Trying Portraits Again.....HELP

[mrclark321]

Tried taking some of my daughter again, what am I doing wrong???

Dan

[Titus213]

Light, light, and then possibly light. It's too harsh here. Outside it is tough to control lighting. You may be able to fix this with a major crop to just above her eyes and below her chin but the photo looks soft. They eyes should generally be in sharp focus. I read somewhere that if your photos aren't interesting get closer. But I'm no expert and there are some on the forum.

[sixshot]

I'd try a different angle in this light as it is too harsh the way it is.

[Ballen Photo]

Hi Dan, As mentioned by others already, the light looks like it's coming from the mid day Sun, which is going to be harsh. You could try early morning just after Sun up, or late in the day as the Sun is going down for much better light. The BEST light is within an hour either way, and is appropriately referred to as "The Golden Hour" of light.
Another option if you don't have the luxury of using either the early or late approach would be to use either a reflector or fill flash to throw a little light into those shaded places on the face.
Another option yet is to place your subject under the open shade of a large tree or similar. Overcast days are good as well. Good luck, and update us with your progress. :D
-Bruce

[elbirth]

you definitely shot in very harsh lighting conditions. One thing that might have helped would be to try a fill flash to reduce the shadows on her face, but primarily her neck. Also, have her head lifted a little more, her bangs in front of her face are shadowing her eyes.
It does look a bit soft, as well.

[mr.photoguy]

Time of day.
The light out is way to bright, you can see her kind of squinting.