Seniors Portraits Critique would be appreciated

[Jimmyhickey]

Soo I a starting to get a lot of interest around my school about doing peoples senior portraits. I would really appreciate some C&C on these three photos from my last shoot. I basically have been doing the actual shoot for free and just selling my prints to them, I don't feel my stuff is at the right caliber to actually charge people by the shoot:oops:
In Portland Oregon,
1
http://www.jimmyhickey.net/photos/232141617-L.jpg
2
http://www.jimmyhickey.net/photos/232140544-L.jpg
3
http://www.jimmyhickey.net/photos/232138993-L.jpg

Thanks:)

[Benji]

Jim,

Excellent exposure on all of these, and the cropping could not be better. I really like the DOF in the first image. A good OOF background forces us to look at what we should be looking at, the subject! OK what is the first thing we see when we look at any image? In a low or medium key image (like these are) it is whatever is the brightest. What is brightest in the first image? Her wrists. What should it be? Her face. I would burn them down and also burn her hot shoulder and the tops of her jeans down. Lighting. She has a slight case of raccoon eyes. A reflector or a weak fill flash will eliminate them (ditto on image # 2.)

# 2. The pose is rather static and unexciting. While you did have her bend both knees (good) and both elbows (good) her buns are perfectly level, her back is straight, she is seated bolt upright, her face is pointed in the exact same direction as her torso and both feet are level. A good pose has "movement" in it. Movement is created by leaning, twisting, tilting, and uneveness. Also using angles rather than straight and or level lines. The hands look bad also.

# 3. The lighting in this one is the best of the three as is the head tilt. The amputated right hand is bothersome. I would have had her place it on top of her right leg, and the left hand draped over the left knee while she leaned over to her left a little bit.

Benji

I have several free tutorials on posing, lighting and the rules of good portraiture. http://photocamel.com/forum/tutorials/16516-rules-good-portraiture.html
http://photocamel.com/forum/tutorials/15149-studio-portrait-lighting-how.html
http://photocamel.com/forum/tutorials/14779-1-3-2-posing-technique.html

[Jimmyhickey]

Ah thank you very much for that in depth C&C it really means a lot to me. I'll look through those tutorials, they look really informative so thanks for letting me know about those.
Thanks again Benji