First Senior Portraits.... cc welcome

[ababysean]

She was very nervous, I had to work really hard to get her to look at the camera.

We selected a location that was her grandfathers land, but when we got there, the gate was locked, it was one thing after another but all in all I think they turned out ok...

1. 3.5 1/160 iso 800

2. 2.8 1/100 iso 800

3. 2.8 1/100 iso 800

4. 4.0 1/500 iso 400

5. 2.5 1/100 iso 400

 

[Robin Usagani]

not your fault but her face looks the same on all pics lol. Is she a manequin?

 

[OrionsByte]

#4's a winner, easily the best of the bunch.

The first three are technically fine but it's kind of obvious she was uncomfortable. What's funny is that she almost looks cut-and-paste in to each one; her pose and expression is nearly 100% identical across all three photos.

The last photo doesn't do much for me personally... she's too small in the frame.

Nice work though!

 

[TheBiles]

not your fault but her face looks the same on all pics lol. Is she a manequin?

I was thinking the same thing! She looks freaked out in the first three like she's watching something that is very unpleasant.

 

[Davor]

Wow, number 1 and 2 look so identical , the only difference is the background. Seems to me she was sort of difficult to work with judging by the expressions on her face. Your photos seem very repetitive to me, using the same poses and methods, you should have tried switching up her look, and her poses, seems awfully flat and boring to me. In the last one the subject seems too far from the camera for her face to be seen, a bigger zoom would have worked here. Good job on the exposure though

 

[ababysean]

haha i so tried!

She was so not wanting a picture, she straight up told me she would have taken one herself with her phone.... but her grandfather wanted them.

Also her father was just killed a few weeks ago in a motorcycle accident so she was on the verge of tears the entire time

I tried to get her to jump, talk about her boyfriend, college, school, her hobbys... she just stood there!

Anyone shoot seniors a lot? any advice? of course this is the age of I know it all, so nothing I told her she listened....

 

[KmH]

I highly recommend you learn the basics of how to do photographic lighting and how to pose.

The first 3 are the exact same pose and are all very stiff. The head being tilted back makes her look very reluctant.

I'm so tired of seeing every high school senior shot as they lean against a wall, or as they sit on a railroad track. But then, I have had more than one senior say something like, "I don't want my photos to be like anyone else's, I want them to look just like all my friends pictures looked last year."

As usual, there are many good books that address this specific genre of photography:
Master Guide for Photographing High School Seniors

Jeff Smith's Senior Portrait Photography Handbook: A Guide for Professional Digital Photographers

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers

 

[thebutler4]

in 1,2,3 the eyes are HUGE! .. I think you over did the PP on them ..

She looks like you are going to get hit by a car or something ...

Number 4 is the best of them ..

 

[Derrel]

"her father was just killed a few weeks ago in a motorcycle accident so she was on the verge of tears the entire time"

Well....that would make things very,very difficult emotionally for a girl her age, I would think. Overall, a tough set to shoot, but I think they turned out "okay", considering the understandably lukewarm subject you had to work with. As her words indicted, she really did not want to do this shoot. In think photo #4 will be totally acceptable to her grandfather. THere are quite a few HS seniors who have her attitude and demeanor toward senior photos.

 

[ababysean]

not your fault but her face looks the same on all pics lol. Is she a manequin?

... Yes but I feel it is my fault... as the photographer, she doesnt know anything about posing, I am supposed to! heres to the second one being better then the first! right?

 

[KevinPutman]

I like the first one, although her skin is a bit too white,
try a bit of PP to get her skin a warmer tone,


Her face does just sort of make some of these photos not as good as they should be.

 

[M2 Photography]

Considering what you had to work with and that it was your first senior shoot, its not that bad. I like the processing too! Whenever we have tough subjects, I just joke around a lot to get them to open up.

 

[DerekSalem]

#4 is definitely the best. As everyone has said the first 3 are nearly identical...if you're doing a senior portrait photoshoot you have to get different facial expressions and such. This isn't like normal modeling.

#5 I'm not a fan of because the focus of the portrait can barely be seen since she's so far away.

 

[Scoody]

Also her father was just killed a few weeks ago in a motorcycle accident so she was on the verge of tears the entire time

I tried to get her to jump, talk about her boyfriend, college, school, her hobbys... she just stood there!

That is understandable. My brother in law was killed in a motorcyle accident when a drunk driver took out four of us when we were riding together. I escaped with a broken wrist, broken collarbone and concussion. The other two were just scrapes and bruises. My brother in law, sadly broke his neck. His daughter was coping okay until all the senior stuff that is happening now and her father is not around.

 

[doziergraphic]

First - I don't like your sig at the bottom of your photos. The hanging sign on the twig is distracting (good concept, but doesn't work for me).

Two - usually that type of smile is automatic on someone with bad teeth - was that an issue for her too? A reluctant subject is difficult because you cannot control their emotions, unlike someone who is just nervous or shy. Like telling someone to run instead of walk, if they don't want to, even dragging them isn't the same thing as them doing it on their own. Good experience for you though.