First real attempt at portraits

GadgetRick

So it was a nice day the other day so we packed up the kids and headed, "down the shore," as we say here in NJ. I wanted to get some portraits of the boys for mother's day and I also wanted the practice. I did bring my umbrella, etc, unfortunately, it was waaaaaaayyyy too windy to break it out. So everything was shot with on-camera flash. I know, not the perfect way but I had to work with the conditions I was given.

We got there a little early so the sun was a bit too much but I got a few shots with not too much squint but we waited for better light and got some better (I believe) shots later. Here they are:

1:


2:


3:


4:


5:


6:


7:


8:


9:


10:


Don't worry about being gentle. I'm trying to get better so any critique is welcome.

GadgetRick

Any suggestions to make them better? Looking to improve all of the time.

chrisdg

Hi Rick,

- watch your horizon lines, many are not level. You can fix this via rotation tools in post-production apps.
- i know you waited, but the sun is still too harsh - the boys (especially the younger one) are obviously squinting and suffering under the bright sun, so they don't appear comfortable or happy in most of these shots. No real authentic smiles either. Unfortunately, for this reason, I don't think you have any real "timeless" keepers here. Sorry to say.
- #10 is nice, and can be improved if you crop tighter to get rid of the extra empty sky above their heads. Your wife's face should be closer to the top third of the frame, as opposed to dead center, for better balance.

You really gave yourself a challenge, because capturing nice beach shots in bright sunlight is quite difficult, unless you find shade or can create your own shade via large diffusers/scrims.

Sachis2112

I'm no pro so take this for what it's worth....

I spent time photographing a boy with a SERIOUSLY goofy smile this weekend. He looked, I'm sorry... like a dork. His real, laughing smile is beautiful. So I found something for him to say that has sort of been an inside family joke (and not kid friendly at all) but when he was done with the words, his mouth naturally formed a smile and he even often gave me a real smile because he just liked saying naughty words and getting away with it. I was able to grab some fantastic smiles.

So the point of my rather long winded story is to find something to say that is silly so that it gets the kids laughing or something that makes their mouths naturally smile. I won't share our little phrase because... it's just wrong...

GadgetRick

chrisdg wrote: »

Hi Rick,

- watch your horizon lines, many are not level. You can fix this via rotation tools in post-production apps.
- i know you waited, but the sun is still too harsh - the boys (especially the younger one) are obviously squinting and suffering under the bright sun, so they don't appear comfortable or happy in most of these shots. No real authentic smiles either. Unfortunately, for this reason, I don't think you have any real "timeless" keepers here. Sorry to say.
- #10 is nice, and can be improved if you crop tighter to get rid of the extra empty sky above their heads. Your wife's face should be closer to the top third of the frame, as opposed to dead center, for better balance.

You really gave yourself a challenge, because capturing nice beach shots in bright sunlight is quite difficult, unless you find shade or can create your own shade via large diffusers/scrims.

Thanks.

The horizon issue is something I noticed, however, when I fixed it on some photos, it just looked wrong. Can't really explain why. I'll go back and take a look at them again.

And I know the sun was rough. The wife was pushing to leave, the kids wanted to play, etc. so I rushed it a bit. However, believe it or not, the little guy tends to smile like that as annoying as it is. But I know there's still some squint from the sun there.

Have to re-crop that one. Cropping has always been a challenge for me. I either crop too much or not enough.

Again, thanks for the critique, excellent info I'll put into practice for sure.

GadgetRick

Sachis2112 wrote: »

I'm no pro so take this for what it's worth....

I spent time photographing a boy with a SERIOUSLY goofy smile this weekend. He looked, I'm sorry... like a dork. His real, laughing smile is beautiful. So I found something for him to say that has sort of been an inside family joke (and not kid friendly at all) but when he was done with the words, his mouth naturally formed a smile and he even often gave me a real smile because he just liked saying naughty words and getting away with it. I was able to grab some fantastic smiles.

So the point of my rather long winded story is to find something to say that is silly so that it gets the kids laughing or something that makes their mouths naturally smile. I won't share our little phrase because... it's just wrong...

I can do that with my older son but the little guy, when posing, looks everywhere but at the camera. He's moving his head and looking around while saying, "cheeeeeeeeeesssseeeee". Quite frustrating. But I guess that's a hazard or shooting kids for portraits.

Qarik

the light is too flat for me and harsh (no depth to the shot plus shadows from your fill flash), dof is not shallow enough, and posing/expression..while cute...is not taking it past "candids".

Try at home with the umbrella where you can open the aperture to isolate the subject and get some directional soft lighting.

Caspian

You were in a tough situation. If you want to shoot portraits you need to get into a location where you can get your DOF shallow enough to isolate your subject. In this situation, if those big rocks were casting a shadow, you might have been better off in the open shade behind the rocks. If you can't get the right light or control the light you have, it is very difficult to get a good portrait.

So, in this situation, you can work on posing so you are ready the next time the light is right. I guess that's making the best of bad lighting.

GadgetRick

Caspian wrote: »

You were in a tough situation. If you want to shoot portraits you need to get into a location where you can get your DOF shallow enough to isolate your subject. In this situation, if those big rocks were casting a shadow, you might have been better off in the open shade behind the rocks. If you can't get the right light or control the light you have, it is very difficult to get a good portrait.

So, in this situation, you can work on posing so you are ready the next time the light is right. I guess that's making the best of bad lighting.

Thanks. I know the lighting was, well, bad, but I went ahead because of that actually. As I'm learning, I like to try the worst-case scenario first to see what I can accomplish. That makes shooting in better scenarios much easier.

Scott_Quier

Here's what I see:

Except where noted, it looks like you nailed the exposure just fine!

1. Sun too much in his eyes, forcing him to squint. This can be over-come by having him close his eyes, count down (1 ... 2 ... 3) open eyes and snap a shot or two. Focus is off (see sand and water behind him) and the horizon is off (though that's a taste thing).
   
2. This corrects all the above except the horizon. It appears sharp and the photo really shows us something of his character/personality.
   
   
3. Not a keeper - expression is one of pain. Squinty eyes. Though it does appear to be quite sharp.
   
   
4. This is a good (not great) shot. Had you dialed the flash down about 1/2 stop and not cut off the big toe of the older boy, this would have risen to "the next level". The cropped toe is a result of the photo being a bit centered. You did a really good job of getting the exposure of the sky and boys balanced - just need to bring down the flash that little bit. And, of course, OCF would have really made this very, very nice.
   
   
5. This is good! Will it print at 8x10? When taking portraits, frame the shot with a little bit of extra room to allow for various printing/cropping options.
   
   
6. Very, very good exposure and balancing flash with the ambient. The expression is not so good. I would bin this one.
   
   
7. Same as above, but with a bit too much flash. Not a keeper.
   
   
8. I like the composition of this one. The expression looks a little tense, but that's boys for your. I think dialing the flash down about 1/2 stop would have made for a better shot as well. As would OCF.
   
   
9. Expression not so good. Exposure and the balance of flash and ambient Not too sure about the rock running though the back of his head.
   
   
10. This is easily the best of the set. Exposure is very, very good. Flash balance is right on. Expressions are great. The shot is a bit centered on the lady's face and I'm not sure you have many printing/cropping options, but that will come with time and practice.

I hope the blow-by-blow helps you a bit.

GadgetRick

Thanks so much Scott! Excellent critique and quite useful!

I've only recently begun working hard at flash photography so your comments on the flash are most helpful.

I would have used remote flash if it weren't so darn windy. Had the umbrella and stand ready.

This is why I post around here, to get the kind of critique you and others have given me. It helps. Thank you.

ivar

I think Scott gave some excellent advise I think in general, the 'expression' is something that comes back in his advice. I think most can be attributed by the amount of sun; Too much for comfort if you have to have your eyes open for a bit of time.

I think you did an awesome job though, especially considering this was your first real attempt

GadgetRick

ivar wrote: »

I think Scott gave some excellent advise I think in general, the 'expression' is something that comes back in his advice. I think most can be attributed by the amount of sun; Too much for comfort if you have to have your eyes open for a bit of time.

I think you did an awesome job though, especially considering this was your first real attempt

Thanks. As long as I learn from it I'm happy with it.

EatMyShot

kids portrait tutorial
see this tutorial hope it can help: http://www.learnmyshot.com/How-to-Photograph-Children-basics-of-Child-Photography