Senior Photos

I am just starting out, and this past weekend shot my first senior pics. I am waning some cc and wondering if they are good enough to charge for them?

They are not bad. #3 has some lighting issues - her face has some hotspots. #5 and #6 are probably my favorites because of the expressions you captured - they look more natural than the others.

It looks like you shot on an overcast day - which can be very good for nice, even lighting - but it seems like that has somehow sapped some of the vitality from the photos. I'm not sure if it is a saturation issue or what, but they all seem to be kind of flat and dull. Maybe they are slightly underexposed?

I would work on the locations. With the exception of #5 the series looks like you just went around your backyard and had her stand in various places. I mean, the location isn't necessarily bad, but I would not feel good about handing these over to a client simply because of the repetition in setting. #3 and #5 were good deviations, but I think you would need more.

#2 is a good idea - I would just like to see a slightly different composition of the shot. As it is, the jacket is the one getting all the attention.

The poses are all good except for #3, which looks like she has a hump on her back that leans her forward permanently. It's not very flattering. Get her to pull her shoulders back.

All of the above said, the photos are decent. I've seen people charge (and get paid) for worse. I doubt that's what you want to hear, but I'm just being honest. The good news is that most of your issues are very easily fixable. You seem to have a good eye and good intuition and that's half the battle.

thanks for sharing.

joe

The photos were taken at the University of Mich Botanical Gardens. There was a total of 41 photos and lots of variation with a bridge, gazebo, rocks, benches (and lots more flower shots!) I just posted my personal favorites.

I really appreciate the honest feedback and I am not displeased with it. I am happy to have this as a jumping off point. I feel like as I learn, these small issues will be resolved. After reading your feedback and reviewing the photos, I do agree with pretty much everything you said.

I am trying to learn as I go, but I am a bit overwhelmed. Admittedly, I don't know my camera or the technical aspects of shooting as well as I should yet. But I am reading all that I can to try and get up to the level that I would like to be.

Love #4 and #6, 6 being my favorite. The others, for some reason, seem to be a little soft with the skin tones. Nice over all tho...

My 2 cents worth...

Thank you! #6 is my favorite too. It has genuine expression and personality.

Backgrounds are an issue here. One thing you can do is to bring your subject away from the background and then shoot with a wider aperture... to suppress the background into a blurred and indistinct part of the image.

#1 is ok but the profusion of bright yellow flowers in the background is screaming for attention. what is good is the viewpoint, where your subject is looking up at the camera. This avoids looking up peoples noses and a heavy jawline and it produces elegant neck lines. Most women will benefit from being imaged about two feet above their heads forcing them to extend their neck and look upwards. Our brains naturally want to decode everything we see and the flowers appear to be equally important as the subject. This is the wrong emphasis because it was the female for whom you were capturing this image.

#2 I don't think this shot works at all. In fact, many young women could have been the model for this shot. There are too many features that will not unique to this model and you would have to turn the image on its side to appreciate who this person is within the image frame. Try not to include partial bits of text in your images. They draw the eye and the good old brain just does not want to let it pass without trying to decode the text.

Red is the one colour that you do not want in an image frame if you do not think it is the main subject. It represents danger and humans appear to be hard-wired for detecting the tiniest bit of red. Here you have placed the red garment in the foreground and despite the text shouting for attention, the red colour occupies about 40% of the image frame in the foreground and it is not even the subject. The subject is lost in this image.

#3 This one has acceptable facial expression but poor pose. The female subject appears to be slumped forward which is unattractive. Get your models to sit erect and look attentive. The background renders this image unsuitable. The gaps in the fence draw the eye because they are competitive highlights and the cross member of the fence, which can be seen just breaking the hairline, is another huge distraction in this image.

#4 The background is a little busy for my taste and the exposure is a little hot... textural detail in the white clothing is starting to get lost. The pose is relaxed and it represents a moment in time for the sitter. Try to avoid your subject having half-closed eyes. I don't want my subject to look at me or the camera until I am ready to shoot. See if having them sit with their head bowed and eyes closed helps. WHen you are ready to shoot, have the subject bring their head into its final position then get them to open their eyes. If you catch the moment right, you will see a fresh and wide eyed-look which is far more attractive than sleepy looking faces.

#5 The background kills this image for me. The wire tying the longitudinal sections together is not feminine and the repeating verticals form a strong pattern that attracts the eye. The face is a little hot on the right side of the image frame and the smile is redolent of an expression which is commonly generated by a shouted "smile please" from the photographer. Portraiture is best when the expressions are unforced and I have found that the only way to ensure natural looking facial expressions is to talk incessantly... make jokes and talk about something which interests your sitter.

#6 This is a pleasant image and a good capture. It is obviously posed and looks like it. I would avoid trying to show your person as a tennis player in this way. Sat on a log looking intently at and through the strings of her racquet and with a bag of tennis gear at her feet, will be far more evocative. If she wins a lot of matches, sat in front of a trophy cabinet will say far more than this ersatz I am sporty person image will ever manage to say to the impartial observer.

All in all, a fair set of images with #1 and #4 being my favourite. On balance I would prefer #1 because it shows the person from a near position and she will be more recognisable to her friends and family.

The question of should you charge for these images... in my opinion they are not professional images. You have used no film or chemicals and you have gained some experience, which is not an unreasonable quid pro quo. Once you charge, however little or much, the person receiving your work will have a very different level of expectation. If you give away your images, you may well be invited to create some more at future events. If you sell them, it is very easy to find a person who will try it on and say that the article does not meet the standards expected. Giving your work away, people are free to say they don't like it and don't want it and you have only lost a little time. Selling your work carries implications that you cannot yet live up to by your own admission (I am just starting out and shot my first senior pics) so it would be a wiser move not to set up any business based upon these images... just yet.

She isn't a tennis player, that is a softball. This one wasn't posed at all. She and her dad were trying to spin the ball on their fingertip, while waiting for her mother to fetch the volleyball from the car.

Thank you for all of your suggestions regarding posing and background. It was very useful info!

previous posts had some really great comments...

only thought I had was to try and match the background and clothing...ie. when she's wearing gray, go for neutral colors...that way, her portrait stands out from her clothes and background...

love that you captured the ball so crisply in the last photo...