<kuschelirmel> Welcome to our first ever Stock Critique Night!

<lockstock> :cheer:

* lyastri listens as the crowd goes wild in silence. Cause she knows you all are excited!

<elandria>

<foxfires>

<elandria>

<kuschelirmel>

<foxfires> heheh

* lockstock shakes everyone's hands and passes out cookies

<kuschelirmel> let's start with the first critique then!

<fallenrox>

<znow-white>

<lockstock> Yes!

* bluem00n was made a member of Asking by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> Hiya bluem00n

<elandria> bluem00n

<kuschelirmel> what would you like to get some crits on?

<bluem00n> the piece I'll be asking you to critique is .

<lockstock> Oh, that's nice! Good shot, bluem00n!

<bluem00n> thank you lockstock

<elandria> yep i love the pose

<fallenrox> very nice

<foxfires> And it is a nice large stock photo - very good!

<fallenrox> clean background with nice contrast

<elandria> the lighting is good, I wouldn't worry about using the built in flash

<cryingsorceress> ditto

<bluem00n> Elandria: really? I was so worried about that

<znow-white> easy to cut out

<bluem00n> yay thanks

<cryingsorceress> the shadow is not much of a bother either

<lockstock> I can't find a fault with it. Maybe a bit flat in the lighting aspect. Flash does that.

<fallenrox> I have a pet peeve about hands not showing but it's not &quot;wrong&quot;

<elandria> If you're worried about the shadow you can get your model to stand back fromteh BG a bit more which softens it

<bluem00n> lockstock: indeed.

<elandria> but its distingished from the model himself so the edges are still sharp

<bluem00n> FallenRox: yeah that's a part of the pose but I can see how you mean

<fallenrox> comes from my directing models background. Not the photographers fault.

<lockstock> bluem00n: I like the pose

<bluem00n> Elandria: or stand farther away from the model.. we were playing with that I'm glad to hear it's not awful though

<fallenrox> it's lovely

<elandria> Its definately useable

<bluem00n> thanks so much guys

<foxfires> Yes, I agree

<elandria> yup depends if you have enough room wherever you are shooting that limits how far you can spread everything

<bluem00n> Elandria: I had room but it was one of the first shots so that's just how it came out. Later I moved around and played with flash/no flash so the series came out looking a bit different. It was a great excercise in spontanous lighting.

<lockstock> Or if you have a spare light to aim at the backdrop.

<elandria> lol experimentation rocks

<bluem00n> lockstock:

<lockstock> Keep up the awesome work, then!

<bluem00n> indeed

<bluem00n> thanks

<kuschelirmel>

<elandria>

<kuschelirmel> so this was our first critique in here

<znow-white>

<foxfires>

<kuschelirmel> thank you bluem00n

<bluem00n> thanks for giving of your time guys

<elandria> np

* bluem00n was made a member of Stockers by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> now, next up is joannastar

* joannastar was promoted to Asking by kuschelirmel

<lockstock> Hi joannastar!

<joannastar> hi guys

<lockstock> Whatcha got for us?

<joannastar>

<elandria> joannastar

<joannastar> 3d stock

<cutteroz> ugh, nice pose there

<lockstock> Is that on a transparent layer?

<elandria> cool I don't use 3D stuff myself but it looks great from here

<joannastar> lockstock: yes

<fallenrox> awesome

<cutteroz> even better

* elandria hates how the &quot;small view&quot; makes everything pixelated

<joannastar> I would've uploaded a preview, but dA doesn't let you

<kuschelirmel> my beef with any 3d stock is usually that the charachters look rather stiff and dead

<elandria> perhaps just a smaller jpg version with a white/black bg

<lockstock> Great! Ususally strands of hair are a pain to extract, but having it on a trans. layer takes care of that!

<kuschelirmel> yours looks great pose wise - very natural joannastar

<foxfires> Lovely render! I like that it isn't already completely dressed in anything fancy -

<cutteroz> well yes but you can texture it and photomanip it to make it look more real

<joannastar> yes, then I'd have had to make it a zip though

<kuschelirmel> though her eyes look a bit vacant joannastar

<joannastar> What do you guys think about the lighting? I always go for even lighting because I guess that makes it more useable

<elandria> easy to alter for new styles/looks

<joannastar> kuschelirmel: so if they were pointing in a different direction, would that help?

<elandria> yup lighting is a bit of bane if you're working with multiple stocks

<lockstock> Her dress seems to not have the same depth of shadows as her body. However, that can be fixed by the manipulator.

* kuschelirmel wants to point out we dont critique zips cos we'd have to download them so this is as good as it gets

<cryingsorceress> well, there is a streak of white on her leg. the light is too strong there

<joannastar> cryingsorceress: ooh yes, hadn't spotted that

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: lighting for manips should usually be as even as you can make it without loosing depth

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: its easier to add shadows than remove them

* elandria cryingsorceress clearly hasn't seen Lannys milkbottle white legs on a bright day

<joannastar> oh and is having the shadow on the png helpful or not?

<elandria> Its a nice effect but its probably just &quot;added extras&quot;

<lockstock> My main critiques are on the model itself, not on what you did with it. Her armpit creases go up way too far, for example.

<cryingsorceress> i like the shadow

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: personally i find it very helpful to be able to place it correctly. its so ard to guess where it should go without

<cryingsorceress> Elandria:

<joannastar> lockstock: yeah, she lacks deltoids &amp;gt;.&amp;gt; I need to work on that

<joannastar> oh and the other thing I was going to ask, for those of you that would use 3d stock, is fantasy stock more useful than like, 'real' styles

<cryingsorceress> fantasy stock will be used more often

<elandria> To be honest its not really my fort&Atilde;&copy;

<joannastar> I mean, I can do extreme hair easier in 3d than you probably can in the real world.

<fallenrox> Mine either. I would use more &quot;real&quot; if I used it.

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: true

<fallenrox> I have before but not often.

<lockstock> Wings and sparkles are easy to add, not so easy to take away. I'd keep it real, as it were.

<cutteroz> joannastar: i would use more real also

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: i think those that use 3d will def go for the weird looks you can get - the weirder the better. cos realism you can get from pics

<kuschelirmel> so i guess both has a demand

<cryingsorceress> agreed

<joannastar>

<elandria> I think using 3D stock is a refined talent to make them look good, the best thing is to go for simple and effective &quot;base&quot; stock and leave the fancy bits to the manippulators

<lockstock> One advantage a 3D render has is that you can defy gravity. Have flying people

<cutteroz> joannastar: you could try some unusual poses also *thinks of yoga* i think those would really help the imagination

<kuschelirmel> joannastar: were we able to shed some light? or would you like something clarified?

<foxfires> I agree with Elandria. I tend to shy away from stock that has too many bells and whistles already in it. I like to add those in myself, and start with a fairly minimal base.

<kuschelirmel> Cutteroz: great thinking!

<joannastar> kuschelirmel: you've all been very helpful

<fallenrox>

<joannastar> I have a lot to think about for my next packs

<joannastar> Thank you everyone!

* joannastar loves you all.

<lockstock>

<cryingsorceress> no problem

<znow-white>

<elandria> incidentally mentioning the hair.... thats excellent and I could see hair brushes made from stuff like this being incrediblt popular

<lockstock> Good point

<kuschelirmel> Elandria:

<foxfires>

* joannastar will add that to the list of things to try

<elandria> lol

<kuschelirmel>

thank you very much joannastar! &lt;/b&gt;

* joannastar was promoted to Stockers by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> next up is emothic-stock

* emothic-stock was promoted to Asking by kuschelirmel

<cutteroz> hello emothic-stock

<elandria> emothic-stock

<emothic-stock>

<znow-white> emothic-stock: this is nice

<fallenrox> Very pretty piece

<fallenrox> totally usable

<foxfires> beautiful!

<emothic-stock> thanks ^^

<elandria> very good lighting, not too sharp on the highlights

<elandria> do you use a macro lens?

<lockstock> Nicely shot.

<emothic-stock> Elandria: yea

<fallenrox> The left edge would need to be sharpened with that large of a size but it's totally doable.

<elandria> very nice

<kuschelirmel> whoa! emothic-stock I love the clarity of this shot

<emothic-stock> thanks ^^

<kuschelirmel> it's hard to get flasks like that lighted properly, I think you did a great job

<lockstock> This would most likely be used as a &quot;detail&quot; in a larger piece, so the slight focus shift wouldn't be too noticeable.

<fallenrox> The angle is awesome too, I love that you can see the whole top

<cryingsorceress> i agree i'd definitely use this in a manip

<foxfires> Yes, I would totally use this.

<znow-white> nice large resolution and again easy to cut out

<kuschelirmel> FallenRox: makes it easy to place on the floor and have things come out of it or something

* fallenrox is totally saving it</>

<fallenrox>

<emothic-stock> Thanks FallenRox

<lockstock> Or put in someone's hand.

<kuschelirmel>

<elandria> yep multitudes of uses, its really lovely

<kuschelirmel> so I take it theres nothing to critizise really?

<cryingsorceress> i really can't find anything to say that's already been said

<lockstock> Not really. Got any crappy shots? LOL

<foxfires> if anything I would just keep watch on the depth of field, and make sure you don't get any more than what is in this shot - just makes it easier for people.

<cryingsorceress> *not

<elandria> lol can't see anything that would need to be altered, everybody is too damn good

<cutteroz> hey call me crazy but turned upside down it looks like a funky jellyfish to me that would be cool to see

<cryingsorceress>

<lockstock> Cutteroz: You're crazy.

<emothic-stock> Cutteroz:

<znow-white>

<cutteroz> thank you

<kuschelirmel> thank you emothic-stock for sharing this lovely piece with us

* emothic-stock was demoted to Stockers by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> Now who is up next? let me see...

* flashkid105 was promoted to Asking by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel>

welcome FlashKid105&lt;/b&gt;

<lockstock> Flash! Aahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

<flashkid105> Hi guys

<kuschelirmel> what can we do for you?

<elandria>

<kuschelirmel> lockstock:

<elandria> FlashKid105

<flashkid105> And boy do I have a treat for y'all

<elandria> bring it on!

<znow-white>

<flashkid105>

<elandria> .... bloody clouds in the way of a good blue sky -.-

<lockstock> It's very pretty!

<flashkid105> Thanks

<elandria> lockstock: lol do you shout that often? o.0

<kuschelirmel> FlashKid105: the quality of the shot is great

<lockstock> I do.

* flashkid105 would like to note that he has used that in a previous manip project

<elandria> Really nice gradients in the clouds and I like the positioning/zoomed area

<elandria> lots of people when taking sky shots zoom out and end up with greyness

<cryingsorceress> that's really good. it has dark and bright areas!

<lockstock> Personally, when I use skyscapes, it's to fill in a landscape. This'd be a bit too close in for that.

<elandria> but this has plenty of sharpness and detail for being able to pick up specific areas to use in manips

<kuschelirmel> FlashKid105: I could see a castle in the sky to the left or something else the perspective makes it hard to use for putting a person up there

<lockstock> But it's good for a smaller scene type image. Or a texture.

<foxfires>

<elandria> yuppers was thinking for detail work in a larger image

<kuschelirmel> FlashKid105: and the perspective makes it hard to use as background

<flashkid105> Hmmmm

<lockstock> But the cut off edges would be tricky

<flashkid105> I guess that's something to think about

<elandria> lol cloud stock for joannastar's flying people

<kuschelirmel> FlashKid105: it all depends on what the manipper wants to do with it: it looks great the way it is to put up a castle or something flying through the air, but everything else gets tricky

<kuschelirmel> Elandria: lol indeed

<elandria> I guess this is very dependant on the imagination and image in the mind of the manipulator

<flashkid105> Yeah

<lockstock> Your Colorado Sky Stock 2 is more useful, but both are nice shots.

<elandria> can't fault the definition between the hue of the sky and the greys of the clouds

<flashkid105> Heh

* lockstock is peeking at his gallery.

* kuschelirmel thinks we'll be moving on if theres nothing more to add

<flashkid105> lockstock: I see what you mean. That one's more zoomed out, so to speak

<lockstock> Yes, and well framed.

<kuschelirmel>

thank you for coming FlashKid105&lt;/b&gt;

<lockstock> Okay, now I'm done.

<lockstock> LOL

* flashkid105 was demoted to Stockers by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> next up we have demoncherrystock

* demoncherrystock was made a member of Asking by kuschelirmel

<foxfires>

<lockstock> demooooooooooooooon!

<demoncherrystock> Hi guys *breathes

<lockstock>

<znow-white>

<fallenrox> Hiya

<demoncherrystock> OK for you to delve into i have

<elandria> demoncherrystock

<znow-white> OO nice and sparkly

<lockstock> Now that is a very cool image!

<demoncherrystock> thank you im not sure how useful this would be for artists as its a little bit different

<cryingsorceress> Bigger res!

<elandria> Its certainly very different

<demoncherrystock> cryingsorceress: i cant im afrid

<lockstock> And yay for straight lines (easy to extract)

<cryingsorceress> aw

<kuschelirmel> cryingsorceress: press download

<cryingsorceress> kuschelirmel: i did

<kuschelirmel> oh lol ok

<demoncherrystock> oh i thought she meant the download

<elandria> from the &quot;download&quot; view there is a touch of softness to the edges, but as lockstock said, straight lines are easy to cut out

<demoncherrystock> yeh i cant afford mor than a 3.1 cryingsorceress

<elandria> but then much kudos to taking bright item in the dark without coming out with a grainy blob which is all I'd probably achieve lol

<znow-white> the brightest of the spikes is a bit distracting

<cryingsorceress> demoncherrystock: that's alright then. i just prefer everything over 2000px each side

<lockstock> This would make a great detail in a sci-fi piece or an abstract image.

<cryingsorceress> I can use this in a fantasy piece too

<lockstock> Absolutely. It looks like crystals.

<demoncherrystock> awesome one day ill save up for a 10m pix camera

<cryingsorceress> Yeah, the brighter areas are distracting but that's hard to fix. I'm not a photographer so I'm not sure how

<demoncherrystock> and ill do it again

<kuschelirmel> what makes it a bit hard to use is the fact that its a transparent star - blending this on a brighter background would be not so easy

<lockstock> You never know what people are going to need or want. The more variety and unexpected images, the better.

<foxfires> With something like this - maybe think about taking a picture both in the dark lit up like it is, and then in regular light, not lit up. That might give a manipulator some extra options, if they don't necessarily want it lit (or dark as it is) but like the object.

<demoncherrystock> Foxfires: good idea

<kuschelirmel> lockstock: indeed!

<cryingsorceress> This is just me being nitpicky but it'd be great if you could hide the wires.

<demoncherrystock> cryingsorceress: noted also

<lockstock> demoncherrystock: Definitely play with this object and different lightings, backgrounds, etc.

<cutteroz> or just pull them between the corners or the star so they don't show up under the glass

<kuschelirmel> another thing to think about is the less expensive a camera is the more light it will need not to make the pics grainy...

<demoncherrystock> ahh kuschelirmel i took thi sin the dark to get the coloured lights

<demoncherrystock> but i will do both day and night

<kuschelirmel> i know its hard with the main aspect of it being that it is dark around it and it is lit up

<elandria> you could cut a small line and a hole in the center of the piece of card and feed the wire through it, perhaps a larger piece of card too but then its the main object you want more than worrying so much about the bg, but people do like uncluttered cut out areas

<demoncherrystock> ok

<kuschelirmel> the lighting thing is just something to generally keep in mind

<lockstock> I'm going to save this one and use it.

<foxfires> It is a fun object though. Could be incorporated into a bunch of themes - sci-fi as well as fantasy, etc.

<kuschelirmel> and i like Elandria's idea

<demoncherrystock> thank you for the advice

<znow-white> or you could tape the wire down behind it

<kuschelirmel> the main thing about the wire is that it shows right through the spike

<cryingsorceress> what kuschelirmel said

<kuschelirmel> if you can take a pic at an angle where the wire just goes out without being behind the spikes it would be fine too

<elandria> yer experimentation with angles might solve the &quot;bright spikes&quot; issue as well as the wire

<cryingsorceress> maybe you could wrap the wires in black paper to match the background

<demoncherrystock> oo thats a good idea cryingsorceress

<lockstock> Heck a black Sharpie would solve the problem too. Just color them black.

<demoncherrystock> Elandria: yes i think i need to try and get more level effect rather than more contrast over another

<elandria> yup

<lockstock> Variety variety variety.

<elandria> at least with digial photos you can take as many as you need without having to pay for developing

<demoncherrystock> *nods*

<lockstock> Do a &quot;star pack&quot; with lots of experimental shots.

<lockstock> I'd dl it!

<demoncherrystock> i shall!

<foxfires> I would too!

<demoncherrystock> anyway thank you so much for advising me i will take it on board

<lockstock> Groovy!

<elandria> np

<lockstock> See ya around!

<cryingsorceress> my pleasure!

<kuschelirmel> demoncherrystock: thank you so much for letting us

* demoncherrystock was made a member of Stockers by kuschelirmel

* angelus-knight was promoted to Asking by kuschelirmel

<kuschelirmel> Next up is Angelus-Knight

<angelus-knight> hello

<foxfires>

<lockstock> Hi!

<angelus-knight> ive been unning and ahing about this but i think ive found a pic

<angelus-knight>

<angelus-knight> i think my models lack something

<cryingsorceress> what is she holding in her hand?

<lockstock> She looks uncomfortable in having her photo taken.

<cryingsorceress> Yeah, her expression is odd

<angelus-knight> lol, it wasnt a dedicates stock shoot, so thats her own camera

<cryingsorceress> I wouldn't use that in a manip

<cutteroz> i think what your model lacks in this photo is an expression, because it's just standing there.. maybe it would've been better to make her use her hands somehow

<lockstock> Well, a lot of people feel self-conscious in front of the camera.

<lockstock> Sometimes you have to fool them by making them talk or relax and then &quot;SNAP!&quot; Take the shot.

<cryingsorceress> Yeah! The costume and setting are both really great though.

<angelus-knight> i think she was talking at the time

<cryingsorceress> Ah. Maybe you need something spontaneous

<kuschelirmel> I love the costume as well. but she looks like shes tired with her pose like this. and the expression on her face is strange

<elandria> Yep definately fool them into relaxing, spontanious shots are good, but they have to have some preparation, like putting down the cammy and thinking about poses

<elandria> getting into character is the best way to take shots like this

<lockstock> I think the model felt that the focus was on her costume, not herself.

<lockstock> This makes for lovely costume reference for a traditional artists. Or a good manipper who could change the face/hair.

<cryingsorceress>

<elandria> its much easier for people who wear costumes out and about at conventions etc to do this it seems else like lockstock said they assume that people are only taking shots of their costumes and are not expecting to need to &quoterform&quot;

<lockstock> It's SO HARD to work with a model who isn't comfortable in front of a camera. You have to take a lot of shots to get any good ones.

<elandria> yup

<cutteroz> it definitely can be used, it just takes some imagination from the manippers

<angelus-knight> i think i just chose the wrong one as an example but ah well

<kuschelirmel> though changing someones face is always something manippers are a bit uncomfy with - I for one am. because i always feel the model might be upset i just got rid of her face

<cryingsorceress> Angelus-Knight: your other models in the same series seem more relaxed. She was probably just nervous

<foxfires> I've seen your other stock, and you do really good with poses and such.

<elandria> lol nono this is good for reverse engineering

* cutteroz looks guilty at lockstock after what kuschelirmel said about the face

<foxfires> This one just happens to be one that would be less viable for incorporating into a scene, because of the lack of purpose in her pose.

<kuschelirmel> Cutteroz: lol

<kuschelirmel> obviously not everyone feels uncomfy - and not with every stock

<elandria> its not always about the model but also the photographer being able to &quot;know&quot; when they are going to get a grin from their target, or how to get their attention without making it seem forced

<lockstock> Cutteroz: I don't care. It's not about vanity.

<lockstock> Did the model know this was going to be used for stock?

<elandria> I don't mind either, somebody wants to use my pose with another models face it can be done, but again its about refining the technique to make it look &quot;right&quot;

<angelus-knight> no, i asked for permission after the meeting as i liked some of the shots

<lockstock> If someone said &quot;Hey, let me get a photo of your costume&quot; I'd probably just stand there like a mannequin too.

<angelus-knight> especially her dress

<elandria> lol I know I would, and do all the time when I'm at the anime conventions unless somebody asks me to &quot;be the character&quot;

<lockstock> So, she might have been more &quot;in character&quot; for a stock-shoot. It's a matter of context.

<foxfires> I love your photos of Herr Doktor on the steps

<elandria> (half the time I forget I'm in costume .. which makes the &quot;lanny drinking beer&quot; shots really odd lol

<kuschelirmel> and that from Elandria herself

<kuschelirmel> LOL

<angelus-knight> hehe

<angelus-knight> thank you all

<kuschelirmel> lets take a short break before we have Dreamystock show us her work

<angelus-knight> i definately need to catch them better