Engagement Photo critique please

[kaylahunsader]

My last post was on engagement photos. Here are some that I have recently took. All comments appreciated....thanks!

 

[Snakeguy101]

There are a lot of hard shadows, I would have looked for a shadier area to shoot. I also see some blown out areas. Composition is good on them though.

 

[jritz]

There's no life in the eyes either, you need a fill flash to make them pop. I agree with snakeguy, a lot of harsh shadows in most of the pictures, and some seem underexposed.

 

[tirediron]

Nice poses and composition, but the wrong time of day to shoot. Go for early morning or later evening to take advantage of the golden hours.

 

[mwcfarms]

I think posing wise they are nice but like mentioned your lighting is a bit all over the place because of hard shadows. Try and balance that out with either a reflector or some fill flash if you can. Otherwise stick to the golden hours like John mentioned.

 

[MissCream]

Definitely in need of a fill flash like others have mentioned. Even a reflector would have helped

 

[Robin Usagani]

Even if you didnt use flash nor reflector, you can get good photos if you know where to put the sun and choose your background wisely. Using reflector or flash will give you more flexibility.

 

[EPPhoto]

The only thing besides the use of fill flash that I could recommend is having the subjects look elsewhere than into your lens. It will give the images a much more candid and genuine feel. Obviously not for every shot, but mix it up a little! Otherwise, good job!

 

[KmH]

Dappled sunlight is a poor choice for intimate portraits.

Look again at the last one. See that bright highlight on the side of his nose? Did you notice your eye is almost immediately drawn to it?

You didn't number the photos but there is another with both their faces lit by direct sunlight and they are squinting and we can't see their eyes.

In summary, I recommend you spend some time investigating photographic lighting techniques. As a case on point, no one else mentioned using a diffuser to create your own portable open shade so you can avoid those harsh highlights caused by dappled sunlight.
Dappled sunlight makes it difficult to make well lit portraits. Putting your subjects just inside the edge of open shade so there is a dark background, and using the open sky as the light on your subjects works much better.

 

[kaylahunsader]

Thanks alot guys all this is noted! I appreciate the responses!

 

[ngaerlan]

I guess everyone already has given you the right advise with the harsh shadows and ways to fix them, make sure you have your exposure levels set properly so that your photos don't look overexposed or underexposed, which can be corrected using a post processing software like lightroom or aperture 3.


Nino G. Photography
www.ninogphotography.com