Critique the H out of me please!(18img.. 1.12mb)

[KevC]

I asked all my female friends to model, and they all agreed. However, everyone put me off, they seemed to be real busy. All of a sudden, Flavia said she was "ready" and could model for me today. She even wore her prom dress, a slight surprise.

I wasn't prepared, I was busy so I had to rush to her house before the sun set. These were all shot handheld (forgot my tripod at home, doh!) in everchanging sunlight conditions (the sun was setting quickly... 8:30-9)

The first few shots were blurry. I was too worried about composition I totally forgot about exposure. It was in Av, and I didn't notice it was too slow for me to handhold :( Anyway, there were a few that came out alright. Check these out please:

1.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/7017/crw4683copy9xs.jpg

2.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/2794/crw4685copy3dr.jpg
Just a fun shot, camera shake though :(

3.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1460/crw4687copy9ne.jpg

4.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/5234/crw4689copy4ly.jpg

5.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1021/crw4697copy8np.jpg
Definitely need to do custom white balance here

6.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1525/crw4699copy5vo.jpg
My attempt at a swirling girl... cute, I'm surprised her face was in focus. I'm proud :)

7.
http://img291.echo.cx/img291/9847/crw4700copy9fh.jpg

8.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1366/crw4702copy0hf.jpg
Need to a reflector to light up her face... I'm not a fan of hair covering eyes, how come I didn't notice this?!

9.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/8514/crw4703copy9ib.jpg

10.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/6993/crw4709copy8wk.jpg
I really like this one...

11.
http://img62.echo.cx/img62/6018/crw4710copy0ky.jpg
Hm. Nothing special. It would've been better if she was more relaxed... shoulders more back...

12.
http://img61.echo.cx/img61/16/crw4711copy1gr.jpg
Normally not a fan of the "punching own face" pose, but I really liked this one! Just *REALLY* angry that I didn't get her other hand fully. Hm. A crop wont fix this unfortunately. Grr...

13.
http://img61.echo.cx/img61/2460/crw4714copy5mh.jpg
Too much space on the left... needs a crop.... will do that later.

14.
http://img61.echo.cx/img61/9215/crw4721copy4gb.jpg
That's the Sonnar. It does something to the leaves, I really like it!

15.
http://img61.echo.cx/img61/4155/crw4723copy3no.jpg
Head and shoulders. I don't know. Some head and shoulders shots (such as this one) I *REALLY* like. Others, they're just... boring. Can somebody tell me why?

16.
http://img171.echo.cx/img171/5181/crw4724copy1fw.jpg
Ach. Forgot about keeping the shutter speed high again. A fun shot, nothing serious.

17.
http://img171.echo.cx/img171/1141/crw4728copy4ys.jpg
Tight headcrop... needs some cropping.

18.
http://img171.echo.cx/img171/6207/crw4730copy3ni.jpg
This one *REALLY* made me angry. Grr. It looks so gorgeous, imho (intentional overexposure) but WHY WHY WHY didn't I see the horizon chopping her head off. GRRR. *goes off and sulks*

Besides the obvious flaws that I stated above (so angry now... it could've been *so* much better), any other criticism?

Also, have I overdone the post processing? The nifty fifty is *so sharp* it was a little unflattering. I softened the skin a tad... gaussian blur.

Thanks for looking!

//edit: Oops... numbering mistake.

[Meerkat17]

One piece of advise - learn from the mistakes you've made this time!

David

[mrclark321]

I like them sharper

[PhotosGuy]

#10 would be nice if there wasn't a tree branch growing out of her head! I sort of like #s 15 & 16, but they are way too soft.
David has it right. I remember an old video game that finished (me) with, "Ho, ho, ho, space cadet. Try again!" :D;)

[KevC]

Thanks, David. As I've stated above, I'm kicking myself for not noticing these stupid mistakes!

Mr. Clark, I knew it was a little overkill with the blurring, I just needed somebody to tell me hehe.

Thanks for looking!

[d'homme]

I like 11 the best. She looks the most relaxed and natural in that one. Shoulders seem fine.

[intechpcx]

You posted so many that I'm not going to get into specifics, I'll speak in general terms. In my opinion, many of them are just too soft. I know the effect you're looking for but I think you took it too far. Did you have a soft filter on there or did you PS that in there? There are some PS techniques I can pass along for achieving that effect if you'd like.Yes, the overexposure in the final one is very disappointing, it does look like it would have been terrific otherwise.

[MCB]

I agree with other's comments. They're all a bit soft (although I like that effect myself, just not for every picture) and she seems a bit overexposed in most of them, too (although that can be a nice effect sometimes, as well). With all of them overexposed and all of them so soft, it almost seems like that was an accident, not an artistic decision.

Also, it would be good if she wasn't looking directly into the camera on every shot. Like number 10, if she was looking off to the side, that would have been a bit nicer. A sort of pensive moment looking into the distance or down at her hands.

But it's a good start and you realized your mistakes, so I'm sure they'll be even better next time. :)
Good job.

[kenyc]

I like 11 and 16, the close ups.... Nice for a first go Kev!
Better than I did on my first "portrait" shoot.

KAC

[Toogy]

Like others have stated, a tad too soft overall. I would try some selective sharpening on the eyes, lips and hair. I'd love to see her eyes SHARP at least, she has beautiful eyes.

[cmM]

yea, you got a little too excited when you blurred them, I agree.
Dress is blown in all of them.... gotta be carefull with the white dresses.