Task 5 Critiques

Ranking 1: 1867

Photo 1Photo 2Photo 3Photo 5Photo 4

Head Judge: Kris Ramos, 1

The judges unanimously voted your team first this week, and Ive got to say, you really deserved it. You were the only team that I felt actually managed to embody the task. Granted, it was a really difficult task and I need to find a way to modify it in the future, but your team actually represented your assignment pretty well. A couple of your photos actually hit the task on the head. In general, I found that your photography was what made your photos great this week, although your model did a decent job as well. As a whole, your photos are great, you just need to pay attention to the details and fix up all the small things that need improving. Your biggest asset is that you keep listening and you keep improving, just keep it up.

Photo 1: When it comes to following the task, this photo is the best of all we received this task. The model is obviously depressed, while the entire photo, not just the background, is joyous. This is due to the numerous bright and happy colors. I love the setting you chose; its incredibly beautiful. The framing of the model against the landscape is just right, so major props to the photographer here. The model embodied her emotion perfectly through both body language and facial expression. Honestly, this is a pretty damn near perfect photo. My only suggestions, and this is really nitpicking here, are that the saturation is just a bit too high and the cropping on the left side should be a bit more in so that the disconnected leaves are cut off and the framing is a bit more crisp. Otherwise, great job with this photo.

Photo 2: Although a bit confusing, this photo is quite cool. The setting is wonderful although I wish that the large rock hadnt been cut. The framing is also nice on this photo, although I wish it had been zoomed out a bit to really get the framing of the rocks. The model looks a bit more confused rather than depressed and Ive got to wonder why shes upset about the orange juice. She definitely looks more angry and frustrated than depressed, although her body language is still good for depressed. Not to mention, why is she wearing fairy wings? The photo is quirky, but a bit too much so. The lighting is phenomenal, however. Its a great photo, it just doesnt follow the task as well as some of your other photos.

Photo 3: At first, I really didnt get this photo whatsoever. I was like, this is joyous at all. However, I eventually began to see what you were going for. The reflection off the glass is really quite beautiful, colorful, and joyous. Even serene in a way. I definitely like the change in lighting from where the building is and the model. The happy light is on the colorful building while the model is in darkness. Well done, and great attention to detail. I just wish the building area had been more lit up, because unfortunately its a bit too dull for viewers to see joyous right off the bat. The model does look quite distraught. However, this is one of the mistakes in this photograph. There is a very big difference between depressed and distraught. One of the keys to this task was to realize the subtlety of emotion, or in other words, what makes a certain emotion different or unique compared to others. I think you understood this in most of your photos, but not all of them.

Photo 4: As far as photos go, this is by far my favorite. I love the reflection of the tree and I must say, your photographer is definitely growing in skill throughout this competition. I do have a couple suggestions to further your improvement though. While use of the 2/3rds rule does create nice framing, its still good to deviate and find other ways to create a clean photo. Try switching it up a bit. Also, I havent really looked in your other photos so I dont know if this is a trend, but the horizon line isnt straight in this photo evident by the top of the curtain. It may seem picky, but all this stuff, when perfected, really does add up to a better photograph. I like the subtlety of the models expression and body language, although again, Im not sure if it really says depressed. The photo is also a bit dark and that takes away from it looking as joyous as it should. This is a really beautiful photo though, great job.

Photo 5: I really love the idea behind this photo. Although I do find the whole consumeristic angle of this photo depressing, the holidays is more often associated with joy and everyone feeling happy. The lighting of this photo in general definitely makes it seem more joyous. I love the tunnel effect of this photo, especially with the three wreathes going all the way down the hall. The cropping is off however, as the side area on either side of the wreaths is different. I also wish that the model looked more depressed. She looks lost here, but not necessarily sad. I think this is one of those tasks and emotion where the model should be more animated. Great idea, okay execution.

Photography Judge: Nick Sullivan, 1

Your photos really stood out in this task as the only ones really exhibiting your theme. The model is very obviously depressed, and the large contrast with her surroundings only helps to accentuate this. The third photo kind of seemed like it was just stuck in there, but the other four, especially number 4, definitely more than made up for it. Wonderful job!

Photography Judge: Kaitlyn, 1

Photography Judge: Sandy, 1

Your first two photos are gorgeous and I loved that none of your photos are even closely like the others. However, I would reconsider the last photo because it's a bit out of focus and your model is not the first thing you look at.

Modeling Judge: Cassandra, 1

I was extremely impressed with how this team executed the task; there was such obvious clashing in all the images and the model's poses and expressions were spot-on. I am highly pleased with how much the team stepped it up once again and am looking forward to what they can put out in the later rounds. I think the main thing that they just need to keep working on is making sure that all their poses are perfect and making sure that every image has just as much emotion as the next.

These photos capture the task the best for me. That model is clearly depressed. The surroundings are clearly not. Very stark contrast, VERY well done. I love that this team also incorporated the holidays. Each photo is unique, yet all contribute to the theme. My only negative comment would have been to see the model standing at least once, if only to have the variation, but it really didnt matter. She looked isolated and depressed. Exactly how she was supposed to.

Not only were the back drops of the photos more cheerful, but the lighting was immaculate! Excellent work this week.

Modeling Judge: Shawn Keeney, 1

I was very impressed with this group for this task. The model is the only one I felt fully committed to the task this time. Her face read as depressed; her body read as depressed. She pulled off her feeling completely for me. As for technical modeling, very good as well; the only thing I noticed was in the final photo the knees are pointed directly at the camera and it makes her look a bit amputee-y, but other than that good job. For the overall photos, I feel like the first photo had the best contrasting location with the bue skies and green grass and such. At first I wasn't sure about the second picture because it seemed a little to dark to be joyous, but then I saw the Minute Maid and I thought it was genius. Top marks for me this week.

Modeling Judge: Momo, 1

You guys have really clawed your way up to the top! Congrats on doing so well the past few rounds. You've really stepped up! For the first picture, I love the coloring in the photo. The background is all bright and happy-- joyous for sure! A mix of cool and warm colors along with a nice saturation really brings your eye to it. It looks like a lovely day. Then, your eye wanders to the model... grey, dark, crouched with a cig and looking depressed. The blanket really helped sell it-- when you're not feeling well it can be a comfort item for some. Her neck is there, her facial expression is miserable, and she's sitting on the corner alone, really looking depressed. The fact that she's curled up also helps show her discomfort. Second picture:The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the colors and scene was here. Stunning. The second thing I noticed was the red picnic blanket and the really sad looking girl on top of it. When I saw this, I honestly went, "Oh...." because she looks so terribly sad! I felt bad for her! She looks like she had a teaparty set up and no one came. This is my favorite picture out of the set, tied with the last one. I don't understand the wings, but I think I do, all at the same time-- it leaves me to believe she's trying to escape reality by going back to her childhood. I really just love this picture. It feels like someone could write a story to it. Her neck is missing, but in this position there's not much you can do about it-- and her whole jawline is visible which is WONDERFUL and hard to do in shadowed areas like this. The way she's sort of picking at the orange juice even adds a bit-- something someone does when they're not trying to focus (on the fact that no one's there). I really want to give her a hug in this picture and tell her to enjoy the scenery! While the background may not shout joyous, it's certainly beautiful and to me, beauty can equal joy or at least tranquility. The third picture was OK for me. I wasn't sure if she was at school or a church, or a library-- for me, I pretended it was a church, because for some church can be a very joyous place. Once again, the model looks terribly sad and distraught, even as far as a bit of color to her cheeks and nose as if she's been crying. The hunched back helps bring the 'uncomfortable' factor into play. The last picture was tied for my favorites out of this set because of the overwhelming contrast. You really hit the theme here. A pretty Christmas tree with presents-- what's a more joyful holiday than Christmas? Yet here's your model, alone, on the floor, clutching the present like it's the only thing she has left in this world. The face is more of a melancholy than outright depression, but still. All in all, you caught the theme pretty well in my opinion with different, interesting locations and photos.

Ranking 2: Mooncat



This is a nice set of photos. Theyre pretty, and you did produce several photos that embodied the task. While I appreciate the subtlety, I think it was a bit too subtle in this case. Your background and what the photography focused on needed to more than make up for the dreariness of the weather which Im sorry you were forced to endure. One photo depicted a river, which I think you shouldve chosen to focus on since rivers are commonly used as a motif for calm. If you had done this, the contrast on the photo would have been a lot better. Additionally, while I feel this was a step up for you, your model still needs to work on conveying emotion. Some of her expressions were much too comical rather than realistic. As usual, you take amazing photos, you just need to work on keeping to the task. I know that you may think that its more important to take good photo, than ones that follow a specific prompt, but in the professional world most photographers are taking photos for a purpose prescribed by employers.

Photo 1: Ive got to say, this is quite a beautiful photo. I love the framing, although the angle is a bit off. While its a nice photo and all, though, I dont really see how it follows the task. The model doesnt look stressed, she looks more in awe to me, and the photo doesnt look relaxed either. You were the only team that I didnt understand what you were trying to accomplish with the background. I guess I kind of get that rain can be calming, but since the photo was so gray, it came off as more depressed or subdued. The photo just didnt come off as stressed/calm.

Photo 2: This photo expressed the task the best out of your set for me. The background, although the leaves are weighed down by water, does actually look calm. This is due to the soft lighting. It looks more peaceful and not so dreary. While the models body language does indeed imply stress, her facial expression doesnt really convey it too. The pursed lips look comical and the downcast eyes dont really express stress to me. There isnt enough tension in the model. Overall, this is your best photo though.

Photo 3: In terms of modeling, this is your best photo. I love the models hands and her face definitely looks stressed. To me, this photo epitomizes stress. Unfortunately, that goes for the rest of the photo too. Although I think the river is quite calm looking, I dont think that the angle takes advantage of this characteristic. I think a different angle would have made this photo perfect, if only you had caught the length of the calm river.

Photo 4: Although I like that you took a chance by taking a close-up shot, Im not sure this really works for this task. I like the language of the model, but I think its a bit overpowering. To fix this, I would have extending the left border to capture the calming background without ruining the close-up of the model.

Photo 5: This photo also doesnt do a shabby job of showing the task. The photo is very light and wondrous; creating a near calming feeling. Its a pretty photo and I think the only reason why it isnt especially striking is because its slightly out of focus. Maybe theres something else, but the photo just doesnt pop. It also would have been cool if you had put your model on the left side, in the darker area to create more contrast.


While your model seemed very stressed, so did the photos as a whole. Your photos were nice, but the style seemed to make the photos more stressed and less relaxed. Other than that, your photos were rather good, as we've come to expect. Well done.



Your photos are beautifully lit however I would omit the 4th photo as it does not fit with the others. I would also use a tighter frame on the first third and last photo.


This team did a great job and I was pleased with the photos. The poses were nicely executed and the way they went about capturing the theme was clever I did feel however that there really wasn't too much of a clash but it was still there, I just would've liked a bit more. Another thing that I found to be an issue is that the model seemed to be leaning towards the same pose for most of the pictures making it seem more like just one image taken at different angles.

I can definitely tell the model in these photos is stressed. I would be too if I was caught in the rain in that pretty dress! HoweverI cant say I approve of the choice of location. I think it takes away from, rather than adding to it. I dont think relaxed or relaxing when I see that rain-drenched wood. I think depressed or haggard. Those emotions go with being stressed as opposed to aiding it.

That was the only thing separating you from the other teams, and the only reason I ranked you last. These photos are, as usual, flawless. The other two teams just did the task a little better.


For the first time, I honestly don't care for the set they turned in. It is only in the final photo that I get a feeling of stress from the model. The others just look frightened. The photos are not really bad (except for photo three where the face goes from ugly-pretty to ugly-ugly) but they just haven't fulfilled the task given to them. You can write the best paper in the world, but if you don't address the prompt, you're still going to fail. However, I feel that the work they've done in the past is more than enough to put them into the final two; I'm not about condemning someone for one off task.


I loved the softness to some of the photos. It was a nice, relaxing touch. On the first picture, I didn't get too much of a "stress" feeling from the model. The wardrobe was well done-- a dark, sort of 'gothic lolita' feel doesn't make one appear calm or relaxed. The model has sort of a wondrous look on her face rather than a stressed one. The body language would have fit a bit better if she had her head curved down, or perhaps a disappointed look on her face. The scene does look nice and calm, though, I would simply love to walk down there when it's raining lightly like that. In the second picture, the stress is very apparent while the 'calm' isn't quite as prevalent.. though it IS there. The clenched hands through the hair is a very, very obvious sign of stress, and the model's eyes are casted down (a sign of not being comfortable, which is linked to stress). The background is soft, and the light is heavenly. The third picture is a better mix of the two. The model is clearly showing stress-- the clawed hands, angry face, and tilted up head as if asking, "why me?". The calm is there as well, though it is rather cloudy and dreary looking-- I'm aware there's not much you can do in this weather, but perhaps you should have attempted an indoor shoot. I like the fourth picture the best, but I feel it doesn't quite follow the theme exactly. The closeup is wonderful to show the stress of the picture-- the tendons sticking out, the look on her face, her messy hair-- however, you lose a lot of the 'calm' here. It's barely peeking through in the background, shown only by a few bare branches and a leaf. It's there but hiding. I feel a closeup wasn't the best idea for the contrasting theme, though it is a nice picture. The fifth picture, once again, the location just doesn't quite chalk up to me. The model has stress down fine, but the location just looks dreary to me, not calm. I feel an indoor location could have gotten you better results. Rain can be calming but often it makes things look dreary. The first picture would have been wonderful if the model had a better expression-- that was the way to show the rain. The bare trees and cloudy sky just made the pictures look a little too.. scrubby for my tastes, but overall, good photos!

Ranking 3: Uh Oh Spaghetti-Os



Im happy to see that you guys are still improving, however, Id like to see you guys push even harder. I very much liked the subdued but still interesting photoshopping this week. You found a way to make it add rather than detract from the photos. I also enjoyed the brightness and location of your shoot. Both created a very calming effect on your photos. Since your background and lighting was so effective in making the photo represent the calm emotion though, your model really needed to go all out to convey her business. Unfortunately, your model didnt do that. Neither her body language or facial expression conveyed busy very well. Additionally, what turned me off to your photos the most, was that your photos (aside from the last one) were a bit too similar, especially two of them (1, 4) in which the model is in the exact same position and the photo is taken from the exact same angle. You need to vary up your photos more. As is though, just keep on improving.

Photo 1: When it comes exclusively to task interpretation, this is probably your best photo. I like how shes not just on her laptop, but her hand is moving and her mouth is moving as she talks to someone on the phone. Multitasking generally implies being quite busy, so props there. The greenery is calming, however, I dont know how calming the concrete lot behind the model is. While I actually really like the photoshopping in this photograph, I dont think this photo is that interesting. It represents the task alright but simply doesnt stand alone as a photograph.

Photo 2: As far as a stand alone photograph goes, this one is my favorite. The models stare is compelling and the stark contrast between the models neutral colored clothing and the bright green background is nice. However, the model doesnt actually look that busy, rather she looks kinda confused or lost. Its a pretty photo though.

Photo 3: This is probably my least favorite photo of the set. The location is pretty and does have a somewhat calming effect, however, your model simply doesnt look busy at all. Props do not make a photo or create the emotion in a photo and I think this is something you need to work on. Nothing from the models expression to her body language looks busy. She actually looks quite laidback and relaxed. The background really overpowers the model in this photo.

Photo 4: Again, I really love the background here. Its both beautiful and calming as is the entire photo in general. While I suppose this is a good thing, the model just doesnt seem busy to me. Just being on a laptop doesnt make someone busy. There are a ton of things that you can do on a laptop that are quite...calm. This photo is pretty, but I dont think the model is embodying the emotion she is supposed to.

Photo 5: Ive got to admit, this is a cool looking photo. I love the screened effect and the light and dark contrast looks especially cool. It makes me consider a new part of next season in which I may ask for an additional sixth photo for each task that is simply, an example of a really great photo that doesnt necessarily follow the task. Anyway, while this is a very cool photo, it doesnt really follow the task at all. Make sure you dont jeopardize the task just to turn in a cool looking photo. Both panels judge strongly on whether or not you follow the task, so make sure to adhere to it.


Your model doesn't really expressed 'busy'. Just because she's on her phone doesn't mean she's really busy. The scenery seemed slightly calm, but not enough to offset the lack of busy in the model. I liked the composition and style of the photos, but I think they could have followed the task a bit more.



I am so proud of you guys these photos are your best work yet. However, I don't think that your 2nd and 3rd photo was good enough to be submitted. All of the photos were beautifully lit but some needed a tighter frame. The first photo also looks a bit out of focus. Congrats on this weeks improvement!


Overall this team did a fairly nice job with both modeling and capturing the essence of the task. It was very clear in most of the images that the model was distracted by a lot going on with her job while the calmness of her surroundings contradicted the photo nicely. I did feel though that the model didn't do as great a job expressing emotions as she is capable of and some images didn't quite capture the "busy" aspect.

This is your best work yet! You keep improving and keep improving and Im so blown away. Beautiful use of lighting, color, and wardrobe. Soft lighting always relaxes a photo, and you chose stark colors to put on your model, which definitely makes her look more rigid. The locations are all a little similar, but otherwise fantastic work!


I think this is it for me, for this team. Again, I didn't see busy in any of these pictures...I actually didn't really see much of any emotion from the model in these pictures. Her face is practically the same in every picture. I don't see how using a laptop implies being busy. Also, the third picture actually fits with the calm theme more than anything because the face looks very somber, more relaxed. In a task that requires such facial animation, they fell significantly short of the mark for me.


The only real reason you guys ranked third for me is because the other two were amazing; this was actually, in my opinion, your best work so far! Great job on portrayal of the theme. My main critique on the modeling of these photos would be; that turtleneck. I realize it looks business-y, but I really wish you would have chosen one with a bit more slouch to it, to show her neck more, or have pulled her hair back like you had it in the first photo the whole time. Her neck is gone in all of the pictures, leaving not too pretty of a result. Also, I would have recommended to have the model sharper than the rest of the picture; the picture is very calm with the nice blur, but she seems to be blending in a bit too much with it. A soft eraser, slightly transparent would have sharpened her up a bit and brought her into focus while leaving the rest of the photo smooth. In the first picture, the turtleneck comes into play-- if she had something else on, this would have been fine. However, you get a bit of a head-on-shoulders syndrome here, where she seems to have absolutely no neck. It's simply not flattering. I do like how her mouth is mid-speech, and her hand on the laptop is kind of... I don't know how to describe it, but when I'm feeling busy/overworked, I tend to flail when I'm talking to people, and she looks like she's about to give up with whomever's on the line. The second picture, her hair is covering her shoulders, leaving them to look awfully broad, and her head is floating! I feel the cellphone is hiding a bit; it almost looks as if she's just pondering the weather. The third picture; once again-- no neck!! This time her hair's covering it. The fourth and fifth pictures are my favorites. Fourth: Biting her lip-- that's one thing I always do when I concentrate, it makes her look like she's working hard! I can almost forgive the no-neck here because the hair reveals all of her jawline and almost...traces it. This is a really calm looking picture, and she's just sitting there, busy as a bee. Fifth: I almost, almost don't like how she has no shape due to the coat, but at the same time.. It makes it look realistic. She's defined the one part of her waist with her hand, which helps out the silhouette nicely. I think what's making it work for me is the loose on top-- the coat, and the tight, well-defined legs on the bottom. It's a nice contrast and you can see she definitely has a figure. She almost looks thrown into the picture-- the colors (in the other pictures, as well) are warm and calming, and she's there, all blue-ish grey and shadowed. Job well done! The theme was definitely captured here.

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Task 5 Critiques