Senior Photos C&C Please be truthful

[HL45]

First, Thanks in advance for comments and criticism.

I was paid 1.00 for the shoot so I can say it was a paid job lol.

Friends asked me to some some shots of their daughter so I agreed.
I asked the Mom to come up with the poses and Dad to help with the reflector. We seemed to make a good team toward the end of the session.

Set July292012 - a set on Flickr
1.

Lelee-068 by mtw2118, on Flickr
2.

Lelee-022 by mtw2118, on Flickr
3.

Lelee-049 by mtw2118, on Flickr
4.

Lelee-082 by mtw2118, on Flickr

 

[Designer]

Are these taken with ambient light and a reflector only? Still some lighting probems here. I take it you didn't have a flash with you.

#1 Pose not the best. Needs additional light on her right side. Another reflector, perhaps?
#2 background not the best choice here, light is better
#3 background still too busy, pose is not one that I am fond of, lighting not too bad, if reflector only.
#4 very nice! pose is good, background is excellent! but the lighting is casting a shadow on her neck, so needs improvement still.

Save that dollar toward a speedlight, if you don't already have one.

 

[manaheim]

Others can provide better advice than me, but cal this a free bump.

Looks like some issues with posing, which I have gathered is one of the hardest parts of portraiture... ESP when you have a more heavy-set subject.

 

[MLeeK]

1. is good start. Your exposure is good. Your focus looks to fall a little short as her pocket is sharp but not her eyes.
Your subject is green. She's a bit weighty in the hips and shooting from below does not flatter that. Shooting from below her butt has made her but the biggest part of this image.

2. Is a good, standard pose, but you have missed a few things in it. There should always be a space between the arm and the body to help thin the body and keep it from looking like larger than it is. Here she looks like she doesn't know what to do with her hands and her shoulders are rounded. Your focus looks better. Exposure is good. Color is much better.

3. Is a terrible pose for her. She's turned just enough to make her look really wide. Focus and exposure look good. Color is better if not a little yellowy. You have a harsh light source coming from camera left causing a shadow along her arm. Cropping in portrait and tightening the view will help quite a bit.

4. Definitely need a reflector or something to her right/our left. It'll make a great headshot. You have caught the catch lights nicely in her eyes. Focus, color and exposure are good.

 

[Trever1t]

I'd buy that for a dollar!

Not horrendous, so be happy. There's potential, keep at it. #1 and #4 are kinda nice. the other 2 just don't work for me compositionally.

 

[Rick58]

1 and 4 are nice. 2 and 3 really don't work for me. A reflector would have done wonders for #4 but still nice none the less.

 

[durhamskywriter]

do you think she would be more at ease if allowed to pose in settings more familiar to her?

pretending that i know her, i'd have her pose with books in various ways—in front of the library, with lots of books on either side of her, with a library cart, etc, etc. it just seems that she's uncomfortable and not sure what to do. i once took photos of a guy who was extraordinarily uneasy with having to pose—but he didn't mind my taking pictures while he did carpentry work. eventually, he got so comfortable that he was able to stop and pose—well, quasi-pose—and the photos turned out fine.

 

[The_Traveler]

I pretty much agree with what has been said about posing, etc.
So here are other things that I would say.

Get rid of stuff that doesn't contribute.
Make her larger in the frame and minimize bright stuff that competes with her.
Don't let your subject wear really bright or really eye-catching clothing, it pulls teh viewers' eye.

for example.
I think #3 can be cropped quite a bit to make her more important in the frame.
Darken the busy background, her skirt and the tree.

All in an attempt to make her stand out from the background and not let the supporting stuff compete for attention.

Good start.

Lew

 

[JFC]

no.1 and 4 is nice, like them. kinda intense there in the photo, maybe u should bring out some jokes before taking the picture, so the smile will be unleashed. she has a nice smile. cheers.

 

[Rick58]

Nice crop Lew

 

[HL45]

Thanks all!
I have no experience with posing so I had asked the Mom to help. She actually had the poses in her phone to look at as we went.
I did have a flash and remote for off camera flash but my battery on the receiver was dead! Poor planning on my part.
I decided to just use the available light and the reflector as opposed to having the flash on the camera.
Thanks again for all the help. I'm gonna re-edit/crop and try to adjust the color before printing anything.

Others can provide better advice than me, but cal this a free bump.

Looks like some issues with posing, which I have gathered is one of the hardest parts of portraiture... ESP when you have a more heavy-set subject.

What is ESP?

Thanks

 

[MLeeK]

Especially.
'If you are aiming at being a senior or portrait photographer you are going to have to really study posing. It's a GIANT part of your job. They look to you to make them look the best they can look.

 

[sm4him]

Especially.
'If you are aiming at being a senior or portrait photographer you are going to have to really study posing. It's a GIANT part of your job. They look to you to make them look the best they can look.

So, along this line...where would you suggest one start with this?
I've been reading this thread with interest, because I'm going to be having a go at some senior photos myself soon. Nothing "pro" just a friend who already had photos done by the "official" school portrait company and absolutely hated them.
I think I have somewhat of a handle on lighting and technical stuff, but the only other two comparable photo shoots I've done, posing was definitely my biggest problem.

 

[MLeeK]

One of the long time members of PhotoCamel has an awesome PDF on doing headshots/portraits. The Rules Of Good Portraiture

I am not sure if anyone really does a posing class. I have to see what I can find. It's something I have picked up through multiple workshops and things I have taken through the years. It's always a part of each workshop for whatever type of photography you take, for example posing for newborns goes over how to hide and flatter the mom... Bridals goes into how to pose a heavier bride, seniors goes into a lot of posing teens for glamor and body style...

 

[Designer]

Especially.
'If you are aiming at being a senior or portrait photographer you are going to have to really study posing. It's a GIANT part of your job. They look to you to make them look the best they can look.

So, along this line...where would you suggest one start with this?
I've been reading this thread with interest, because I'm going to be having a go at some senior photos myself soon. Nothing "pro" just a friend who already had photos done by the "official" school portrait company and absolutely hated them.
I think I have somewhat of a handle on lighting and technical stuff, but the only other two comparable photo shoots I've done, posing was definitely my biggest problem.

There are posing books available. I have not purchased one myself yet, but I think any serious photographer should read at least one book on posing because even professional models need direction during a shoot. Try the library first.