First Senior photoshoot

[ChrisB1966]

Hello all, this is my first Senior photoshoot. It was around 2 pm, so the sun was right over head which made it kinda difficult. These photo's are SOOC, so any editing tips would be appreciated.

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3.

 

[kric2schaam626]

Well, you already named the first problem: direct, harsh sunlight. It is causing some awful shadows on your subject. I can't say that editing is going to help them; you want to reduce your editing time by doing as much you can in-camera. In this case, re do the shoot and do it either earlier or later in the day with out harsh sunlight.

 

[DiskoJoe]

When you have harsh midday sun you shoot in the shadows. Also you missed the focus on all of these shots. She deserves a redo.

 

[ChrisB1966]

kric2schaam626 and DiskoJoe, thanks for you input. I did some shots in the shade. Here is one of them. What do you think about this one.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Its a little better but there is a lot going on in the background behind her head, tree stumps, path way. Also she has some funny shadows on her face where some sunlight was getting through.

I would do another shoot and wait until later in the day when you have some really nice sunlight. She is a pretty girl but your not doing your best to show that. Im telling you she deserves a redo.

 

[ChrisB1966]

DiskoJoe, thanks! I agree she is a pretty young lady and I will get some better shots at a different time of the day.

Its a little better but there is a lot going on in the background behind her head, tree stumps, path way. Also she has some funny shadows on her face where some sunlight was getting through.

I would do another shoot and wait until later in the day when you have some really nice sunlight. She is a pretty girl but your not doing your best to show that. Im telling you she deserves a redo.

 

[Buckster]

Not to be harsh, but in all honesty, these have the look of snapshot quality from a point and shoot that mom popped out of her purse and started snapping away without one bit of photographic knowledge or ability.

EXIF shows 85mm @ f/16. Open up that lens and lose the backgrounds to OOF in order to better isolate her. Even with that, be mindful of the backgrounds and what they will yield, even OOF. As others have said, get her in the shade, and at a better time of day.

 

[ChrisB1966]

Buckster, thanks for your input. This was my first shoot so my knowledge in photography is minimal. But I am eager to learn and one way to learn is by folks like yourself that will give me CC so I can learn from my mistakes, ie.... shooting photographs mid day when its sunny, incorrect f/stops, ISO, shutter speed etc......

Not to be harsh, but in all honesty, these have the look of snapshot quality from a point and shoot that mom popped out of her purse and started snapping away without one bit of photographic knowledge or ability.

EXIF shows 85mm @ f/16. Open up that lens and lose the backgrounds to OOF in order to better isolate her. Even with that, be mindful of the backgrounds and what they will yield, even OOF. As others have said, get her in the shade, and at a better time of day.

 

[kric2schaam626]

Buckster, thanks for your input. This was my first shoot so my knowledge in photography is minimal. But I am eager to learn and one way to learn is by folks like yourself that will give me CC so I can learn from my mistakes, ie.... shooting photographs mid day when its sunny, incorrect f/stops, ISO, shutter speed etc......

Not to be harsh, but in all honesty, these have the look of snapshot quality from a point and shoot that mom popped out of her purse and started snapping away without one bit of photographic knowledge or ability.

EXIF shows 85mm @ f/16. Open up that lens and lose the backgrounds to OOF in order to better isolate her. Even with that, be mindful of the backgrounds and what they will yield, even OOF. As others have said, get her in the shade, and at a better time of day.

I would say give another go with her. Tell her you would like a follow up shoot with her at no cost, at a time during the day where the sun isn't so harsh. I'd be interested to see what you get - you have lots of great potential!

 

[vipgraphx]

If you have photoshop you can always try to process your images a little bit to help them pop.

I did this. Cropped in so it was more tight on her face. I added some filters like a gold reflector effect, pro contrast, brilliance and warmth and soft skin using nik color effects and then used photo shop to mask in those changes. I then duplicated image and darken the background and masked it in for a bit more separation. I also added a high pass sharpen.

Sometimes when you have shots like those you have to at least take the time to try to recover the shot and make it better. Processing is a must in photography. YOu want to try to get it right as possible out of the camera but when you don't thats what photoshop is for and other photo programs.

 

[Josh220]

You can shoot in mid-day, just get the subject out of the sun. Head towards the shade, and keep the background less busy. Longer focal lengths and smaller f-stops (f/2.8, etc) will also help get rid of distracting backgrounds. You should also learn how to use fill light, reflectors, diffusers, etc.

In all honesty, you should not be charging yet. You need MUCH more experience.

Just so you have a point for reference, this was my first "senior" shoot (although this is a college senior- UCLA). I did not charge for this, since it was a favor for a friend of mine (his girlfriend) and it was my first time. This was also taken mid-day between 12-1 PM.

 

[Big Mike]

Besides the unflattering light, I think the biggest issue here is the background(s). It looks like a nice park, but these shots shouldn't be about a nice park, they should be about the girl. A perfect example is to compare #2 and #3. In #2, the fountain behind her is taking a lot of the viewer's attention...leaving less for her. But in the next one, you composed the shot with a cleaner background, which lets us focus our attention onto the actual subject of the photo.

Also, as mentioned, you can use a shallow DOF to help throw the background out of focus, which will further help to direct the viewer's eye to the subject.

 

[Vtec44]

Why f16, 1/160, ISO800?

 

[Tarayn]

Hey Chris, 1 tip I can give is sometimes I do shoot directly sun to sometimes get that nice blue sky in the back, that you can't get in the shade because then the senior's face would be dark, unless you use a flash. It is harder to shoot in the direct harsh sun and it would be better to shoot early morning or evening, but sometimes you have to work on other peoples schedules, so If this was the only time you could shoot and this happened again I would suggest finding a shady area but be carefull by looking at where you are at, sometimes standing under tree in the shade will give you mixed light on the seniors face = unflattering light, like hot spots that you have on your fourth picture. I suggest you watch photovision Its a great way to learn a lot of information faster and cheaper than photography workshops. I hope I helped some. ps: excuse my writing

 

[Steve5D]

There's not a single thing about that fountain that I'm liking...