my friends senior pictures

i was asked to take my friends senior pictures. i just graduated and she is a grade below me. please note that it was extremely bright outside that day. we are going to reshoot soon. i just want some feedback to improve on. c and c appreciated

I like #3 best but its a tad soft. She definitely needs to smile more. She definitely looks annoyed in #1

^ +1

Also, I would suggest a quarter turn in her pose rather than a straight on perspective. That said, I like #1 best for color, comp, DOF. But would rather her not be so straight on.

I like #5's pose the best.....avoid sessions when bright sun is overhead. This time of year 6-8:30 is primetime and like mentioned choose poses that don't square the shoulders to camera....practice, read, practice, read...then repeat.

The shot's are ok. The second looks soft or a little OOF. One thing does stand out to me in all the shots. They are all coming in from the left with space in the lower right of the frame. This isn't a big deal until you lay them out in a preview album. I think you need to try some different crops or tilts, just to add some variety.

Not everyone is a size 0. That being said, there are ways to pose people that deemphasizes certain things. Look at her chnline in your #1,2 &3... Yes she is smiling in #3, but she appears to have a double chin. In 1 and 2 it is either less evident or non-existant. How did you/she do that...

Look at her left armpit in #1 and now in #4... Why is it more in one and less in the other?

DD974 said "choose poses that don't square the shoulders to camera....practice, read, practice, read...then repeat. " - my thoughts exactly.

Things to think about when you before you are pushing the shutter: Nail focus on the eyes... Dont cut off a body part at a joint... If it bends, bend it... If she is standing, put one heal behind the other then point the feet out 90 degrees and have her put the majority of her weight on her rear foot...

Google "senior portraits" and make a folder on your hard-drive for photos... LOOK at the photos - the good and the bad... decide what it is about each photo that you like, that you dont like... Figure out how to reconstruct the "good" parts... BTW - this is not a bad thing, as long as you do not do anything with the photos for money or claim them as your own...

Look in my signature - there is a posing guide that I have linked (note - this is NOT mine or my creation - it IS a great resource! )- Not all of the poses in there will work with all people, but I have it printed out and bring it to shoots with me. If I get stuck or if I have an issue being clear to my subject, I can whip it out and point...

2 things will kill your portrait right off the bat - lighting and focus on the eyes... the rest is just details...

Now, go and practice and lets see what you come up with next... I bet you will like your outcome better.

Well teh only thing i see that wasnt covered was her left eye has one color make up on and the other has red.

thank you all for the comments and constructive criticism! i will sure do my research and check out the some of the stuff you provided me. thanks again!

Need some variety in the image. The first thing I noticed is that she is facing the same way on all of the images.

blakeG! wrote in post #10489520
thank you all for the comments and constructive criticism! i will sure do my research and check out the some of the stuff you provided me. thanks again!

Good for you! THIS is the attitude that should be taken!

One other resource that I totally missed the boat on: this very website! There is a search option where you can put in 'senior'... pull up each thread and look at the photos. Then *you* critique them (in your head). Decide what you like about them and what you do not like about them. *Then* go and look at what people said about the photos... make a note of what you missed... A great study tool!

Not to call anyone out on the carpet, but a member on here called Damn Rican posted a thread at about his 11 month mark, in this thread he posted some of his photos from when he started and then some of his most recent photos. Dude, you want inspiration? Link here -->

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=862540

Good luck and keep posting! Never stop learning!

apixelintime wrote in post #10492162
Good for you! THIS is the attitude that should be taken!

One other resource that I totally missed the boat on: this very website! There is a search option where you can put in 'senior'... pull up each thread and look at the photos. Then *you* critique them (in your head). Decide what you like about them and what you do not like about them. *Then* go and look at what people said about the photos... make a note of what you missed... A great study tool!

Not to call anyone out on the carpet, but a member on here called Damn Rican posted a thread at about his 11 month mark, in this thread he posted some of his photos from when he started and then some of his most recent photos. Dude, you want inspiration? Link here -->

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=862540

Good luck and keep posting! Never stop learning!

good idea thanks for the support