Please Critique these Senior Pictures

[LucyDarling]

I am doing portrait photography as a hobby/side business to supplement my graphic design business. These are the first paying portraits that I took. (Well, they were giving an extreme discount because it was for family.) Please give me your thoughts. They were taken outdoors because I don't have any lighting equipment.

 

[MyaLover]

Overall I think they are very nice. Good Job

 

[nossie]

Hi lucy.
Posting pictures here it's always a good idea to number them so people can comment on one or two of interest.

1. doesn't seem to be razor sharp
2. maybe the same but hard to tell coz it's smaller
3. is not too bad but the sun is high in the sky and starting to create panda/raccoon eyes. I'd probably crop in tighter removing the road and making her arm look slimmer.
4. is georgous. Well done I say.
5. I think the pink toenails are not working with the rest of the colours. Her pose is fine if not a little boring / not interesting, not making my think what's going on here?, why is she laughing? what's she thinking etc.

I hope that helps :0)

 

[spiffybeth]

1. her right eye is out of focus

2. you cut off her elbow

4. i think she looks the most beautiful in this shot, but she has wisps of hair across her face. but you cut off the top of her head...

5. my own preference...she should be wearing shoes

 

[teachflute]

1. It looks like the camera focused on her hair, not her eyes. Choose the focal point that corresponds with her eyes. You might want to selectively sharpen the eyes just to see if you can get some more clarity in them.

2. I love her expression, but the background bugs me a little. The stick thingy (sorry I can't think of what it's called) hanging down in the window bugs me. Also, it looks like the flowers are growing out of her shoulders.

3. Very nice. I think I might try a tighter crop on her face. I don't know if you used fill flash, but it would have been nice to get some catch-lights in her eyes.

4. My favorite. Beautiful expression,composition, etc. The only thing that slightly bugs me is that you cut a little of her head off, but it doesn't bother me that much.

5. Again, beautiful expression. She has gorgeous eyes, btw. The background might be a tad busy.


These pictures are very nice. Keep up the good work!

 

[Mesoam]

i like the last one...and the girl...ha

 

[gpimages]

I like #5 the best. Nice shot.

 

[midnitejam]

#1
One of my favorites. Very nice portrate—Yes. Could be improved—yes.
I would not agree that it is too soft except for the eyes. The eyes could be sharper but I like the complexion texture and the skin tones. I like the pose and the expression. The model is gorgeous. She exemplifies the essence of youth and beauty.
The addition of a hair light and light modeling could be assimilated with post-editing.

#2
IMO, this is a nice snapshot. Too many subjects and distractions caused by the DOF for me to consider as a serious portrait.

#3
A fine portrait. Good pose and good expression. Nice bokeh. You did mention the one-source-available light. The eyes are under exposed and they lack important catch lights. The use of a fill light definitely would have helped. Post processing would help with assimilating light modeling and the loss of detail in the eyes.

I think it would be a better portrait if it were cropped immediately below the elbow so that the eyes would be in the upper third portion. Cropping above the left hand might be an improvement as well. The diagonal axis of the eyes work very well for the pose.

#4
Very nice pose and expression. There’s no need to mention the flat light (you’ve already explained the use of available light). I’m not a fan of the focus. I think the model should be in sharper focus.

#5
Great shot. Professional-caliber modeling. The pose is tops! This shot would greatly benefit from selective sharpening and slight dodging.

Overall, you can be proud of the entire shoot. Well done

 

[LucyDarling]

thank you for the great critique, Midnitejam. That is really helpful!

 

[skieur]

Number 1 is the best with good hair detail and good colour. Framing still needs to be a bit "looser" with more breathing room at the top of the head. The earing? at the right distracts the viewer. The dark area around both eyes can be fixed easily, and should be, in postprocessing. The hair is also a bit too "fly away" on the right side and would normally be combed by an assistant when noticed in a pro shoot. Nevertheless, it also can be partially fixed in postprocessing as well.

skieur