"Senior" practice w/ my daughter - C&C please

1.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/csperry/5628966​631/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/csperry/5629548​300/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/csperry/5629546​914/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/csperry/5628738​363/

Great photos, I have nothing negative to say about them.

These are nice. 1: I would have her push her feet up (like wearing high heels) It will make the legs look toned (more).
2: I would recommend her back to be straight and not rounded, also to push shoulders back a bit too. Currently, that pose causes bulkiness in belly. Also her back leg completely disappears behind the other, which doesn't bother me as much as much as the other.
3 I really like. My fav of the bunch That screams teenager (uh.. daaaad, geesh). There is a lot of empty space above her head, that I might crop differently.
4 There seems to be a small spot on her forehead, within shadow from hair, that is darker than the rest. Same thing with crop on 3. It almost looks like a forced smile though.
These are quite lovely.It's just little things, here and there. The focus is nice, and the color is good too. She is rather beautiful! Keep Shooting!

You have to be careful about the hotspots of light when shooting outside. Notice the hotspot on her head and leg in the first shot. You have to learn to notice that sort of thing and move the subject into more even shade when you see it. Also, her hand placement is odd in that first photo, they have disappeared.

On that second shot, the light was way, way too strong and harsh there. Her eyes have dark shadows in them, and the rest of the face has blown out highlights. Again, same as in first photo, you have to find even shade when shooting in harsh, contrasty light like that.

I really love the third shot. Beautiful expression, sharp focus, she is connecting with the camera, nice movement in her hair around her neck area. Only issue is with the blown highlight in her hair.

4th shot has a gorgeous background color, very flattering to her skin tone. her expression is forced, but the light is even and soft, her eyes are beautiful. Watch the posture when photographing people, slouched shoulders are everywhere and it is your job to notice it and eliminate it. You could do a tighter crop on that shot, but it is a terrific shot.

Keep working at it. your posing needs a bit of work and you need to learn to see good light if you are going to shoot outdoors. Keep at it! Your daughter is stunning by the way.

suecassidy wrote in post #12242411
You have to be careful about the hotspots of light when shooting outside. Notice the hotspot on her head and leg in the first shot. You have to learn to notice that sort of thing and move the subject into more even shade when you see it. Also, her hand placement is odd in that first photo, they have disappeared.

On that second shot, the light was way, way too strong and harsh there. Her eyes have dark shadows in them, and the rest of the face has blown out highlights. Again, same as in first photo, you have to find even shade when shooting in harsh, contrasty light like that.

I really love the third shot. Beautiful expression, sharp focus, she is connecting with the camera, nice movement in her hair around her neck area. Only issue is with the blown highlight in her hair.

4th shot has a gorgeous background color, very flattering to her skin tone. her expression is forced, but the light is even and soft, her eyes are beautiful. Watch the posture when photographing people, slouched shoulders are everywhere and it is your job to notice it and eliminate it. You could do a tighter crop on that shot, but it is a terrific shot.

Keep working at it. your posing needs a bit of work and you need to learn to see good light if you are going to shoot outdoors. Keep at it! Your daughter is stunning by the way.

Great feed back, thank you. I knew I was working in harsh mid day light but had no choice so I tried to make the best of it. One of the problems is the lack of open shade since the trees are bare still. And yes, I suck at posing, I did catch her and corrected her posture a few times but none of those shots turned out.

Glad the bed sheet hanging on my hutch held in place by 3 cans of soup made such a nice back ground...

SmilingFox wrote in post #12241993
These are nice. 1: I would have her push her feet up (like wearing high heels) It will make the legs look toned (more).
2: I would recommend her back to be straight and not rounded, also to push shoulders back a bit too. Currently, that pose causes bulkiness in belly. Also her back leg completely disappears behind the other, which doesn't bother me as much as much as the other.
3 I really like. My fav of the bunch That screams teenager (uh.. daaaad, geesh). There is a lot of empty space above her head, that I might crop differently.
4 There seems to be a small spot on her forehead, within shadow from hair, that is darker than the rest. Same thing with crop on 3. It almost looks like a forced smile though.
These are quite lovely.It's just little things, here and there. The focus is nice, and the color is good too. She is rather beautiful! Keep Shooting!

Thank you for the great feedback. Her forced smile drives me nuts, all of her FB pictures have this beautiful natural smile when she's laughing w/ her friends but as soon as she's poses its this big green that is totally forced and unnatural...

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I find that no smile is better than a forced one in which the mouth is smiling but the eyes are not. I see it all the time in children that I shoot, where the mom has had the poor kid "practicing their cheese smile" all the way to the shoot. When I see that has happened, and I can't undo the damage, I choose poses that lend themselves well to a more serious look. "Wide eyed innocent" is better than forced cheese. (Your daughter's forced smiles aren't THAT bad really, I'm just trying to make a point.) I tell the parent that the "upside" to a non smiling portrait is that the eyes retain their beautiful shape and you get to see more of the color of them. Another huge plus to the non smiling portrait is the absence of wrinkles around the eyes with older folks. Of course, I still TRY and get some smiling pics, but I've set the expectation of what they will get if that isn't possible. Your daughter has stunning eyes, your more serious shots of her really show those off.

#3 FTW...you nailed the focus, the eyes are super sharp, great expression. Well done!

I dont critique......i'm not qualified. But.....number three is gorgeous. Beautiful model.

Your third photo has that knock out expression that works extremely well. There has already been some great info in here so i don't need to add much. Next time ask your daughter to bring a girl friend with. I've done that before and it really helps to loosen them up, become more comfortable in front of a camera, but more importantly i've seen it bring out the natural, unforced smile. Good luck!