First paid kiddo shoot - critique PUHLEASE!! :)

Mox

Hi guys! I finally managed to get myself hired for a children's portrait session. I LOVED it!! I would love to hear what you do and don't like about them, if anyone has a moment to spare.



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9


Thanks so much for looking!

Darren Troy C

Love 2, 4 and 6!

kidzmom

2, 4 and 6 for me too!!! Absolutely gorgeous!

jdm2lpm

I enjoyed 2, 4, and 6 as well. I really liked the close up of 2, and how her eyes just pop. I like the simplicity of 6. Some of the other shots are just overexposed for my liking.

Great job getting your first paid shoot!

Sam

I like #4. I think it would have been nice if you could have put him on the other side of the gate looking in your direction.

I agree there is some over exposure and hot spots. Something to look out for on your next shoot, but over all I think your client will be happy.

Sam

dahn8

i LOVE number 2. Her eyes just pop out!

I like #1 and 6 as well.

And as others said, watch out for overexposure... but overall, great job!

Qarik

some great stuff here@

mpaulie

Very nice, you deserved to get paid!

Mox

Thank you all so much for taking the time to give me input!

It's a funny thing about hot-spots, technically, I know they're to be avoided, but artistically, I don't mind them as long as I have detail where I want it. For instance, in number 1, I don't care about the loss of her dress behind her at all - I really love that light, whereas in 5, I'm sad to lose part of his face (but recovery looked weird, so I left it). In number 7 - don't mind losing the hair at all...am I nuts?

Nevermind..don't answer that! Thanks again!

Mox

Sam wrote: »

I like #4. I think it would have been nice if you could have put him on the other side of the gate looking in your direction.

I agree there is some over exposure and hot spots. Something to look out for on your next shoot, but over all I think your client will be happy.

Sam

Sam, I agree, I would have loved to have access to the other side! Thank you!

Ed911

I have a little time, so after looking at your set a little more in depth...here's my commments...take them with a grain of salt...just my humble opinion...and food for thought...

1. My personal favorite from the set. What's not to like.

2. Maybe you didn't notice the purple dark spots under her eyes...not very flattering...I would get rid of them...or at least tone them down a lot. Nice eyes in this one.

3. Nice shot...like your colors...like the eyes...a little tightly cropped for me...I like to see a little more environment when shooting kids outdoors...otherwise, why take them to some place exotic to photograph them. Just my two cents...

4. One of my favorites from this set for a couple of reasons...first...nice setting, and second, nice post processing. What I don't like...shooting the backside...where's the connection to the subject. Not as interesting as it is novel in this setting...a problem I've struggled to identify in my own work. Will it be a keeper...keepsake...the back of a kid with his face only partially visible. Probably not...future generations looking at the family album will most likely skip over this one rather quickly in favor of a facial shot with some eye contact and facial expression they can identify with. Again...my .02.

5. I like his facial expression...a little hot...over exposed in parts...maybe you might want to think about a scrim...block out some of that sunlight.

6. While the concept is nice...what's the significance of looking at the back of a quarter inch high figure in a 4x6. It would be a lot better if you had her more in the foreground heading out. That way she would be more recognizable.

7. I like. Another one of my favorites from your set...love the flowers. One technical nit. You cut off her right arm...making her hand and forearm disconnect...just a little bit of the elbow in the image would keep you from having magically appearing hands...although here...not too bad.

8. Not liking this one...background is too busy and competes for attention.

9. Lacks the wow factor...he's looking off camera...no smile...just a snap of him with a wooden spoon. That's what I see. Why would I want to put that in a family album? That is the question I would ask myself when selecting that image to clean up and PP for posting. Again, lots of hot spots.

Want some inspiration where kids and family photography are concerned, check out Audrey Woulard a Chicago based kids and family photographer...she's all about the eyes...the connection and pretty much booked up months in advance. My comments are the way that I see them...not everyone sees them the same...if your client likes them...how much more would she like them if your were shooting like Audrey Woulard? All questions I have learned to ask myself...

Mox

Wow. Ed! Thank you so very much for taking the time for the detailed critique. It's all really great input and genuinely appreciated. I will check out Audrey Woulard's work - I'm always looking for inspiration and ways to improve. And I will tone down the circles even more in 2 - I agree they're not very flattering.

Thanks again!

Dancer

nicoleshilliday

I am more of a wedding photographer then a child photographer, but would like to get into this more as kids are my passion and I LOVE photographing them.

I really like your eye, but have a few comments. Like any comments take them or not!

1. Love this idea, but I am not a big fan of overall soft portraits. I think i would have rather seen less purple flowers and more background to the left. The shallow DOF would have worked better i think.

2. Most pros don't like this kind of crop but i enjoy it. This will be a great photo if you give it a little more umff. It seems a little cool and green in color compared to the rest of the photos. Doesn't have the same "dreamy" look.

3. One of my favs. crop might be bit tight, but would work well in a 3 part series if you had more of him in the same area.

4. LOVE it! wouldn't change anything about it.

5. Great shot and idea. Do you have any of her positioned more in the lower left. she seems a little centered?

6. Beautiful. Wish photo number 2 had this same feel. light and airy. A little blown out but it works.

7/8 I think the crop is too tight on both of these. I want to see more of what they are doing/reacting too. The last one is defiantly to over exposed in comparison to the rest in the group.

All in all, great job for your first paid shoot.

Mox

Thank you, Nicole! I'm running off to my day job, but tonight or tomorrow I'll re-work #2 - totally agree that it has potential to be better. It's one of those that every time I look at it, I like it but feel like it's only *almost* there.

I'll respond more fully when I get back!



...Oh, and not to mislead - I've been paid to shoot horses (with riders, sometimes) & 2 weddings as a second-shooter, but this was the first I've been paid to shoot kids' portraits. Those little dudes move faster than the horses sometimes! I found the approach, interaction, and processing to require very different skills than horses, riders, or weddings (where I've not interacted much - just shot). Loved it, though!

Thank you!

nicoleshilliday

Mox wrote: »

Thank you, Nicole! I'm running off to my day job, but tonight or tomorrow I'll re-work #2 - totally agree that it has potential to be better. It's one of those that every time I look at it, I like it but feel like it's only *almost* there.

I'll respond more fully when I get back!



...Oh, and not to mislead - I've been paid to shoot horses (with riders, sometimes) & 2 weddings as a second-shooter, but this was the first I've been paid to shoot kids' portraits. Those little dudes move faster than the horses sometimes! I found the approach, interaction, and processing to require very different skills than horses, riders, or weddings (where I've not interacted much - just shot). Loved it, though!

Thank you!

I see you are from Leesburg. I'm in Centreville. You have a great eye, maybe you can second with me some time.

Hackbone

Love 1 & 4. Wow. Might want to see 1 cropped a little tighter. The expression is just toooooo much. You said you don't mind the hot spots. That is OK if you wanted them there but those would do horrible in competition with the loss of detail.

Mox

Okay, here is my second attempt at #2 - I like this better. Thank you all for the encouragement to tweak it.




I also cropped in on #1, hackbone - thanks for your comments!. I, too, LOVED her expression here. She was very guarded for most of the shoot, but she saw these flowers and just dove into them - forgetting about me for a minute. I loved that.





Nicole! Truly, I would love to second shoot with you! I've admired your work in the Weddings sub-forum and went to look at more on your site. Beautiful work! You can find me most easily at dancer@moxiephotos.com - would love to talk!

maeflower

I was all prepared to say that as a mother and from the perspective of the client, I would not buy prints of number 1, but then you went and re-processed it and I LOVE IT. Beautiful job - the tighter crop really puts the focus on her expression and it's so sweet. And I love your redo of number 1 too - you hit the mark with that version. I wonder if you could do something similar with number 7?

trevorb

Wow! Really liking 1,2, and 6. Number one is such a wonderful moment. Number Five and Nine are a bit over exposed. If you use Lightroom, the exposure brush can be handy in returning a little detail if it’s not tow blown out. Wonderful set.