Senior Session C&C please :)

[Photomom85]

Ok I know people can be harish but it helps us all learn. SO here goes HAHA...These are photos from a senior session I did today. Let me know what you think. I know the second is cropped in a little tight but she didn't want her back to show since she didn't like her "curves" that were showing.

 

[cgipson1]

#1 very overexposed... tight framing... soft (poor choice of DOF).. floating overexposed hand not attached to anything
#2 blown sky, shoulder and hat kind of blend together, no tonal separation... framing is very tight and emphasizes the weight issue (either frame it tighter to totally hide the "curves"... or don't frame tightly at all (this makes her look like you couldn't fit her in the frame.. not flattering)).. sharp focus on her arm, not her face
#3 she is partially in shade, partially in sun which makes that patch lower left too bright, draws the eye. poor framing, too much dead space above her head when you should have shown more of her....at least her face is reasonably exposed....

 

[shefjr]

I'm not a portrait photographer but, I can say that the majority of what Charlie pointed out I had noticed. In the second photo I'm bothered by the loss of detail in her shadowed eye. I do like what you were trying for though. Also, if this was your first attempt I think they are pretty good.:thumbup: My one and only try at a portrait was an epic fail.

 

[cgipson1]

I'm not a portrait photographer but, I can say that the majority of what Charlie pointed out I had noticed. In the second photo I'm bothered by the loss of detail in her shadowed eye. I do like what you were trying for though. Also, if this was your first attempt I think they are pretty good.:thumbup: My one and only try at a portrait was an epic fail.

Flash would have helped that shadowed eye in #2 .. and darkened up the background! I started to mention that also.. but figured I had pointed out enough already! Flash would have also helped on #3

 

[shefjr]

I'm not a portrait photographer but, I can say that the majority of what Charlie pointed out I had noticed. In the second photo I'm bothered by the loss of detail in her shadowed eye. I do like what you were trying for though. Also, if this was your first attempt I think they are pretty good.:thumbup: My one and only try at a portrait was an epic fail.

Flash would have helped that shadowed eye in #2 .. and darkened up the background! I started to mention that also.. but figured I had pointed out enough already! Flash would have also helped on #3

I kind of thought a fill flash would have helped but, stopped short of saying so because I'm not educated enough in portraits to attempt to help. I do enjoy reading critiques like yours because I learn so much from them. :thumbup:

 

[tirediron]

To be honest, these really don't appear that a lot of thought or effort was put in to them. Photographing people who are not happy with their bodies are difficult to photograph to begin with and even more so when they are larger and not happy with their body. How much time did you spend getting to know the subject before the shoot?

 

[cgipson1]

Sorry.. in my opinion, you should have paid her.... I know that is harsh, but shooting someone like her really is not easy. And these really emphasize the problems she has. Not flattering at all! And shooting difficult lighting situations in PROGRAM is not something you should get paid for....

 

[Photomom85]

Her mother setup the session and Amanda and I spoke for a few days before hand. She is a very exuberant young lady who loves to goof around and laugh. She loves rustic and yet dramatic things. She actually just called me in tears because she saw the previews I sent her and said she never felt so beautiful and was amazed And we will now be uncropping image 2 because she doesn't care about the rolls since shes IS beautiful ! This young girl is amazing.

 

[shefjr]

Photographing people who are not happy with their bodies are difficult to photograph to begin with and even more so when they are larger and not happy with their body.

I don't get the feeling that this girl is unhappy with herself. I'm probably wrong but, to me in #1 I get a feeling of her trying to be sexy, #2 she has a slight smile, #3 is just a candid shot. Just my opinion of course. Please don't kill me with how I subjectively interpret them.

How much time did you spend getting to know the subject before the shoot?

I do understand what you mean by this though. Get your model comfortable with you.

 

[shefjr]

Don't take it too hard. Learn from them they know what they are talking about. You gotta have thick ass skin to be here. Trust me I had a train wreck thread that made me almost bail from here as well. I stuck it out and these guys who, yes, can come off as jerks really have helped me out.

 

[Photomom85]

I'm still working on mastering my aperture settings and everything so rat than messing up her photos, I was by a gentlemen doing photography for over 30 yrs told to shot in that mode to be safe.

 

[tirediron]

Wow if this is the way you treat new photographers who are just wanting to learn better techniques then may I'll go somewhere else. I understand giving technical advice but being a jerk doesn't make ppl want to listen to what your advice is. It's ppl like you that make people give up on that kindling of passion to grow as a photographer and never uncover or learn their true potential. So thanks but no thanks sir!!

Whoaaaaa there Nellie! Had you posted these as shots you'd done for a friend, you'd be getting all kinds of helpful advice, but since it was a paid commission, that puts you into the realm of the professional and things are measured with an entirely different type of ruler. These do not seem to be at the level that I would expect from someone who has the skill and knowledge to accept paid work. With respect to my earlier comments, I took from your comment about rolls that perhaps the client was unhappy with her body (something common to people of ALL body types), that was not the case, which should have made this an easy shoot. My comments regarding getting to know the subject were made because looking at your post, I see three rather uninspired headshots; NOTHING shows us who she is, what she likes, where she lives... in short, I know no more about her than I did before I clicked on the link to this post.

For future commissions, spend an hour or two talking to the prospective client, find out what they like, what their hobbies and interests are, and what sort of images they would like (and of course, since Mom & Dad usually foot the bill, it's only good manners to ask them too! ) With that information, suggest she spend a couple of evenings searching for examples of images and poses she likes. Then before the shoot, after you've discussed clothing, locations, etc, take a few minutes and plan the shoot together. Try and plan 3-5 shots that show: Where she lives, what her interests are, any talents or skills she might have, and of course a few classic informal portraits too.

For these, call her up, tell her that you're not happy with the way they turned out and offer to reshoot. Say nothing about why you're not happy, just tell her that you would like to re-do them so that she has the best possible pictures, and try it again.

Good luck!

 

[tirediron]

I'm still working on mastering my aperture settings and everything so rat than messing up her photos, I was by a gentlemen doing photography for over 30 yrs told to shot in that mode to be safe.

So based on this admission of your current skill-set,do you really feel that it is appropriate to accept paid work? What would you have done if the shoot HAD to be at 1.00pm on a bright sunny day, and she showed up in a black shirt and white trousers? Remember that when people pay for services, they have the right to a certain expectation of quality. This client may have been satisfied with the product (you should NOT have been), but I can assure you that sooner (probably MUCH sooner) than later, you will find someone who is NOT happy. What does your contract say about deliverables? Do you have E&O insurance if she did take you to court?

 

[Geaux]

Wow if this is the way you treat new photographers who are just wanting to learn better techniques then may I'll go somewhere else. I understand giving technical advice but being a jerk doesn't make ppl want to listen to what your advice is. It's ppl like you that make people give up on that kindling of passion to grow as a photographer and never uncover or learn their true potential. So thanks but no thanks sir!!

Always seems the people with "photo mom" as their screen names post the same thing upon first arrival. Majority of them leave, but the ones that stay and take the harsh criticism and learn from them, grow massively and quick. I've seen a lot of them turn into really good photographers. My suggestion is to stay, learn, post, and improve your shots.

Personally (not a mom or female for that matter) took the harsh criticism hard in the beginning, but a lot of where I'm at now in photography, I contribute to this site. Don't go, unless you really can't take the truth.


As for the OP, #2 seems to be the better of the bunch but not perfect. How long have you been charging for shoots and if you don't mind me asking, how much and what does the client get in return? It seems your exposure is all over the place and posing is less than desirable, and to me those are basics that should be learned WAY before accepting money for shoots like this. If you are interested, I did my first senior portrait for my nephew the other day and posted them on here. I didn't charge or accept the money that was nearly forced upon me b/c I'm still a noob and learning my way around portraiture.

Edit: here's the link if you are interested. http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-first-time-senior-portraits-pics-inside.html

Good luck in future

 

[Photomom85]

Thanks Geaux, my sons picked the name lol Her mom gave me $40 and I'm giving her a photo cd with all images and some wallets for friends and family