Looking for critiques

[bryanwhite]

Hello, everyone. About a month ago, I tried my hand the first time at portraiture. I was asked by a friend if I could work with her friend's neice for her senior portraits, and I agreed to do it, with no guarantee of quality. Please tell me what you think. Be brutal. I've included some of my thoughts on some of them.

On most pictures, I used a gold reflector. On some, I also used some flashes. On all the photos, I edited some blemishes in her forehead.

1)

2) I'm not sure what the "3" on her arm is from, but I don't have the photoshop skills to remove it and make it look good. Anyone who does, please feel free to show me how to do it.

3)

4) Same as 3, with some blemishes edited out of her cheek and whitened her teeth a bit. That is the extent of my current photoshopping skills.

5)

6) I don't know where she got the idea to put her hands in this position, but I like it.

7)

8) I was not happy with the lighting on this one, she was too dark in my mind. I also wouldn't normally have a subject cross their arms, but I thought it worked this once for her.

9)

10) Cropped from 9

I have some more of her that I will post, in different dress and a different location. For now, this is enough photos for one post.

 

[Peanuts]

#3, #7, and #9 are defintely my favourites from this series. I think you did a wonderful job though, she looks very comfortable, as she is a very beautiful girl. Number 1,2 and 8 looks somewhat underexposed, but those can defintely be revived in photoshop with some levels and curves, but one thing I did notice was that your focus seems to be somewhat off on 2 and 6. I have a feeling the lens was searching (I am assuming that it was somewhat dark in the shade?) to focus but just missed.

Those are my two critiques, but otherwise, great job

 

[bryanwhite]

On #2, it was bad focus, on #6 it was a diffuser. I was playing around a bit on that one.