From a recent session. I shot this just before sunset with an overcast sky. All comments/critique invited. Thanks! Pete
Hey Pete, I don't post here all that much, and most of your stuff wows me. But I think this one really needed some fill flash. The shadow on the dad and mom is pretty harsh and not very flattering. It's a nice capture on the expressions though.
I really like the pose & the clothing they are wearing! I might have brought the son in a little bit closer, either in front of Mom a tad or turned like his sister because he seems a bit distanced from the rest of the family. I looked at the photo on two monitors and one one the shadows were really dark on Mom & Dad but on this one it looks good, maybe just a tad of burning on the darker side of Dad's face. I think it's a beautiful portrait, one they will love!
I disagree about the fill flash idea...it would have ruined the lighting, which is definitely not 'harsh', it's just noticeably directional. some midtone and highlight dodging would fix the 'problem' (which i dont find to be that big of a deal anyway) and would look much better than fill flash. i think there might be a little too much space around them, but if you're planning to crop for 8x10's or 11x14's that is good. bringing in the kids a tad closer might have been nice too.
Well maybe this is a monitor thing going by what Alison experianced, but the shadow going down the nose and down the chin is what I'm talking about and I don't find it very flattering. I am not talking about full on flash, but a 1/4 power or diffused light would be my suggestion. I believe we agree to disagree. It was just my opinion.
