Had a photo session this evening

What do you think?

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the post processing looks a bit unnatural, as well as her expression.

Not a bad shot at all, but i think it could use improvement.

Very beautiful model and nicely posed. The extreme white of the background robs her of her rightful priority.

The lighting on her face is pretty good, but is too flat. Cross-lighting seems to be non-existent. Luckily her features are showing up with good depth in spite of the flat lighting. I'm guessing that a flash was used, because there are hot spots on her right cheek and on the tip of her nose and a significant reflection on the lower lip.

Composition is very good but would be improved by cropping off the top 10%.

Yes, I did use a flash. I used the 550ex on a bracket with the LSII on it. I had the dome lid on and it was pointed towards her.

Here is another one from the same session.

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One more.

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I found this one, with no flash. It was getting dark and the sun was setting behind her left shoulder.

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Lucy164 has much the same problems, except the hot spots are not as serious. Flash seems to be coming from the left side, but is still too flat.

Lucy086 is much better but still predominantly flash. Because of her facing off to the right of the camera there is much better depth and 3-dimensionality. However, as before, the flash is the predominant light and is far from optimum for a portrait. This is a much better pose (more lively). For some reason the shadows in this image look fogged, and in some areas there is little to no detail. I would guess that this was underexposed and was juiced up in post processing.

In all 3 shots the background is nicely blurred, but there is so much white space in the background. In my opinion a more subdued background would make the model step forward out of the background.

Robert, thanks for you comments, I will keep trying. I am taking everything you say under consideration for future sessions.

As others have said, the bright sky is not good in #1 plus there's too much space above her head. In portrait/modeling work - or any important shots what is behind the subject is as important as any other part of your work. #2 seems to be a "odd" pose.

Lucy 123 was posted while I was writing, so I did not give any comments on that one.
First a comment on flash - in general, flash is used too close. Most of the "hot spot" issues can be overcome with a longer lens and backing away from the subject. This will usually reduce the hot spot effect and also reduce the chance of distortion from being too close.

In some respects, the lighting on Lucy123 is better than the others - simply because of using the natural light. However, even the natural light, in this case, is pretty harsh. The depth of the shadow on her forehead and the brightness on her cheek facing the sun is pretty extreme to have to deal with. It appears that there is "no free lunch" when it comes to lighting. Oddly enough, when using natural light there is yet another technique for getting over on Mother Nature. Use Open Shade!

Whenever possible, get your subject in shade and away from the direct rays of the sun. The trick is to be in the shade while still having open sky above the subject (hence the name "open shade"). This gives you the most diffuse light possible for portraits. If it is available at all, it will be available on the North side of any building. It's something you have to consciously think about - before it gets too dark!

Very pretty girl. In the last photo (Lucy123) you should have faced her face towards the sun light.

Time prevents me from commenting on all of them so I will comment on the first one only. I like the angle of her body in relation to the camera, and her head tilt and expression is very nice.

Her right shoulder is huge since she is leaning back onto it. Had she been leaning against something it would have relaxed it and it would be a non-issue. Five seconds rearranging all that hair that is splayed across her right shoulder would have been five seconds well spent. On camera flash is a no no in portraiture. Huige white area behind her is distracting.

Benji

in the first ones you should pay attention where u put the eyes, which are the most important part of the portrait. you should always locate the eyes according to the rule of thirds.