Leo, 10 Months <PLEASE CRITIQUE>
l.k.madison
Registered Users Posts: 542 Major grins
Meet Leo, Phoebe's boyfriend. Seriously. The babies have the same babysitter and their moms are really good friends, it's adorable to watch them play.
Anyway... We had plans to meet elsewhere for this shoot, but long story short, we ended up doing all of Leo's shots at Phoebe's house, he spends half the week there anyway and mom was ok with it so I totally took advantage of it!
Meet Leo, at 10 months old.
1. Baby on a bucket. Phoebe was IN this not four days ago.
2. Sweet Eyes. I loved Phoebe's outtake so much from the other day that I had to recreate it on purpose this time.
3. Yummy Puppy!!
4. What I want for dinner: these yummy toes!!
5. Goin' for a walk. I know Mom isn't dressed for pictures, but there's NO way I'm trashing this one.
6. Cowboy. I'm not doing another session of this child until this is blown to 16x24 or larger metallic canvas. Mom has two months to order it before his one year shoot.
7. Little Monkey. I know his hands are blurry, but I wasn't going to trash it for that. Inspired by seeing Anya out in the leaves
C&C Always welcome!
Anyway... We had plans to meet elsewhere for this shoot, but long story short, we ended up doing all of Leo's shots at Phoebe's house, he spends half the week there anyway and mom was ok with it so I totally took advantage of it!
Meet Leo, at 10 months old.
1. Baby on a bucket. Phoebe was IN this not four days ago.
2. Sweet Eyes. I loved Phoebe's outtake so much from the other day that I had to recreate it on purpose this time.
3. Yummy Puppy!!
4. What I want for dinner: these yummy toes!!
5. Goin' for a walk. I know Mom isn't dressed for pictures, but there's NO way I'm trashing this one.
6. Cowboy. I'm not doing another session of this child until this is blown to 16x24 or larger metallic canvas. Mom has two months to order it before his one year shoot.
7. Little Monkey. I know his hands are blurry, but I wasn't going to trash it for that. Inspired by seeing Anya out in the leaves
C&C Always welcome!
0
Comments
This thread went up about a month ago and didn't get a single comment, which I thought was odd, but lots of them get lost when they fall off the page. Oh well, no worries.
Mods, thanks for choosing this one for the serious critique, it's one of my favorite sessions.
The rest of the set can be seen here: www.madisonsquared.com/proofing/leo (username: guest / password:madison2) Feel free to rip those to pieces, too!
photography facebook
twitter
1. Cute baby but not really doing much for me. Not sure if it's not cropped tight enough or if it's the processing.
2. Really like this shot. I like the tight crop. Nice and sharp on the eyes... long little baby lashes. Skin tone is nice. Conversion is nice. I know you were probably trying to keep his name in the frame but I don't like the little "nub" at the bottom and also the bit of shirt that is showing past the color on the left upper side. But if you cropped this out, you may start encroaching on the name.
3. Love it. One suggestion... can you make the eyes pop a bit more. They seem dull.
4. Rice crispy toes is what I call baby toes... they remind me of them. Love this one too. Processing really makes this shot.
5. Really cute shot but the mom's frumpy outfit works against it. But like you said, too cute to chuck. I'm sure mom loved it.
6. My favorite of the bunch. Love how the hat frames his face. Also like the leading lines from the fence in the BG. Processing is nice. Did you notice the drool on his chin? It's cool, just making sure you saw that.
7. My second favorite. Love the colors and processing. Great comp. Looks like a tough one due to the bright skin and dark fur of the costume but you did a great job with the exposure. This would look great on a wall in his room.
Moderator of the People and Go Figure forums
My Smug Site
1. the expression on the face is great, but I find the grey cinderblock wall a bit bleak for a baby picture.
2. I like this one. Very dreamy atmosphere. The softness complements the baby and the extreme closeup draws me in. If you cropped it just above the edge of the "O" I think it would work better and eliminate the ditractions in the bottom portion.
3. Very cute! Maybe it's my monitor but it appears weak and washed out in the color dept. It doesn't hold up to the richness of color in #7.
4. Nice! Compliments #2 well when looked at as part of a series.
5. This one's a real winner! It takes me back to my own childhood. Such bliss! Too bad about mommy but no way you should dump this one.
6. Another winner! Ties in nicely with the previous.
7. Very cute and I love the composition and the way it gives a sense that something has grabbed his joyful attention just outside of our view.
One observation as to why this series might have been passed over by some. I teach Illustration and do group critiques on a regular basis. I always remind my students when presenting their work to keep their intoductory comments as neutral as possible. If you telegraph your feelings (positive or negative) up front, you are planting ideas in the viewers mind before they get the chance to express their own. If they think you already like everything, they may feel reluctant to say something contrary for fear of dissapointing you or hurting your feelings. Too negative, and they'll think "gee, I guess that does suck."
Hope this helps and thanks for sharing.
It is about how that thing looks photographed." Garry Winogrand
Avatar credit: photograph by Duane Michals- picture of me, 'Smash Palace' album
Most of them were before it was stickied, note the original post date, it's been up a while.
Wow, thanks for the honesty!! The first one wasn't my favorite, either, but the look on his face was too cute to trash, he was *such* a flirt and when he hammed it up, I couldn't help but click.
I did notice the drool on the cowboy shot, in the color shot it's *really* obvious, but I like the b/w conversion of it better. Mom did inquire about metallic canvases, so fingers crossed she gets it!
Thanks for the honesty, and the comments on my comments - I live to give stories behind my pictures, guess I should stop and let them speak for themselves.
#7 is so cute because his babysitter is holding his best friend just out of shot trying to get him to laugh - shame he had a stick in his hand, or I'd absolutely love it
photography facebook
twitter
1) I like the pose. There's part of me that likes the PP, and part of me that's not crazy about it. Personally, I think a more desaturated, or even B/W conversion would look stellar on this one.
2) I like the dreaminess of this (as has been said). Nice perspective. Nice shot. The blown collar blending into the cheek kills this one for me though.
3) WB - looks a bit cool - almost purple. Perhaps just my monitor.
4) Outstanding. Perhaps a tad blown on the tops of the toes, but again, could be my monitor.
5) Eh... Cute memory. Cute outfit...
6) Fantastic. Love the drool. Again, the blown highlights are distracting, but they do not ruin the image - and I realize that to some degree that style is "in"...
7) Cute. Love the colors. Wish he was interacting with the camera, but a nice capture.
Hope that's helpful... It's not as if I know what I'm talking about!
d8
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.
Why do people post their equipment in their sig. Isn't it kind of like bragging? That having been said...
Canon 40d Gripped (x2), Rebel (Original), Canon 70-200 f/2.8 USM L, Canon 300 f/4, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 17-55 f/3.5-5.6, ThinkTank Airport TakeOff
Please use images that are L or XL, the M's are just too small, IMO.
1. Feels too soft (esp eyes), and not totally in love with the bricks for the b/g. Like the color and positioning. Nice match of prop to outfit.
2. Love. Only possible nit is the object (toy) in the bottom center asks for a little attention. Still, my favorite, hands down.
3. Sweet. Eyes seem tired though.
4. Wonderful. Only possible nit is the pant leg creating other lines. Again, this isn't my area so ignore at will....
5. Definite keeper, but yeah, mom not dressed for the day.
6. Real winner. Not sure if drool line adds to detracts. The high contrast works well here, though.
7. Cute. Wish the angle was lower, perhaps, but still, cute!!!
Who is wise? He who learns from everyone.
My SmugMug Site
Please keep the colorful background stories! :*sip*That's what makes this forum what it is! Your comments in that regard are some of the most interesting and entertaining I've read. I was only referring to opinions about the results (positive or negative) before you've gotten any feedback.
It is about how that thing looks photographed." Garry Winogrand
Avatar credit: photograph by Duane Michals- picture of me, 'Smash Palace' album
My biggest critique is direction of light and that is a rule for all newbies and professional alike. The lighting has to have direction. Artists paint with color we do not have that luxury so we have to paint with light. #2 has a little bit of direction going for it but if your looking for a professional portrait the highlights are blown. If you put this in judging it would score low. In the studio you have to be concerned with light direction but when I see outdoor portraits I see very little light direction. Most just take "pitchers" and hope they turn out. Stop doing that and look for light direciton. Get in the shade or hold something over the head of your subject to block the overhead lighting. This will help to see light direciton. Use an off camera flash bounced into or thru an umbrella. In the shade it does not have to have superhuman power.
Please I'm not trying to be mean but to be honest with the newbies. Because someone tells you it is a nice "pitcher" look beyond that. Look for light direction, color cordination with the background, composition, impact, exposure and processing.
Try to google Joe Zeltsman for some of his lighting. Yes it is very old and the poor guy is dead but the rules apply. Know the rules before you try to break them. You have to have a solid starting point.
Pardon my ranting but learn to see the light. I can sympathize with the newbies. I've been a band director for 33 years and started out just like you. But I found my state photographers organization and joined to learn and then took small classes and tried to absorb all I could. I'll help when I can but try to look for light. Take fewer photographs of your subject so you have time to critique your subject then correct it and make the photograph.
www.cameraone.biz
#1 Cool shot; I agree with the comments above that the wall doesn't do it for me.
#2 I like this; I would have left a bit more room between the left edge of the photo and the 'L' on his shirt though. Printing and framing will eat up the L a bit.
#3 Cute; Again, I would have framed it a bit wider, printing and framing will both eat up her right arm a bit. (I have made this sort of comment a lot lately it feels like, I'll get a 'frame wider' or 'shoot for print and framing' label soon
#4 nice. I like the processing.
#5 I think without mommy or with different clothes on her it would have been better, but she doesn't feel distracting to me in this shot.
#6 love it
#7 I'm going to disagree with the rest and say that this one doesn't really do it for me. It's cute and all, but there are some little things about it that just don't work for me; I would have liked to see it from a lower point of view for one, this height gives it a bit of a snapshot feel to me. His face is really bright, compared to the rest (even compared to his hands). I would have brought that back just a tad (or the rest up), even though this may actually have been the way it was. Light faces on dark clothes just 'do that'. The slightly blurry hands, the twig... Don't get me wrong, it is by no means a bad photo, it just doesn't do it for me.
Having said all that, I'm going to unstick the sticky and see if I can find some other threads that can use some critique-love
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug