Halloween Portraits and some off-camera flash. C&C welcome

[Sasquatch]

Here are some photos of my daughters in their Halloween costumes. I bought some radio triggers and a couple cheap light stands/umbrellas a while back and wanted to try them out. These were shot right out my back garage door into the dark night with a black sheet for them to stand on. I had two speed lights; each mounted on a light stand and shot through umbrellas. I'm really limited on space, so I got a little cramped with my 50mm lens and couldn't get their whole bodies into some of the shots. I was just looking for some thoughts on the usual: composition, lighting, exposure, etc. Not sure if the beginner's forum is the right place for this, but I certainly don't feel "advanced". Thanks for looking and thanks in advance for the comments.

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On this one, I didn't realize her hair was flipped up into her face until afterwords. It's tough to remember everything when you're experimenting.

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[kundalini]

My first thoughts were.... cute kids, cute costumes. Well done on that front.

Now, on to the photos. My first thought here was that your camera position is a bit too high. You're taking these from an adult's PoV, not so much as that of a portrait photographer. For portraits, having the camera position level with or slightly higher than the eyes will generally be preferred.

Some of the black of the costumes is getting lost in the black background, particularly the right shoulder of the bumble bee and the brim of the hat on the witch.. You could try using one of the lights as an Accent light by collapsing one of the umbrellas to direct the light to those black parts for separation. You would position the light so that it is ~135° from lens axis.

I think you've done pretty good overall, but when viewing the large size image, the double catchlights are quite noticeable. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of when positioning your lights.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sasquatch]

My first thoughts were.... cute kids, cute costumes. Well done on that front.

I had no part in the costumes and I'm pretty sure they get their looks from their mother. I'll pass along the compliments though.

Now, on to the photos. My first thought here was that your camera position is a bit too high. You're taking these from an adult's PoV, not so much as that of a portrait photographer. For portraits, having the camera position level with or slightly higher than the eyes will generally be preferred.

Yeah, I know that the high camera angle isn't the most desirable, but I did it with a couple thoughts in mind. I kind of wanted the "Trick or Treat" look, as if they just showed up at your front door. Secondly, I thought if I moved higher, then I might be able to get more of their costumes in the frame. I understand you're saying though.

Some of the black of the costumes is getting lost in the black background, particularly the right shoulder of the bumble bee and the brim of the hat on the witch.. You could try using one of the lights as an Accent light by collapsing one of the umbrellas to direct the light to those black parts for separation. You would position the light so that it is ~135° from lens axis.

Losing the black parts into the background was one of the biggies that I noticed. I'll definitely experiment more with accent lighting and separation. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of time to set up and experiment and the kiddos weren't terribly patient either, seeing as how the garage door was wide open and it was cold. A backdrop is on my wishlist. :thumbup:

I think you've done pretty good overall, but when viewing the large size image, the double catchlights are quite noticeable. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of when positioning your lights.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions!