first ever photos placed for critique...

[potluck]

Here are 2 photos that I would like some comments on / advice on how to improve..... they haven't been touched in any way. I was using a 50d with a 40-70ml lens.

the first one is my daughter.. the second one is our family pet.

[Green Man]

#1- would work better with a shoulder up crop.

#2 - cute dog but I think we need to see the eyes that are buried in there somewhere.

[tonydee]

It would be a good idea to provide the camera settings you used, as in preparing these images for posting you've removed the EXIF data that gets embedded in the original RAW or JPEG files.

A simple way to improve on #1 is to be conscious of the background, this is too busy. We can't really get a sense for whether she looked as you as she was walking by, or whether she was standing waiting, but personally I prefer shots where kids are doing more clearly engaged in something something, especially if the setting's so informal. The forearms pull the eye down and out of the shot - having her holding something or moving her arms to keep them in frame would be good. The light is a bit too directional and harsh: shooting indoors is often difficult, can consider using a flash or reflector.

#2's very cute... main thing is we can't make eye contact; often weakens a shot. Is the focus on the nose rather than about the eyes? Adds to the contrast different to make the nose pop out!

Cheers,
Tony