Jen: Oh, Jesus Christ.  I'm almost tempted to remove this photo, but it's so damn funny that I feel compelled to leave it be. This is an instance of purely wonderful timing: The Model's eyes are too rolled back in one direction to denote a properly human facial expression.  I fear this picture.  I fear what The Model fears.

Zombies are indeed upon us.

The fact that it's set in a cemetery is also hilarious.

However, let's look at the right things with this photo.  Haley did manage to get some very good shots with this particular pose, and the gloomy atmosphere of the graveyard adds dimension to the photo itself.  This issue is, of course, timing.  And now I have a picture of myself that will haunt me 'til the day I die.

I'm strangely okay with this.

What? You're Taking My Picture Again?

Haley:  But, perhaps you've not encountered any of these photo dilemmas.  Perhaps, instead, your problem is the dreaded model apathy.  In such photos, your model appears tired, uninterested, and as if she might be thinking sarcastic and unflattering thoughts as in photo number five, here. (To be fair, I think I caught her before she was ready).

Jen: Huh, I kind of like this photo.  But, Haley is correct; I wasn't ready.  Still, a photo like this isn't entirely detrimental, as photo editing (no, you can't edit in a better facial expression) has the potential to make the photo more visually interesting.

And The Model am totally thinking unflattering thoughts about you.

However, be flattered that she is thinking unflattering thoughts about you.  It means that she's at least acknowledging your meager presence.

Jen Go "Raaaaawwwwr!!!"

Haley:  And lastly, we have my personal favorite type of photo gone wrong.  Someday, you might find yourself in a situation when your model just snaps. This typically follows the aforementioned apathy and might be accompanied by, though is not limited to, screaming and facial contortions.

Jen: YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PAIN I FEEL.

YOU. DON'T. UNDERSTAND.