Ryan's senior portrait

I'm much more comfortable shooting cars but....here is the result of my first senior portrait shoot. Here's the one that was picked and ordered. Can you offer constructive criticism or comments? Many thanks
Mike

Hello! I like the photo, but a couple things nibble at my heels. First, the pose looks kinda awkward since we can't see his elbow, therefore making it look like he's punching himself. Second, the flash seems a bit harsh. Some areas are a little bright and there don't seem to be enough darks in the foreground (then again, I like contrast). Good shot, though! Was this taken in Joshua Tree? Beautiful area!

i must agree with madhatter on the 'punching himself' look. did you take any other ones that you wouldnt mind posting

The pose seems feminine to me.
Plan on any PP for his pimples? I would.

I agree with the comments so far. I'd add that a bit more judicious crop off the top would be helpful, in my opinion.

looks like the strong flash also produced the ugly shadow at the bottom of his neck.

madhatter04 wrote in post #3647136
Hello! I like the photo, but a couple things nibble at my heels. First, the pose looks kinda awkward since we can't see his elbow, therefore making it look like he's punching himself. Second, the flash seems a bit harsh. Some areas are a little bright and there don't seem to be enough darks in the foreground (then again, I like contrast). Good shot, though! Was this taken in Joshua Tree? Beautiful area!

Thanks for the nibbles. Yes it was taken from my front porch which lies a few hundred feet from the national park it is breath taking here if you like the desert. I liked the hand on cheek idea untill you brought up the punch in the face thought I'll keep that in mind. as for the flash, I'll tone it down a notch for the next round. Here's a more traditional shot how's this work?

That looks better than the first, but the top half of the photo seem extra bright. Maybe try croping it a bit more and like someone said earlier, maybe you should think about cloning out the blemishes on his face. All in all it's a much better improvement from the first.
Michille

second is better. Collar is crooked however. I think with some levels, saturation and contrast this could be a really nice picture.

was the on camera flash used?

evolved wrote in post #3649881
was the on camera flash used?

Thanks for all your support here. No I used two off-shoe flashes spaced 5-feet back and 8-feet apart.

Besides all the technical flaws (extremely overexposed background, deer in headlights look on the subject, looks as if NO post processing was done on these whatsoever)... senior portraits are about expressing who the subject is, and letting them open up. I don't see that in these photos at all. You are better off putting the camera to P, turning off the flashes, and trying to capture the emotion. Sorry for the harsh feedback, but I personally (being only 20 years old) would be very upset if I recieved a senior photo like this.