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http://juliangilbert.com/
juliansgilbert@gmail.com
all photos © julian gilbert 2010


note: i don't mind if you repost my photos on your website/blog, please though give me credit & shoot me a quick e-mail with the link to where you've posted it. thank you.

10.14.2007

crit.

i am now 50 posts and over 400 images deep on this blog and going steady. i have no idea how many people actaully look at this. but, i am now looking for some crit. on the work i've done so far. things that are good. things that are bad. what can i do to make my photos better? please leave a comment, it can be anonymous or not. be as nice or mean as you want but please keep it constructive. thank you.
-julian gilbert.
please be more specific then "i like it" or "i don't like it". whatever the case may be, say why.

15 comments:

Sarah said...

I love everything, honestly. I'm not just saying that. I really do think it is great. Keep it coming!
<3sarah

Anonymous said...

i agree completely
it's like a glimpse into your life, you know, from your point of view
it's intriguing and entertaining without the undertone of arrogance

Sarah said...

i have to comment again because I completely and totally agree with what Mary just said.

Anonymous said...

i like your photos because they all seem very honest. its like this is what it is. take it or leave it.

Anonymous said...

Photo's with action or movement are something I prefer. Makes the photo more interesting. This can be done honestly and can be hard to capture. The birthday party shot with the confetti falling down around the girl was truly stunning.

It was pure, honest and in the moment like most of your work.

Believe you are in New York? This is a wonderful place to be and surround yourself with other artists. However, sometimes taking a road trip or getting away might move you to expand your thought while producing more amazing photos. Experiment with your lens work often.

You have a talent. It is not arrogance to perfect your craft. It's an intelligent move. Some artist's it takes their whole life time to achieve even a small amount of success.

Thank you for sharing your world!

Anonymous said...

i think your pictures are really genuine and the style and tone of them are really well done and i think are easy to like alot. theyre not boring, or poorly done, and they remind me of a story. they all show random moments or emotions and smiles. i like them all alot. if you want to make them better why dont you try to be even more creative, not that they aren't but i bet you can make even more amazing photos. goodluck!

vs ∞ said...

I feel as though you rely too heavily on the subject and or texture that you shoot. I don't see enough of you in your photos.
I see some of your struggle in your photos such as the ones of at the pool, but go beyond what you know and what you are comfortable with. (i.e. composition and color which you already ace at. and you know it.)

Anonymous said...

I really like when you use the fish eye and when the pictures are a bit more blurry, like a polaroid. Not sure if that's what you are using because sometimes they are larger, but I like that look a lot.
i'd log in, but i forgot my password.

myspace.com/lindseycar

Anonymous said...

your photos look really unique, it's interesting to see someone just taking photos that don't turn out looking perfectly clear and coloured all the time - it makes them more real though, if that makes any sense. interesting viewpoint.

Anonymous said...

i have to agree that i don't feel your presence in these photos. which can be a good point or bad. if you're going for neutrality in a documentary standpoint it's a great skill to have that. but i think since i know you and know that you carry a lot of weight on your shoulders and on your mind i would like to see some of that expressed in these more.
i'm also a bigger fan of the non-fisheye photos. fish-eye is a fun tool to use but i think it's more of a crutch that makes any photo interesting whether you have talent or not.
you know you're a natural at this and it's an amazing talent to have. i feel like if you're going to keep this up you're going to have to push yourself even further into this completely. otherwise i can see you getting bored with it. when something comes naturally it's often too easy for us. if you keep pushing yourself that little extra step constantly you'll really reach something worth doing constantly. that way you'll have thousands of photos and then you can notice a theme amongst them to create a solid body of work.
love you. and love always checking up on you through this. <3

topoftheworld said...

I like your style. The spontaneous pictures have always appealed to me, but they are something I have always had a hard time accomplishing. You also have great perspective.

marisa said...

your persistence is inspiring, babe.

Anonymous said...

i prefer the lack of you

Anonymous said...

I don't know you personally, so it's weird for me to be commenting, but I really thought you should know what I think! I met you when you toured on HCT and I truely believe your photo's are amazing! The colors you can bring out, and the emotions you can portray with the black and white, the styles (Polaroids) are all so interesting to look at. Nowadays people call themselves photographers if they own a camera, but you can tell you're a true photographer and artist by looking at your collection of pictures. You can see meaning, not just random photos! Although some of them may seem random, they all tell a story. I love being part of it!

JM said...

i like a large amount of these but there's definitely some that could have been left out. Editing is my first response. Unless there is a series happening or a developing narrative cut back on the images that are doubled. Some shots are nearly identical and don't need to be shown. Within some posts there will be the same person multiple times even though they're from different shoots. There's a wealth of people and information in these and the more they're spread apart the more information can be read between the lines.

My favorite shots are the ones that breach the lines between staged and candid. I love seeing some vulnerability in a crowd of people who seem a bit self-righteous. While you're a fantastic portraitist I would also urge you to look past the people you're photographing as the main subject and investigate what ties all of these people together (youth, punk culture, diy, parties, etc.). What makes you attracted to them, why are they worth photographing? And then dig past that, there's a personal narrative tangled between your own interests and theirs and in that nether-region is some great subject material that can be brought to the surface a bit more either in future portraits or in something related. Some others commented that they don't see you in the photos. This isn't something that needs to be seen IN the photograph but in the edits. The compilation of this body of work, edited to its core and representing the subjects, their personalities/struggles/loves/joys will ultimately reflect you and why you chose them.

Also, there is often a person in front of a background, which on the forefront, aesthetically, makes a clean image and ties a larger body of work together but I find it limiting and feel that there could be a greater amount of depth (physically in the photo, and metaphorically to the person's character).

I love the look of the disposable camera and it works really well for most of these shots. It brings in an element of nostalgia to present day that brings in a youth element to the subjects. It works especially well with the swimming pool shots. However, be careful not to get stuck in a trend. Keep your options open to what suits you best and also open to experimentation.

After I've spewed all this shit I'd like to reiterate that many of these photos are stunning and I really enjoy viewing them again and again. kudos and keep going.

johnny5alive