Family portraiture - C&C please!

[fonsolo]

This is from my first time doing portraits for a friend of mine's family. Thoughts for improvements would be appreciated!

 

[MLeeK]

The girl on the bottom is bordering on purple. The woman behind her is hot pink. The fact that you have all of the two larger women above, but the other two are just kind of peeking into the image makes it really awkward.
The lighting is really odd. The two top girls faces are almost flashy, but the rest of them looks good. THe two bottom girls look like their exposure is good.
The overall exposure looks good as do sharpness and contrast.

 

[fonsolo]

Hmmm,I didn't put to much thought into the positioning - I will have to mind that next time. I think the two up top got more flash because I had the strobes positioned higher, something else I will need to remember next time. The colors seem fine on my monitor, but picture settings do tend to vary from display to display. Thanks for the input, it is very helpful! Love the African Grey avatar, I have a Gofins Cockatoo and a Senegal!

 

[skieur]

Professional photographers choose the dress for their models even in a family portrait. Unfortunately this is an example of why that is done. What they are wearing totally distracts the eye of the viewer from the people in the portrait. There are guidelines that you should look at for choosing clothes for portraits.

skieur

 

[fonsolo]

Professional photographers choose the dress for their models even in a family portrait. Unfortunately this is an example of why that is done. What they are wearing totally distracts the eye of the viewer from the people in the portrait. There are guidelines that you should look at for choosing clothes for portraits.

skieur

This was done for free as favor, I had no input on their wardrobe. I will be sure to screen what is worn in the future, though, as I do see what you are saying. Thanks!

 

[Derrel]

Moving them a bit farther from the wall would have thrown the wall more out of focus, and made it a more blurred, smoother, and better-looking background. Cute gals though!

 

[MLeeK]

Hmmm,I didn't put to much thought into the positioning - I will have to mind that next time. I think the two up top got more flash because I had the strobes positioned higher, something else I will need to remember next time. The colors seem fine on my monitor, but picture settings do tend to vary from display to display. Thanks for the input, it is very helpful! Love the African Grey avatar, I have a Gofins Cockatoo and a Senegal!

If you are calibrated it should not vary. We are seeing what will print on our calibrated monitors.

I lost my Umbrella cockatoo last spring and I am so heartbroken without her. The cockatoos are such an amazing breed. I want another so badly! We also have a Blue and Gold Macaw and a Meyer's Parrot (very similar to your Senegal.) All are rescue birds and I'll take a Cockatoo if and when one shows up needing a home. I think I run a small zoo around here most days!

 

[fonsolo]

I have not heard of monitor calibration, I'll have to Google it.

With my Senegal and Gofin, I find that I have little time to do much since both are big attention whores and, sadly, don't get along at all. Sorry about your Too they have such a huge personality, I can't imagine losing either of mine.