@ Elizabeth30: The first book that Keith has referenced is one that he recommended to me some time ago, and I have purchased it and have been working my way through it. Very, very good explanation of how light is used to give dimension and depth to any subject. As I told Keith, the examples in the book will take me several months to work through, but to the credit of the authors, they are very clear both in their explanations, and in the setup of each set of shots, so I (and you) can try to replicate their methods to get the results illustrated.
As for your photos, my comments are as follows:
#1 – The lack of shadow detail in the children bothers me, as does the slanted horizon. I don’t like the blown sky, and while I appreciate that the couple in mid-ground needs to be somewhat out of focus for the image to work, their placement in the middle of the blown sky overshadows them. From a compositional point-of-view, there is a virtual line between the children and the couple, and that line kinda clashes with the rest of the lines of the picture. I think the concept has promise, but it needs to be developed further.
#2 – I really like her expression and the overall composition, but I find the eyes too dark. Some reflector fill from the left side would have brightened up the shadows. Of course, if this shot was taken “on-the-fly”, as an opportunity grab, then it’s understandable, but at the same time if it was posed, then that situation could really use some additional fill light.
#3 – Another one where I wish someone was on your left with a large reflector, aimed at her face. The body is getting enough reflected light, but not the face.
#4 – This image shows the perils of having strong light with hard shadows. The child on the right disappears into the shadow, while the backside of the girl is almost overexposed. Again, I think the concept you were shooting has promise. Compositionally, I would have preferred to see them closer to the right side (not centered), walking into the picture along the path. As it is, the space to the right side of the children has very little pictorial value.
A photographer who I know personally and who has photographed many fashion and travel shoots all over the world for some well-known magazines, told me that just because the image may look spontaneous, doesn’t mean that it is. In her workshops she has shown me (and several members of our photo club) how much effort goes into preparing the light, the props, the “actors”, and if outside, choosing the right time of the day, to ensure that all parts of the image are properly exposed, with the right amount of detail. Then, the direction of the actors generates the “spontaneous” feeling, but this is after the rest of the prep work has been done.
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