New to this site, and photography looking for some C&C :)

[BNHPhotography]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site, and also to photography, and i was searching for a site for a little C&C! My friends, family, and other fellow photographers have offered their opinions, and a lot have no more information to offer me. I know everyone here has A LOT more experience than i do, i bought my first SLR back in April, and i've been burning it up since! I've taken almost 10,000 pictures since i bought the camera! Every weekend I'm out, either taking pictures of new clients, or taking pictures of 'stuff'. I want to be able to wear many 'hats' in photography, and not be limited to just one scope of practice! I LOVE taking pictures of 'stuff', mountains, trees, flowers, animals, just whatever catches my eye at the time. As far as people, i've found it's A LOT harder than it looks! Anyway, a little about me personally. I'm a pharmacy technician at an independant pharmacy in the area, Wilson Pharmacy, I'm engaged to the most amazing man in the world, who has 'redneck tendancies'. We both enjoy the outdoors, four-wheeling, and in the area that we live in, we're never to far from a deep mudhole, and a mountain to climb! So, here are my pictures! Offer as much info as needed, i have a 'thick skin' and will take all the C&C anyone wants to give! I hope everyone enojoys! The pictures of the girl and boy, that's self potraits of my fiancee and i gotta love the tripod, and remote

,

,

,

​

 

[The_Traveler]

Pick one.
Show the exif and tell us why you think it is a good picture.

 

[BNHPhotography]

Okay, i guess what i was looking for was a general, okay in #1 you should've done this, #2 this. So, i guess i'll stick with #1 for now.
In my newbie opinion, i like the fact that there's a lot going on in the photo, but your eye is drawn straight to Kayla. Basically, i feel it's just an interesting picture, that's lit well, and the breeze catching her hair makes it look interesting. I like the the look of the wood, and i guess the overall framing of the picture is nice, even though i broke the rule of thirds. I know nothing, i can work manual mode, pose people, and snap a picture. I don't know what makes a picture great. Mold me.

 

[The_Traveler]

OK.
what follows is my opinion only so take it for whatever you want.

The concept is terrific but I think the execution could be better.

There is a general rule that the eye is drawn to the brightest part of the image and there are lots of bright things here vying for attention besides your subject. And several of them have more detail than your subject. What does the bright wood add to the picture?

And she is dead center, not the best place in any picture for an isolated subject.

Now look hard at your subject.
Her eyes are dark, not a bad effect here. Pretty hair, nicely flowing
But her pose does not flatter her figure. She is rather heavy through the torso and she is straight on, emphasizing that.
This kind of high contrast image means that certain skin defects pop out right away. The cellulite on her legs really shows up.
Plus, she is out of focus

 

[BNHPhotography]

Awesome, I asked for critisism, and tips, and you gave me what i wanted I should've specified what each session was, Kayla is about 6 1/2 months pregnant, and i was trying to think outside the box of normal maternity style pictures! I haven't figured out how to do the smoothing thing in LR yet. I was the culpret that made her look out of focus =/ rooky, idiot mistake. I dropped the clarity on her to try to take away some blemishes, and the cellulite.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

That's not a bad image, really. I am going to talk about intent, or concept now that we know more from my perspective. I appreciate you trying to think beyond the norm for a maternity shoot. But what does this image convey that is incongruent with the all the feelings and emotions of creating a new life?

A while ago someone did a maternity shoot on train tracks. A pregnant woman balancing on tracks is just so very wrong on a number of levels. A good thing for you to do for a "themed" shoot, is make a list or two, putting down as many emotions and feelings associated with pregnancy, and maybe a list of those that aren't. Think of as many locations as you can, and then see how these locations fit the lists.

Urban decay, forgotten trash, piles of garbage, rust, dirt, etc, are typically associated with death, seediness, drugs, abandonment, depression, hopelessness, despair, poverty, danger, risk...I could go on.

I would think a pregnancy shoot would be full of light, hope, life, joy, dreams, excitement, happiness, wonder, new growth, richness, vibrance...again, I could go on.I just want you to think more about the setting be appropriate, rather than different, just for the sake of being different. Yes, there's tons of cliche stuff, but think about the cliche, and push beyond it!

I want to add, text formatting is fun, and may show personality, but the font you used in you original post is terribly hard hard to read with tired eyes.

 

[Virtuosos]

Agree with both statements. While the location itself is highly intriguing and can offer a multitude of shots, for this particular model i feel it is wrong (now knowing this is a maternity shot).

Also, the color. The softness and non-vivid colors speak highly for the location, but not for the model in a maternity shoot. Brighten up the colors and the background. Somewhere such as laying in a field of grass/flowers, maybe sitting on a hill looking toward a sunrise...lots of locations are available.

And in my opinion, picture 4 should be more focused on an object. It's hard to focus on what the photo is about. Try zooming in closer to the flower or something, or zooming out and giving a broader view of a lush area.

 

[BNHPhotography]

Sorry about the font, i didn't realize how cutesy, and hard to read it would be. Ms. Kayla put me in charge of finding, 'the most rustic place you could think of' it's the big thing down south right now. I took some in the grass, and a few of my favorites are in a 'backer' (tobacco) barn, but they're still ugly pretty. I have another maternity shoot scheduled next month, and she wants a rustic setting also, would bumping up the flash and trying to use more natural light work better, since i really can't change the setting they want? Thanks for you input your avatar is awesome, and it's awesome that you're a bitter jeweler photographer it makes me smile! lol

 

[BNHPhotography]

Picture 4 i was just trying to focus more on the flower on the laurel bushes, but still keep the path with the rocks in it there but not the focal point of the picture. It's badly composed, i admit. I could've picked a better one to post.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Well, if your clients are choosing the locations...let them be the experts?Why is rustic so appealing? I don't get it at all. It's the wrong message. It makes no sense! Oh well.

 

[BNHPhotography]

Country theme's, everyone loves them. Pretty ugly is the going thing right now, at least in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia area. I'm doing pictures of a little boy that's turning one tomorrow at an old mill in the area, again, unfitting, but the mom wanted a rustic place.

 

[iNick]

Just to clarify... You have taken 10,000 shots as a photographer, and you're currently charging people for your services?

 

[BNHPhotography]

I'm just starting out, and i wouldn't charge people if so many people hadn't asked me to take their pictures, and $40 dollars per session isn't much to speak of.

 

[Ryan L]

Just to clarify... You have taken 10,000 shots as a photographer, and you're currently charging people for your services?

Henri Cartier-Bresson said, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst". All down hill from here

 

[iNick]

I'm just starting out, and i wouldn't charge people if so many people hadn't asked me to take their pictures, and $40 dollars per session isn't much to speak of.

No need for an explanation, i wasn't trying to get on your case or anything, i was just curious if you had prior experience.