Family Pics C&C please

tmjjk · Jan 14, 2015

dennybeall · Jan 14, 2015

Nicely done, good color and posing. A couple of them, the first and third could be in closer.
Like the added snow, that adds some interest.
On this pc some of the faces look a little washed out but that could be this screen?
I'd consider taking the last one way in closer.

tmjjk · Jan 15, 2015

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback. I do like the exposure of most of the image but agree the skin is washed out.

tirediron · Jan 15, 2015

C&C per req:

1. Excellent colour and exposure on the subjects, and good foreground/background exposure balance. The posing isn't bad, but it could have used a lot of finesse. Dad is leaning into the group, and so is son. I like the fact that you've got a 'V' based on their height, but I wish there'd been a bit more attention paid to the details; the fact that their hands are all different seems a bit 'messy' to me, and I would have liked to have seen their scarves arranged similarily. I would suggest cropping a good bit off each size; brown, empty forest doesn't really add to the image.

2. Very nice; I like the fact their both leaning in, and your DoF is perfect on this. I wish however you'd arranged their scarves a little better and had brought in a reflector to get some catchlights; their eyes are quite dark.

3. This really need to have been shot in the vertical ("Portrait") orientation, and I would suggest cropping it that way. Shooting vertical would have give you more room at the bottom, below Dad's hand which is uncomfortably close to the bottom of the frame. Again, I would like to have seen them standing straight rather than leaning in this way. In #2, the lean has an artistic appeal, here it just looks like their slouching. You've also got some reflection in Dad's glasses. Chances are if he'd moved them down just a bit on his nose, raised or lowered or turned his head just a hair that would have vanished.

4, 5. Pretty much exactly as per #1.

6. Again, the leaning in this way doesn't really work, but if you are going to have subjects touch heads, tell them NOT to lean against other, but literally just touch. Also, try and get a little more symmetry in the hand/arm placement.
Overall they're a nice set, with just some thoughts for future improvement.

Just my $00.02 worth - YMMV
~John

tmjjk · Jan 15, 2015

Fantastic suggestions! Thank you so much for taking the time, I really appreciate it. I do have some portrait orientation shots of those poses as well and I agree about his hand being near the bottom of the frame. This gentlemen is a photographer as well and I had a little trouble directing him just out of my own nerves. Thanks again... I am very grateful.

The_Traveler · Jan 15, 2015

You are shooting with very expensive glass and high res camera so certain things puzzle me.

why shoot at 2.8 and at the baseline iso when that gives you a total depth of field of 9" and half of that is behind the group?
Why shoot in landscape and have all that space at both sides?

something is going on - either a bit of motion blur or you have missed focus because the dof is so shallow.
this doesn't look sharp at 100%

Robin Usagani · Jan 15, 2015

The poses seem a bit forced. Other than that it looks good. Not a fan of the outift but that is not your fault.

dennybeall · Jan 19, 2015

The poses, the varied hand positions, the clothing choices - all help to make this a very personalized set of pictures that this family will cherish for a long time.
I don't think they will care about the technical aspects of the photos as much as any of us.

tirediron · Jan 20, 2015

dennybeall said:
The poses, the varied hand positions, the clothing choices - all help to make this a very personalized set of pictures that this family will cherish for a long time.
I don't think they will care about the technical aspects of the photos as much as any of us.

The point is, when we're hired, as professionals, to do a job, there shouldn't be any technical aspects for the client to care about!

dennybeall · Jan 20, 2015

IMHO technical aspects should only include technical photographic aspects such as focus, DOF, true color capture and capturing whatever the client wants in the way they specify. The client may say get all the people and make sure they are all smiling or get a pic of the bride with her Mom.
If we, as a photographer like to see all the hands held in exactly the same way, that's certainly OK but it's for our selves Not the client.
It's all about opinions not facts. No opinion is wrong but should be stated as such, an opinion.