First (Paid) Senior Photos! C&C Please.

I have posted here a few times before and have received very valuable feedback. My number one issue that is bugging me right now is composition. I am having a hard time grasping more than just the basics; especially balance and where to crop. I would really appreciate your insight on how I did, and what I can do to improve! Thank you for the help!

These were shot with a 5Dmkii and either my 50mm 1.4 or the 35mm 1.4L (That one I borrowed!) I didn't have my 85mm 1.8 yet! Flash was also used as an additional light, mostly fill, by bouncing off a 2'x2' piece of white cardboard. (unprofessional I know:o)

1

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The 2nd one is my favorite. Over time figuring out composition should become more second nature - I'm still working on it as well. As far as a reflector, for ~$15 this thing can't be beat:

http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1336756​966&sr=8-1

It's amazing how useful they are

first two seem a bit warm to me.

i like #3 best, 1st too look a bit warm on this monitor too (apple)

Seth: I actually have one of those now! Great suggestion!

I agree on the over-warmness, my laptop is a little cool, and I tend to forget that when tuning WB.

To be honest, with the gear you used, the photos are nothing special, very bad..
You have to pratice more, as the settings so the composition ,etc..
No hard fellings..

Yeah a little warm, not too bad though. It can only get better from here on out

enco93 wrote in post #14417035
To be honest, with the gear you used, the photos are nothing special, very bad..
You have to pratice more, as the settings so the composition ,etc..
No hard fellings..

Very Bad? Can you give me a piece of constructive criticism? I posted to get advice on how to improve, just telling me they are bad doesn't help me. Can you tell me what you didn't like? What would have made them better? Should I have cropped them differently? Was the background not out of focus enough? Is there a tree growing out of her head? I want to know the little things.

I appreciate the help everyone! I'm definitely working on the white balance issues.

robots4joey wrote in post #14428982
Very Bad? Can you give me a piece of constructive criticism? I posted to get advice on how to improve, just telling me they are bad doesn't help me. Can you tell me what you didn't like? What would have made them better? Should I have cropped them differently? Was the background not out of focus enough? Is there a tree growing out of her head? I want to know the little things.

I appreciate the help everyone! I'm definitely working on the white balance issues.

First, please disregard anything that someone says who can't use proper grammar and spelling. Also, I visited his Facebook page and your photos are about 10x as good.

That being said, I like 1 and 2 best. I'm not crazy about 3 because I generally don't like angles that almost force me to rotate my head. It's just too much work for me to enjoy a shot. Yes, the white balance is a little off, but if you are shooting RAW (always do if you aren't already), you can easily fix it. Trust me, I'm still learning how to perfect my white balance.

Great job overall! Was the client pleased with the pictures?

Where do you have these pics hosted? I cant see them on ym phone.

Edit - Nevermind. I was using my works wi-fi and flickr is blocked along with all other hosting sites.


I also really like number 3. I think it would be much stronger if you didnt have her face right in the middle of the frame (a common thing for beginners). Check out these very similiar shots by one of the best photogs on POTN. http://ljhollowayphoto​graphy.com/blog/ (There is a similar shot on almost every page!) Though this is the specific one I was talking about - http://ljhollowayphoto​graphy.com …l-Senior-Photographer.jpg

I think one and two a quite nice. Dont let someone bring you down.

Thanks for the feedback! I truly am getting better with the help of constructive criticism from POTN!

The client(s) were very happy with their photos I pretty much dismissed enco93's comments when he didn't come back to justify his position! But thanks for the encouragement!

We're going out to shoot some family portraits tonight, I'm excited, but kinda nervous since they are family to me, and she is a hobbyist photographer- so she will know if they aren't that great... I'll be sure to post some up for critique!

I'd suggest getting that monitor calibrated ASAP so what you see is what you get.

Other than that, good job posing a bigger girl. Number two is borderline with being nearly straight on, but sometimes you can nip & tuck your transgressions away. Polish 'em up a bit and you'll be set (stray hair, wrinkles, etc).

Congrats on the images. Tad warm but then again, my most recent subject liked the images warmer so understand where you may be coming from.
#2 my fav with less squared up as suggested by others. I'm always wishing I'd have shot a gray card when I doubt myself in post.
Newb

I have and enjoy this one. http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …0_14_Pocket_One​_Shot.html Its great for WB.

robots4joey wrote in post #14574522
Thanks for the feedback! I truly am getting better with the help of constructive criticism from POTN!

The client(s) were very happy with their photos I pretty much dismissed enco93's comments when he didn't come back to justify his position! But thanks for the encouragement!

We're going out to shoot some family portraits tonight, I'm excited, but kinda nervous since they are family to me, and she is a hobbyist photographer- so she will know if they aren't that great... I'll be sure to post some up for critique!

Since she is a hobbyist photographer, she probably did enough research about your style and work and since she still wants you to take photos, so don't doubt your abilities