Pho-to Shoots: Up-Close and Over-Done

Cycle 10: The Return of Paint

Concept: When I first heard wind that there would be a beauty shot shoot for cycle 10, I was overjoyed; there hadn't been any beauty shots since cycle 7, and God knows these girls need all the beauty they can get. Being covered in paint was just a cute accessory to this good news. A-
Composition: I've mulled over every single shot from this shoot, more so than the other shoots in this show's history. There's so much to behold with this shoot, from the colors to the models' hot Chanel goods, it's really amazing. Or busy to the point of incoherence, and I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at. I'm sure I could find piles of stuff to nitpick, but for bringing the pretty for once, I'll give this an A.
Execution: Good job, Jay Manuel, for not specifying which item(s) these models were supposed to be highlighting. Your ass is covered for when these girls leave the purse out of frame, or when the necklace invokes the image of Ben Wa balls. (Oh, and armpit.) But when you look between the streams of paint and the superfluous accessories, though, the girls do look beautiful. So, mission accomplished on the beauty-shot front, I guess. B
Overall: The colors and jewelry, they're like catnip to me! A
Extra Credit: Fatima's landing strip.

Cycle 7: Help! It's the Hair Model Bunch

Concept: Just like the last shoot, it's the beauty shot of its cycle. The last true beauty shot for 3 cycles, actually. Doing 'Hair Wars'-style wigs isn't too bad of an idea, since they tend to be visually dominating, and would probably look good highlighted in a pho-to. A-
Composition: I'm still on the fence about how the pho-tos make me feel, though. As 12th place model Megan notes in an interview, these are over-the-top wigs, in such subdued, soft pho-tos; the producers could've gone over-the-top, with a wacky, dynamic set and knocked us all dead. Missed opportunities. And on top of that, half of the models weren't at their most beautiful, and with the LoUB, they might as well be wearing straw weaves. C-
Execution: All that said, most of the wigs themselves look great, and are spotlighted nicely, even if Monique's trophy wig raises the hair on the back of my neck (last bad hair joke, I promise). If the models looked a little more present, this shoot would get a higher grade, but sadly... B-
Overall: Tyra's weaveologist does not approve. (I lied) C+