Now with reviews of photos and whatnot!
1. Nicole: She’s a PAIN IN THE ASS, but wow, this photo is freaking stunning. It’s just a totally fashion photo, and it manages to be really awesome while having a simplicity to it that assures it’s not too crazy a photo. I even disagree with the judges that she should have gone for more in the face. It’s not weirdly blank, but I love how totally serene she looks in comparison to the energy in her body and hair. Oh, and I’m a sucker for crazy flying hair or whatever. Work it, Nicole. And maybe get that stick out of your ass and bring a normal backpack to school.
2. Erin: There’s a lot of “THIS PHOTO IS BORING!” but I love it. It’s not “STRAIGHT OUTTA VOGUE!!!!” as everyone else would say, but it is a lovely and fashionable photo that I could see being used as an ad for perfume or something. She’s pretty pedestrian in person and her makeover doesn’t suit her there, but she can turn it out in photos. I love her jawline here, and she’s really got something interesting going on in her eyes. Like… you want to keep looking at the photo. To me, it’s very much not boring, and it’s all because of what Erin is doing in the photo. Good job.
3. Rae: She got first call-out and I can’t really argue with that, to be honest. This is a totally gorgeous photo. It’s got such a beautiful softness to it and I love how dreamy it is. Plus, major, major, major, major props for dealing with those shoes, damn. I was really impressed at how easily she rolled with that, especially because she seems like she’d be so easily shaken. The only reason this photo isn’t higher for me is that the face is quite a bit too spacey for my liking. She looks a bit like she’s got a head cold. But it adds to the dreaminess of the photo, and it’s a credit to her that she managed to stand out despite being photographed as so… white, like Bianca’s.
4. Laura: It’s pretty simple and the facial expression is indeed bordering on a head cold, but it’s a beautiful photo. I love the gentle sensuality of this photo and how incredibly soft she looks here. I think she did a great job updating her baby photo and making it fashionable. And yeah… that’s about all I have to say about this, I guess. It’s really good, it’s just too plain to be better than the other photos. I just wish the photographer had taken more of a full-body photo.
5. Courtney: There’s a significant drop-off from the first four, but this photo is still pretty good. It’s definitely both beautiful and dramatic. I love the expression on her face, and she’s modeling the clothing extremely well. It’s kind of a generic fashion photo… but it’s definitely a fashion photo. I love the androgyny in it, especially because she’s such an elfin girl. The arm, like the judges said, is too muscular, but that could have easily been photoshopped out. I think I hate the way she’s styled here, but that’s not her fault. I don’t know how flattering the pose is in her reflection; the dress may have saved her for the main photo, but hey, she knew how to work it.
6. Lulu: Originally, I ranked this way lower, then I realized I was crazy. It’s a good photo with an eh face. What I love about this photo is how super long and lean she looks here. Her pose is far from creative, but then again, it’s only the first week. She definitely has time to improve, and at least she’s showing off the clothing extremely well. I’m not crazy about the face at all, though. She just looks kind of blank and blah there.
7. Ashley: This photo was overpraised, but it’s still good. She did update her baby photo to give it a more fashionable edge, and I don’t think anyone can argue that this photo isn’t outrageously hot. She did a good job of looking long and lean (yet still really curvy); if you didn’t tell me she was shorter than 5’7”, I wouldn’t have guessed it. That said, in close-up, I really don’t like the face much at all. It’s a better angle on her face than, say, the girl I would rank last here, but it’s still too up-the-nose to really be a great photo. And that hand looks glued to her head or whatever and is definitely kind of weird. Good start, though.
8. Rachel: First things first, I didn’t agree with the judges that said she looked 5’9” here. Does she look 5’5”? No, but it’s pretty clear she’s shorter. What bugs me more is the fact that her proportions look very off here. She looks like she’s got a crazy long torso and itty bitty legs, which is never good for a model. The judges were right about her hands, though. They’re weird. And anyway, on to the good stuff, because I did like this photo. She’s showing off the clothing really well, and I think her pose is totally adorable, along with her face. It’s not necessarily high fashion, but I think she did update her shot and make it at least fashionable, if a little plain.
9. Kara: First things first, I didn’t agree with the judges that said she looked 5’9” here. Does she look 5’5”? No, but it’s pretty clear she’s shorter. What bugs me more is the fact that her proportions look very off here. She looks like she’s got a crazy long torso and itty bitty legs, which is never good for a model. The judges were right about her hands, though. They’re weird. And anyway, on to the good stuff, because I did like this photo. She’s showing off the clothing really well, and I think her pose is totally adorable, along with her face. It’s not necessarily high fashion, but I think she did update her shot and make it at least fashionable, if a little too plain.
10. Bianca: I think a good amount of the crappiness of this photo might be the way it was shot and the fact that she’s in all white against a very light background, shot with a lot of light, but it’s just… eh. She doesn’t stand out as much as she could. I like her pose, what I can see of it. It’s edgy and I like the fashionable aspect. Of course, people are whining about how much she OMG stole it off of Marjorie or whatever. That said, it’s just not a very good photo. Her face, which is what stands out with the terrible way this was photographed, is weak, lifeless, and unconvincing. But I see potential.
11. Lisa: Without that freaking ball or whatever in the way, this would be a much better picture. That ball is definitely her fault, though, so I’m not gonna blame the photographer for it. Anyway, it’s not a great photo, but she should have stayed because she is SO FREAKING GORGEOUS WOW. Anyway, I actually kinda like the look on her face. Though the anger is quite a bit too exaggerated, it does make the photo interesting. Her body looks like it would be great, but again… the ball.
12. Sundai: It’s kind of an awkward photo. At least she looks like Fatima in the face… it’s good to have that going for her. The expression isn't good, though. Worse, she looks really stumpy here. The way she’s holding her legs just isn’t very good at all. I see her trying to make this photo editorial by doing that thing with her legs for sure, but it just makes her look very awkward. And… yeah, that’s about it. Awkward, blah in the face, and she looks really short. Oh, and not that it’s her fault, but that underwear is so not flattering at all.
13. Brittany: Ugh, she was a pretty major disappointment. She’s showing off the clothes pretty well, and she really looks like a porcelain doll in the face, but that’s all I can say in the “good” column about it. Her eyes look totally wonky, her expression is bizarre and drugged-looking (the open mouth combined with the expressionless eyes just isn’t good), and her thigh looks really chunky. It’s not a graceful photo/pose at all. And above all – and maybe worst of all – this photo is simply hella boring despite its many flaws. One of the photos where she looked supposedly hoochier would have at least been interesting.
14. Jennifer: This picture really wasn’t that bad. None of the photos were. That said, it’s the worst of the week (hence why it’s ranked last, obviously). She does look long and lean, but the pose is just so… bland and generic. She has a great jawline like the judges mentioned, but they forgot to mention that her face looks really, really awful here. It’s not a good angle on her eyes at all and I’m pretty sure you can see right up her nose. I think she was trying for a sensuality vibe here, but it just looks like she has a head cold, not unlike Allison’s beach photo from last cycle. I do think she's the winner. It seems really obvious, but so did McKey's and Teyona's wins. I'm not expecting surprises in ANTM.
