Photographic Faux Pas

[Admirer of Beauty]

Those with and without critical eyes on photographic images see certain inconsistencies, mistakes, errors, or faux pas.  Everyone is welcome to contribute to the list of avoidable faux pas. 

I will begin by listing excessive cropping.  For example, the image shows almost the entire body except for extremities such as the top of the head, toes or feet, elbows, etc. 

What are other faux pas?

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

I think this is a great idea for a discussion, especially for people just starting out in photo editing.  

My choice would be over using the vignette option. There are times when a little looks good, but some people seem to think that a lot makes your photo look more pro. It doesn't. 

[Admirer of Beauty]

Excellent point.  The saying "less is more" often results in better or more striking images.

[RetroImages]

I think awkward/ strained poses kill it for me. When both legs are down, the weight should be on the rear one. I know all are posed, but I want to be wooed to think they are natural for the model. I have only been in this a few years, but learned from some of the best pro's and a few others, now pro's, who learned right alongside of me, but I don;t consider myself a pro by any means. Lighting is something I also watch. The right and wrong lighting can either flatter or really show problems.

Oh and watch the legs and arms, remember, the face is the focal point and any legs or arms closer to the camera than that, will show up larger than life. So imagine an invisible wall between you and the model, starting at the face, nothing extends past that wall too far or it gets really large quickly.  Always always always focus on the eyes, everything else is secondary. Hands are never broadside to the camera, always a side ways pose with them.

There's much more to photography than those, but these are the ones that will immediately kill an image imo. There are alot of talented photographers here. Sometimes I sit for hours and go through photos, just studying techniques.

[Addison Duggan]

Over sharpening and the over enhancement of colours. The latter can easily be corrected by a calibrated monitor screen, the former by leaving the sharpening until you know what size of image you are going to post, then you can sharpen it accordingly.

My other bugbear is when I see a great pinup image and then the model has lace top holdups on! I mean, WTF is wrong with people!

Sorry, rant over now.

I promise to be good :/

[Kascey Lynn]

My biggest pet peeve is when a photo looks off balanced. I did a shoot with a photographer who had no concept of what the focus of the photo was and so there would be a girl in the center and then one off to the side, it made the whole thing look sloppy and made the second girl look like an after thought. 

[Roxie Roulette {★}]

As a model, my main faux pas is being over photoshopped. Don't get me wrong, take my flaws out (especially those dark circles!) but keep me looking real. I once did a shoot for a cosmetology student's final piece and, even though the make up was fine, I was so photoshopped it made me look fake; surely that is silly for a shoot supposed to highlight the make up haha!

[thepinuppodcast]

I dislike amputations, and labotomies!!!    When cropping photographers should perform proper surgery and amputate mid limb.  (not at the joints)      This is especially true when missing fingers, feet.   Easy to do, so I always a make a 360 around the viewfinder to make sure things aren't being cut off.    My pet peeve is the opposite,  being too far zoomed out and having the model/focus of the subject in the middle of an ocean of nothingness.     

The Pin Up Podcast

[Rachael Rose]

Slanted horizons kills a shot for me.  

[thepinuppodcast]

and so easy to fix if you goof it up.    I try to make sure that when you need to slant the camera (to get a good composition) that there aren't horizon queues in the image to give you that indication.   There is a contingency though that think a slanted image is "cool"   thanks Instagram....

Rachael Rose said:

Slanted horizons kills a shot for me.  

[lingerieCD]

Yes, my pet hate, especially if the horizon is the sea, it looks so ridiculous.

Rachael Rose said:

Slanted horizons kills a shot for me.