let me know what you think... Still learning

[Photo_Mama2]

a little separation from the background would be good. im also not a fan of the vignetting. especially in #2 where it cover's her hand.
#1 is the best in my opinion. 2 and 3 have the vignetting and wrinkles, and landscape doesnt do anything for #4. would have stuck with portrait orientation on these.
2 and 3 might have worked better if you wanted to do some in landscape, and without the vignetting. (some people like it...SOMETIMES I do, but not often)
(Robin_Usagi posted some amazing pictures that he put vignetting on, if you can find them, check them out)

Also, how are you creating your vignette?

Well I use PSE11 and I think its under "guided" there is an option to add one, black or white

 

[texkam]

4 is very comfortable. I don't mind the horizontal at all. Agree however, about the background.

 

[jsauve]

I would agree with pixmedic except for one VERY nitpicky thing. When you view #1 blown up and zoomed in, it seems a little soft focused, the eyes aren't as tack sharp as they are in a couple of the other ones. #1 is a classic senior portrait.

Like I said im very new to all of this... How can I fix the eyes? Background is kinda stuck for now, due to lack of space... I didn't do anything to the eyes in any of the pictures (not that I know of)

What I typically do to make sure that eyes are crisp and sharp is to change to auto focus mode from adaptive to center weighted, focus on the eye, then frame my photo. A good amount of light is just as important. If you check out the photos I posted in my thread(http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/people-photography/319723-my-first-attempt-some-portraits.html) I didn't have any extra light other than the natural light coming in from a window(currently saving up for a speedlight ), but i still feel that I managed to capture some fairly sharp eyes! Far from perfect because I was fairly limited in my shutter speed(typically fell in the 1/60 or 1/80 range, and I was shooting hand held with no IS in the lens), but pretty decent for the conditions.

Considering I'm just as much of a newb, I'm just trying to put into practice what I've seen/read in articles and tutorials, but it seems to be working pretty well for me!

 

[Granddad]

Do you have enough room to get her a bit farther away from the background?

I do not have enough room I do this in my living room so space is very limited...

My dining room has been taken over as my studio but has to go back to dining room when we have guests. When I shoot I clear all the furniture out to the living room except for the table which is shoved into a corner. You don't need a barn if you are prepared to be creative; you just need to consider what's possible and practical in the space you have. If you think it won't work because of constricted space, then don't waste your time because you're probably right. If I need more space for a shot I absolutely MUST have I'll hire the local village hall multipurpose room for a couple of hours.

1 is soft but the others look pretty sharp. You've got the eye for a good model and a decent expression. Keep working at it and paying attention and you'll get loads better because the rest of the stuff is relatively easy to learn although it's also important to your overall results.... as for your title - if you stop learning you're either unteachable or dead!

Like I said im very new to all of this... How can I fix the eyes? Background is kinda stuck for now, due to lack of space... I didn't do anything to the eyes in any of the pictures (not that I know of)

Soft focus on the eyes is because the camera didn't hit the focus point correctly (it happens to the best) - there's nothing you can do to fix it that would be worthwhile. You need to learn to grit your teeth and bin it! The difference between a good photographer and a bad photographer is the size of his/her waste basket.

 

[jake337]

Do you have enough room to get her a bit farther away from the background?

I do not have enough room I do this in my living room so space is very limited...

Ok what is your longest focal length lens? What are the dimensions in the room?

 

[Photo_Mama2]

4 is very comfortable. I don't mind the horizontal at all. Agree however, about the background.

Thanks

 

[skieur]

Considering your space problems, you also need to be aware of distortion caused by camera angles.