Dakota CO 2010

Just did some senior photos for friends, thought I'd share...

The shadows kill em man, if you don't have lights shoot in open shade or get a reflector. Sorry but they are bad...no worries though a simple reflector will fix most of them. I would also suggest not shooting up the nostrils, . Hope this helps.

Thanks! Yeah, I know about the nostrils but sometimes it works.

As for shadows, I sometimes use a reflector but I don't care for it. I love natural light, that's just my style and I let people know that. Thanks again though!

Shadows give it a more natural look. I like your photos...
The only thing that bothers me is you cant see her eyes in any of them really... They are all dark black holes and that may be because she is squinting?

YES! Ugh, stupid Fla sun decided to come back out. That I hated. Wish I had sunglasses for her but yeah, it sucked big time and I tried.

My honest opinion. None of these are keepers. They really look like a picture anybody could take with a cheap point and shoot. I'm not trying to come across harsh but just being honest. Try to never shoot in harsh sunlight. When your trying to do portraits the eyes are a major selling point. None of these show that. A few other things are cut off hands, busy backgrounds, up the nose, oof, etc...Really look at some of the professionals on here and then look back at yours and see things you could change. That is my best learning tool on this site.

You would definitely get better shots if you put her in the shade. #3 worked b/c she was sort of in the shade. Like what Locky mentioned, you can't really see her eyes. Because you were shooting in harsh daylight she was squinting even when she was looking at you.

A few things I'd try next time...
-Avoid shooting in harsh light. Wait for a few hours. Golden hour light is magical. If you have to shoot when the light is very harsh put your model in the shade and use a reflector or flash to add some depth in your light.
-To avoid squinting look, get your model to close his/her eyes. Shout 1, 2, 3 and get the model to open his/her eyes on 3 and take a few pictures.
-Don't be scared to take close up shots.

Keep shooting.

Had to shoot then...the problem with working with kids that have "lives" and I did the 1,2,3 with the other more. Still not a big fan of reflectors or fill flash though, that's just me.

_aravena wrote in post #9946135
Had to shoot then...the problem with working with kids that have "lives" and I did the 1,2,3 with the other more. Still not a big fan of reflectors or fill flash though, that's just me.

You might not be a fan of fill flash and reflectors but if you expect your photography to get any different than just someone who went to walmart and bought a point and shoot then you have to start learning how to use different tools of the trade.

were you just sharing, or did you want C&C? (I'm not being flip, some people are just sharing.)

_aravena wrote in post #9946135
Had to shoot then...the problem with working with kids that have "lives" and I did the 1,2,3 with the other more. Still not a big fan of reflectors or fill flash though, that's just me.

Must not be a fan of good photos then either...

suecassidy wrote in post #9950375
were you just sharing, or did you want C&C? (I'm not being flip, some people are just sharing.)

I'd have to go with not wanting C&C from the reaction and not taking any of it. I always make the wrong assumption that people want to have C&C anytime they post and forget that sometimes they are just sharing.