Little Miss & Mister......been a while

Thanks everyone for taking the time to comment on my pics! I really appreciate it. I can definitely take a little constructive critisim. Something like, hey...maybe you should try scaling back a bit on the eyes a bit, rather than I HATE your processing. Just sayin....

keniko wrote in post #9650557
I think your kids are gorgeous, you are gorgeous, but I don't like the way they look undead. That's all I said, in an extremely direct way. Are you still thinking about it? I'm just trying to help, 100% of the people I surveyed (because I wondered if it was just me) agreed with me. This forum is just kissing your bum. And really, wouldn't you want honesty? What if they just try to encourage you down this path so that they can prosper and you will be withheld! I'm honest and open, I don't mean to hurt you and I pray that I didn't (but I assume you'll be just fine).

Do these others, this 100% you surveyed have the balls to agree with you publicly? I mean are they willing to back you and say yeah he/she asked me and I agreed? Or are you the spokes person? I agree that criticism of all types should be welcome by the OP but criticism and being a straight dick do differ in severe ways. Why don't you go take a class in tact since you say you have none. Maybe more kids will come out to play with you and mommy and daddy won't have to tie a steak around your neck so even the neighborhood stray will play with you.

Oh and OP I really love the eyes. I love the "zombie" eyes or whatever. I don't think they look like zombie eyes. At least not in the zombie movies I watch. I love the colors and think your children pose very well. This is the only work I've seen of yours so I can't compare to your past work. If all of our styles were the same we'd be very boring. I absolutely love the bright and high saturated colors and the high key black and whites but most don't.

What on earth would we gain from kissing her bum exactly??

hey rmr...i sent you a message on here but not sure if you got it. If you don't mind me asking what editing program do you use? Or anyone have any suggestions?

Well, at the risk of "tip-toeing" around the OP, and as I'm sure many here know, I love the processing she uses and the results it brings. It makes a refreshing change from the same old same old that's so often seen. It's good to see you back rmr21.

kenico....you really need to demand back any money you paid for those social skills lessons; although the frontal labotomy was, it would seem, a COMPLETE success.

As to the eyes...

In the first one the whites are too white. In the second one, maybe a little too much dodging. (the zombie eye comment applies to this one) The eyes on the rest of them look good though.

His skin color is off in the last one. And the halo around him from post processing work hurts the overall image.

Overall, they are good. A faster shutter speed could help with some of the motion blur I see on a couple of them.

Ohhh... and you have some beautiful kids!

whoa i popped in to look around and all this drama! I think its obvious that we all think rmr has gorgeous kids (really gorgeous) and although i completely disagree with how Keniko said it...i think he has some valid points. You have an eye for photography for sure...you have great models...and it looks like youre getting some great shots too - but your processing is really not helping. It doesnt look realistic (too much dodging/burning of the eyes) and your skintones are very off in some...in fact in the last one your son has gray skin on my screen. I also think maybe you missed the focus on some of these (or perhaps its motion blur) and then oversharpened to try to compensate.I realize everyone has a style but im not sure if that's what this is. I think everyone has a journey they go through when they take up photography ....we all go through lots of different types of shooting and processing before we settle in to our own style. Im not saying any of this to try and hurt you but rather to try to help you on YOUR journey. I definitely also overdid eyes at one point when i was learning. I wish someone would have knocked me upside the head and told me what i was doing wrong. Would you be willing to share a sooc shot? Id love to see one and then maybe play with it to see if i could help you process it in a more realistic way. If not , i completely understand

I think the main reason i wanted to chime in with this is because you have such potential! I also dont know if everyone is just kissing your ass.....i think its just incredibly hard to look at your kids and not stop to say how gorgeous they are

i like the dramatic contrast in the images, i would have done a few different color corrections, and perhaps a little less vignetting, the last one seems to have a little too much lightening going on around the hair.

My wife and i were trying to see what we would have done differently on your 2nd picture, and it seemed like your beautiful little girl looked, a little sad and... off. She played with just the picture on here and did her own stylizing on it. (removed most of the vignette, corrected the skin tone, lessened some of the catch lighting in her eyes, and put a little warming to the image. When we were done it almost looks like shes smiling, but we didn't even touch her face!

ok ok, so we made her not quite as sad, made us feel better.

Wow! Very much love the way you did this.
And love the signature! Made me laugh.

dwarfcow wrote in post #9678660
i like the dramatic contrast in the images, i would have done a few different color corrections, and perhaps a little less vignetting, the last one seems to have a little too much lightening going on around the hair.

My wife and i were trying to see what we would have done differently on your 2nd picture, and it seemed like your beautiful little girl looked, a little sad and... off. She played with just the picture on here and did her own stylizing on it. (removed most of the vignette, corrected the skin tone, lessened some of the catch lighting in her eyes, and put a little warming to the image. When we were done it almost looks like shes smiling, but we didn't even touch her face!

ok ok, so we made her not quite as sad, made us feel better.

[GIFS ARE NOT RENDERED IN QUOTES]

here's the un-smiled image (it would have been much better with a SOOC image but its just a sketch idea more than anything)

Images to me portray two things.
First, rmr was at the controls during processing. This is her style, nothing new, if you have been here (lurking or posting) you know this is her style. Some like it some don't. Some like HDR, some don't. Some like selective color, some don't. Some like Dave Hill style, some do not. It's her personal style like it or not.

Secondly, the images portray a certain darkness and sadness. IMO they are supposed too. The op clearly stated these children will soon be living in a divided home. Our society has become numb to divorce. Over the course of time a healing process will occur. Somewhere throughout this process, these photos will serve as time gone by, healing, what once was.

Prayers to you and your family through this difficult time.

Love these...don't change a thing.You've captured the essence of living dolls.

I appreciate what Dwarf did and get the point, but I'm not sold. The liquefied smile on the face is horrid and totally invalidates the real emotions in the original image, IMO. Kids don't always have to have a smile on their faces. In fact some of the most powerful and famous photos of children aren't wearing smiles.

As Matt said ... This is rmr's style. And quite honestly, I find it rare to even find this quality anymore. In a world of people trying to be someone else, we can certainly appreciate one's that are being themselves. Right?

And for the record ... I'm not sure the OP was even looking for C+C. This is a sharing forum.
/not trying to p.o. anyone ... just sayin'.

someone needs a lesson in how to put things tactfully. Nice work and yes the kids have a reason to be sad at this time in their life.

dwarfcow wrote in post #9678660
i like the dramatic contrast in the images, i would have done a few different color corrections, and perhaps a little less vignetting, the last one seems to have a little too much lightening going on around the hair.

My wife and i were trying to see what we would have done differently on your 2nd picture, and it seemed like your beautiful little girl looked, a little sad and... off. She played with just the picture on here and did her own stylizing on it. (removed most of the vignette, corrected the skin tone, lessened some of the catch lighting in her eyes, and put a little warming to the image. When we were done it almost looks like shes smiling, but we didn't even touch her face!

ok ok, so we made her not quite as sad, made us feel better.

here's the un-smiled image (it would have been much better with a SOOC image but its just a sketch idea more than anything)

Wow, that is rather bold of you....messing with my daughters face like that & actually thinking I might like it? You were wrong. You made her look like something out of a freakshow. Sorry if I'm coming across as harsh, but when you change my childs entire face & make her look like a totally different person.....well I find that a bit disrespectful to say the least. If you would have just presented the 2nd version where you did not alter her face my response would be far different, but I am at the momment quite upset.