Hey thanks man, genuinely appreciate the feedback. I'll keep thinking.
As i said it was me and a friend (thats me looking awkward in orange) playing around while waiting for Aussie election results... the good news is it seems like we won't have a final result for a week after recounts and things, so i have plenty of time to figure it out hah.
Now that I can see them again, and after thinking about it last night in bed for some reason I have some more thoughts. Most of your other portraits, those hand photos, and even the architecture stuff due to your style of editing, feel like they has a lot of energy. These ones just don't have energy in my view, but that's totally subjective and also could be what you were going for. Or it could have just been watching election results sapped you lol.
Also, keep in mind this is coming from someone that isn't creative and sucks at artistic style of portrait. I always just shoot what I see on the street so I don't really know what I am talking about. Instead of hands holding the plastic sheets (or whatever it they are?) maybe some wires suspending them in front of the faces? Or some weird device running parallel to the floor coming from off frame and holding? Or one hand from each side holding it? Of course you are limited by who is around to help,what you have on hand as props, and/or how good you are at PS, but I think this is a concept that is possible to explore more in interesting ways. How about with the pink one the guy holding something or doing something besides standing directly square to the camera? Most of the photo is his body doing nothing, and then the face has that burned effect blocking it, so I'm not really sure what I should be looking at, if anything.
Hope all that makes sense. Kind of just woke up and rambling maybe.
On another note, whenever I talk shit about the Chinese internet in this thread it begins to magically work and I was able to upload another 60 or so photos, so here are a few more. The night sky in Gansu I could have done better but we were in a village and getting drunk as is the custom, so I stepped out to take some pics for just a few minutes and I was not in the clearest mindstate to get good photos, but the starry night sky was still pretty impressive so I thought I'd share. Other news, my camera and lenses have gone through hell on this trip and not sure what's wrong but focus is off a bit (guess it's a camera problem cuz it's both lenses I use), so I need to get done traveling and get everything cleaned a serviced asap. My 24-70 L looks like absolute shit, the rubber ring is off it it, has a chip in the glass, every photo has a spot I need to clone out in lightroom... ah well. It's been worth it.
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Gansu by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Qinghai by
Eric, on Flickr
Crossing China - Qinghai by
Eric, on Flickr