tell me how to improve

What can I do to improve. (besides the wrinkled drop) It just seems flat or something. It is shot using 2 shoot thru umbrellas and the settings that I metered. I don't like the skin tones and would like for the kids to "pop" more

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You may want to post a bit larger image for proper comments. Perhaps 600x800.

sorry and thanks I resized it

Good things:
kids engaged with camera; great expressions; good focus; nice setting

Could improve:
composition - subject dead centre is not working for me.
To get "more depth" in the image you need to provide shaddow to differentiate the backdrop. Check out the threads on studio lighting set ups.
Crop out some of those foreground creases, or add a vinnette to bring the background out of focus.

Try moving kids away from the background. Also try changing ratio between your lights to add some soft shadows creating a bit more dimension.

I would push in a little, try and set them at a slight angle to the camera, and adjust the light ratio a bit to show some depth to the picture. When I looked at it again, I am beginning to wonder if their clothing color choice could be better, or the backdrop different?

Backdrop color is competing with their skin color and lighting is way too even. To make subjects 'pop' more by definition they must have differences from the background, otherwise it's like camoflauge (sp?). So try and make the backdrop different in light/tonality, color and/or focus and the subject will pop. Here the subjects are lit the same as the backdrop, just as in focus as the backdrop, and similiar in color to the backdrop. It's no wonder they do not 'pop'.

Always think, color, light, and focus when trying to isolate subjects from backgrounds. In studio you have full control of all of that.

Dermit has got it I think. Move them a bit further from the backdrop, move one light at more of an angle off to one side, reduce the fill light from the camera position. This will create shadows on the faces (a good thing) and darken the background. One thing that took me a while to figure out was that you can move the lights in close to the subject and this increases the light drop off to the background, darkening it.

I hope you don't mind, but I thought I'd take a stab at this (I'm trying to get better at PS - so it's good practice.)

All I really did was make the background bluer. I think it helps bring out the eyes...and it's a little more "boyish" - but that's just my opinion.

Other than the background, I don't think a parent could ask for a better picture. Both kids look darling.

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Hi PRS, I edited your photo and cropped a bit, I feel like the backdrop colors are too boring so I made a slight change. I needed a higher res uncompressed image for a better edit but I did what I could.

Before and After:

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HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

well, i dont know much about studio lighting... but hers my play... i highlighted the background and played with the colors in selective color tool.... lighten the pic a tad, increase contrast, saturated their clothes, healed the wrinkles. i also used the doge tool on highlight to bring out their eyes a bit.

This one definitely pops the subjects!. Might be just a bit too much though. Overall a more marketable photo, IMO, because it makes the subjects truly the focus of the image.

no expert here but i love the blue but bubby still seems a little washed out
maybe next time try having bubby on a box and no so far underneath or maybe have bubby on the chair and boy standing next to him or boy sitting
just seems a little out of balance for my liking
BUT thats just my opinon
i hope i havent offended but its a great shot anyway nice one for grans brag book

PRS wrote in post #4129082
What can I do to improve. (besides the wrinkled drop) It just seems flat or something. It is shot using 2 shoot thru umbrellas and the settings that I metered. I don't like the skin tones and would like for the kids to "pop" more

First off you need a better composition. Either get closer to the kids or get a longer lens. There is so much empty/wasted space of that image. You might want to pick a book up on portrait photography for composition ideas.

One thing that isn't always easy to pick up is that you don't alwaysneed to have all of your subjects within the frame. i.e. cutting part of their body/head off.

I would work on composition rather than post processing techniques. You can't get the cart ahead of the horse. And I find the older boy on the chair to give a sterile look. He should be on the floor with his brother. (?)