Would You Pay for This?

I've been progressing toward charging for portraits on a regular basis. I've been paid a few times now, but always on a "pay me what you think they're worth" basis. I've been a photographer (avid enthusiast, semi-pro) for many years, but people are something I've always tried to avoid. Well, no longer.

This is some family members at our July 4th reunion. This is my niece and nephews, to be exact. Taken with my 5DMKII, 70-200mm lens, 540EZ in a 24-inch softbox camera left, set to about 1/8th power to augment the ambient late afternoon light. What I need to know is: 1. If you had hired me to take pictures of your kids, would you be happy with this? 2. How could I have improved the shot?

My in-laws were very happy, especially with the print I made for them, but they're not exactly unbiased. I need honest input. No crying from me, so please be blunt.

One thing I noticed: The compression has squirreled up the boy in the pink shirt's left eye. I don't know why it looks kind of milky, but it doesn't in the full-sized pic. Weird.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

No. The feet on the left throw the balance off.

Denny G wrote in post #10794848
No. The feet on the left throw the balance off.

That doesnt bother me too much. The only thing I dont like is his butt so close to the other guys face. The leaves by the elbows dont bother me too much

Denny G wrote in post #10794848
No. The feet on the left throw the balance off.

The bare feet look like "carefree summer". Off balance is good sometimes.

i just dont really like the pose with the boy in the front, i would have probably placed him next to the other boy and girl and done the shot more head on..just my opinion

Denny G wrote in post #10794848
No. The feet on the left throw the balance off.

I see what you mean. Plus, now that I look again, it seems that they're growing out of the boy's head. Thanks for catching that.

HcOiNvDiAc wrote in post #10794920
i just dont really like the pose with the boy in the front, i would have probably placed him next to the other boy and girl and done the shot more head on..just my opinion

I actually did this on some other shots. The girl is 16, but has the body of a 21-year old. She was wearing a loose-fitting tank, so when they were all in a row her...assets...were a bit too prominent. She didn't have a change of clothes, so I used her brother to kind of block that a bit and make it more family friendly. Thanks for pointing that out, though.

Yes I would purchase this if it were my kids. As to the eye we have several possibilities. One the lad may indeed be showing you his natural eye color. Two there is hand to cheek pressure closing that eye just a little. I get uptight with to much Photoshop play. I would not mess with this eye element of concern. Nice job. Nice relaxed natural subjects.

gibbit1 wrote in post #10794962
I actually did this on some other shots. The girl is 16, but has the body of a 21-year old. She was wearing a loose-fitting tank, so when they were all in a row her...assets...were a bit too prominent. She didn't have a change of clothes, so I used her brother to kind of block that a bit and make it more family friendly. Thanks for pointing that out, though.

Smart thinking, it's a creative way to recompose and work with what you have..alot of people im sure would have gone through with the shot without noticing until post and be like damn! I should have fixed that! lol

I think your processing and exposure are great. Posing is always a tough call, with multiple people. It's very subjective. Plus the cleavage issue eliminates some of your options. The kid laying is the hard one..he's wearing a bright color which shouts out too much. He's also kind of slouching, so his shoulder appears broken.
When I shoot multiple people I usually try to pose each one in a pose that looks good in itself. The girl is great. The second guy is identical, which isn't as desirable, but his shirt is messy, and he's scrunching his shoulders. The third one is the challenge.
My solution would have been her sitting up, and the others placed around her, one lower and one higher.

ootsk wrote in post #10795062
I think your processing and exposure are great. Posing is always a tough call, with multiple people. It's very subjective. Plus the cleavage issue eliminates some of your options. The kid laying is the hard one..he's wearing a bright color which shouts out too much. He's also kind of slouching, so his shoulder appears broken.
When I shoot multiple people I usually try to pose each one in a pose that looks good in itself. The girl is great. The second guy is identical, which isn't as desirable, but his shirt is messy, and he's scrunching his shoulders. The third one is the challenge.
My solution would have been her sitting up, and the others placed around her, one lower and one higher.

Ya see, these are things I never would have caught. I'm not sure I could have fixed all of it, even if I had noticed, but I will try to see these things next time. I like the concept of posing each one as an individual. The girl is just a natural. She needed no guidance whatsoever. The boys, well, they're boys. What can you do? Thanks for taking the time to help.