Caitlyn's senior portraits

jmphotocraft

C&C welcome!

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Thanks for looking!

Hackbone

#1 seems somewhat flatly lighted
#2 I like as it has some shading, wish her chin was down a tad to lessen up her nose.
#3 Is very cute but hair is crazy and hands posed awkard
#4 like the bokeh and shot in general again wish the head tipped more downward
#5 I like the pose but find the three harsh horizontal lines take away from her. {growth, water,shore line)
#6 is really cute,love it, hair needs some work
#7 distracted by the three harsh horizontals again and that branch upper left, necklace will bother mom
#8 Bokeh helped with the horizontal lines but the necklace and the piece of hair by her left ear breaking the facial plane.
The more I look at them I am bothered by the horizontal bkgs as they are starting to grab my eye. #1 & 4 she really stands out opposed to the others.
Colors and exposures are super.
These are just my ramblings so take em or throw them away.

jmphotocraft

Thanks for the detailed critique, Charles. She chose this location to have the city in the background. I didn't notice the necklace until you pointed it out. Mom was there holding the softbox, so I guess she didn't notice the necklace either. As for the hair it was pretty windy that day.

jonh68

When I do senior portraits and they specifically ask for locations that usually means they are important to them. I have found seniors like the environmental portrait look for some of their sets. You did a fine job of isolating the subject from the backgrounds, but sometimes they like having the background be part of it. I use a 35 or less for these, real easy if you have two cameras, one with a wide angle and one with the traditional portrait. You don't have to change their position, just shoot around them. You have nice portraits but the background becomes generic and could have been shot just about anywhere. When I am selling based on the client buying pictures I like to give choices. Mom and seniors seem to like the techy talk explaining the difference during the shoot, like "this camera I am getting the background, this camera I am isolating you and taking the background out". I have just found seniors like both options but then that is my style so take ti for what it's worth.

In your critique of my model shoot you stated you wanted to see more smiles. For senior portraits and portraits in general for subjects that are not models, I think there should be more non-smiling portraits. I have had family session where parents are in the background telling their kids to smile. I get those pics and then try to spend some one on one time without parents. I tell them to smile without teeth. They look older in the picture without trying to look adult if that makes sense. It is almost a peak into the person they are becoming. After seeing these parents actually like the look because it looks natural. A side benefit is some cannot smile without teeth and I get genuine smiles and moments.

So, I think these are a great set, just passing on what I have experienced. You have the traditional look down. I am finding seniors, at least the ones that are choosing me, want more than just that. They tell me they want the traditional look, but then they want something different.

jmphotocraft

Thanks John. Yeah, I tried stopping down my lens to f/8 for some shots to try to get more of the city, but it's still pretty blurry because the city is across the bay, and I am focused on the girl right in front of me, and my camera is FF. I didn't think to try a wider fl than the 70mm on my 70-200. Next time. She wasn't dying to have the city in the bg, she just though it might look nice. As for the smiles, I guess I am just enamored with how lovely she smiles with ease and without coaching. Her parents are friends of mine, so knowing their daughter I wanted to capture that smile as it is a huge part of her identity. My other recent sr portrait thread has some closed mouth smiles.

StueveShots

I really like numbers 4 and 6--although all are very nice. You seemed to have captured a very sweet spirit. I think I like number 4 because I love those freckles--she is just glowing in that shot. She looks like she could be the sister of a good friend of mine...so startling when strangers look so alike!

jmphotocraft

Thanks Stueve, indeed she is a sweetheart.