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Pls help critique my portfolio


Ayodele

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Hi Ayodele

Generally nice interesting pictures, just keep at it, you do have a couple of what look like repeats with the Ebola testing. You could also try and get more images from the same scene, for example the funeral looked interesting worth more than one shot, it's a fine balance don't over do it 5 is usually a good maximum for any set of pictures from a scene.

The aircraft parts look interesting, think about trying to tell a story within one picture, for example engine part in the foreground and another aircraft in the background. Also the funeral over the shoulders of the mourners in the foreground coffin in the background.

But as I said you have an eye for a picture so keep at it.

All the best

Steve

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I'd need to see more than 73 pix to give an opinion. I'd just say that you may want to think about what pix of Nigeria will sell internationally. Sadly, that story seems to be Ebola. I'd be trying to tell the story 'in the round': how people (authorities and individuals) are coping with the reality of the pandemic. So I'd carry on shooting, with an eye to creating pix that might fit the news agenda of the foreign media...

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Hi Ayodele!

 

Some saleable images here, but remember, if your images are not seen they wont sell - keywording is very important; for examples:

 

image E97KE3 is a great image of a health officer pointing a thermometer at the forehead of a traveller but you dont seem to have the following words in your keyword set: Infection, temperature, fever, thermometer, officer official job, worker, taking temperature

 

also try and get into the habit of being more specific re. actual location - where in Lagos was this - was it at the airport? if so, say so.

 

Another example of a saleable image is BWKK9J, A girl selling plantains, but in the keywords you should have the following: africa african nigeria nigerian children work working selling fruit bananas plantains as well as the village name, and the village name , state and country should appear in the caption.

 

Hope those examples help - Nigeria for various reasons is in the world news these days so get your images seen!

 

Good luck!

 

Kumar

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The editorial work, whilst you have obvious access to some interesting people, won't bring in many sales outside of the topical news.

 

The model images have some potential but a few issues. They are not models, don't caption as such....woman, businesswoman etc is more apt. Don't get them to pose too much like models, no real money in that. There's money in images that can represent business in W. Africa and further afield but you need to think a little more before you shoot. Makeup in EAFC07 is ideal, a nice neutral 'day makeup', bright fussy makeup is not attractive to international clients...keep it simple. Also have the woman doing something - phone is good but more and more natural. Backgrounds, be careful when using a borrowed one like the airport that it's either part of the image or more blurred, especially the 'busy' bits. Also space for copy is important as is space to crop in to.

 

if you make the model work more international, you can sell in many commercial markets. This image has been used in Nigeria as well as in a number of markets inc USA, simple image about pride in the 'business', self confidence etc that companies still want to use.

 

mixed-race-businesswoman-smiling-dep88j.

 

HTH.

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What they said, plus some of your images look rather dark to me, for example BWNARG and BWKNDN while you also have a couple night shots of Lagos airport that don't have sufficient visible detail. "Night" shots are often best  taken at dusk when there is still some light about.

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You might not be aware that the "Essential Keywords" are the most important, with "Main Keywords" the next most important. The captions are important to help someone see right away what the image is but in terms of where your images will come up in a search the caption has a very low weight. I have to add that I love Africa. I go for the animals like a lot of us non-Africans but I have had a wonderful time and the people have been delightful. Good luck with your images.

 

Paulette

 

Edit: I just noticed your caption for reading glasses on a book. You say "glass". That might be right for a magnifying glass but these are glasses. So that word should be in your keywords. Specs is a good idea but you also need spectacles. The Essential Keywords should include Glasses, Spectacles, Eyewear, Book, Reading -- something like that.

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Hi Ayodele:

 

Interesting photos but be careful you include all relevant keywords or, like Kumar said, they won't be found.

 

For instance: E97KE5 - you need to add the words person, washing, Ebola, Nigeria

 

I found these two uses which may have been reported:

 

E97KE3 - http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://reportermagazin.cz/&prev=search

 

D7KD0B - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370364/Gunmen-kidnap-Briton-hijacking-4x4-shooting-driver-left-Lagos-airport.html

 

Good Luck!

 

Kathy deWitt

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Why do you upload the same images? Be aware of that:

E97KE1

E97M23

 

E97KEB
E97M28

E97KE9
E97M25

E97KDW
E97M2E

 

If you want to have huge portfolio with many images to sell, forget about similarities, it just doesn't help. Variety is the key of the success.

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Well, I am happy to receive such a varied critique. Will take time to go through each comment. It shows that two heads are better than one anyway!

Thanks @ Steve UK, John Morrison, am definitely looking for new angles to Ebola. Hey Doc, am going to re-edit those pix. Geoff Kidd, its been great reading your comment. @ Kathy deWitt, I did included those wordings in the caption, but I have re-included them in the caption. Arletta, I am shocked that I goofed that much, I have removed the extra images.

 

I will definitely be back.

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Katty, the image was never reported as part of my sales, thanks for the notification. I wrote complaining to the Alamy Member Service.

hoping to hear from them soon. Thanks a lot.

 

Ayodele

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Credit isn't something you can really insist on.

Has the Mail sale from July not reported yet? I have had them take 8 months but it's usually only a couple.

The Czech one was only used on the 27th. so it may not report for some weeks.

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Hi Everybody!!!,

Alamy has replied that they are aware of the sales yesterday, they acknowledged that the sales is from one of their distributors. I never knew I have such a great family out here, I appreciate your concerns and will stay close to this forum.

 

Stay blessed,

 

Ayodele.

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