pictures for Father's Day (5 pics)

Elaine

I had a shoot with my friend and her three kiddos (cute!) yesterday. She was wanting some shots to update Dad's frames for Father's Day. I was really anxious about it (capturing three kids at once just about does me in!). The light was changing every 10 seconds it seemed, so some ended up a little hot and some ended up too dark. But it was all good practice for me and she was really easy going about it.

Here are a few...

#1

Does #1 look a little warm to anyone??

#2



#3



#4



#5



C&C welcome! I haven't delivered these yet, so if there is something that could be fixed, I'd love to hear about it!

There are a few more here:
http://e-heasley.smugmug.com/gallery/2965869#160387154

Scott_Quier

Mom doesn't look comfortable - her smile just seems frozen.

The kids, on the other hand - WOW you really got some great shots of the kids. Really love #3 (boy in tall weeds) and #5 (the two girls holding each other. Their expressions are just so cute!

I would probably loose #2, the older girl's expression is not happy looking.

Little children are so difficult to do well. I think you did a wonderful job and your client will love them.

bsvirginian

I think you did really well. Exposure was right on. I usually have at least a squeek toy with me or a little stuffed animal to get all the kids attention. Mom must have been off to the side encouraging the kids on number 5. When you notice this just have her stand behind you. You could probably borrow the eyes from number 4.
bsvirginian

binghott

awesome job! i the lighting looks great, i'm assuming these were taken with clouds overhead. the eyes look fantastic in all of these!

#3 is insanely cute. you really nailed that shot! i love the colors, the expression, the angle, just everything about it is great!


if that were my family, i would be thrilled to have such adorable kids and even more thrilled to then have these wonderful pictures of them!

pathfinder

Elaine,

I tend to agree with you that #1 looks just a touch warm; there is a lot of pink reflectors surrounding that little fellas face on mom's lap.

Try looking at the image with a green Photo filter of maybe just 10% ( my assumption is that the magenta may be just a bit hot ) and see if you like it better. The pixel numbers in your image measure fine but the greens are slightly better after the filter, and the pinks are less radioactive.

Your shot is not bad at all, but you know that little guy has to be getting a lot of red and pink reflections.

Seneca

Every shot is well done...from the pose to the angles and angels in the picture. I also like the clothing you wore - you supported your daughters in the pink by wearing pink yourself...and also a touch of red for your son's red shirt. I think your husband is going to very surprised at his father's gift and touched considering he is also the reason those little munckins are in this world. Good Job, and absolutely beautiful children.

chopsky

Incredible shots.
I'd be over the moon if I received those as a gift.

By the way, what lens(es) and lighting did you use?

evoryware

I think it's a great fathers day gift. Too bad for #5 she's looking away while her sister looks straight on. #3 is excellent imo.

saurora

Elaine I would be very pleased with these if they were mine! I think you did a great job. The lighting conditions were perfect. The skin tones are too yellow. Follow Andy's tute and you'll get there. Dad will be really pleased with these. I also like the shot of Mom by herself in the gallery.

JillG

Hi, I think you did a great job! Love #4..

As for too hot, maybe just a bit of desaturation? Since these are going to be prints and you are concerned with skin tones, here's the link to the Smugmug tut. (You probably already know about it ) http://www.smugmug.com/help/skin-tone

I used it for printing 30 different pics of a live dance performance last year. It worked very well.

Jill

Elaine

Scott_Quier wrote:

Mom doesn't look comfortable - her smile just seems frozen.

The kids, on the other hand - WOW you really got some great shots of the kids. Really love #3 (boy in tall weeds) and #5 (the two girls holding each other. Their expressions are just so cute!

I would probably loose #2, the older girl's expression is not happy looking.

Little children are so difficult to do well. I think you did a wonderful job and your client will love them.

Thanks, Scott! I think the mom was comfortable enough...just trying not to be the one caught not smiling, I think! #3 is my favorite too. I so wish the curly head was looking at me in #5, but they are so cute anyway. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Elaine

bsvirginian wrote:

I think you did really well. Exposure was right on. I usually have at least a squeek toy with me or a little stuffed animal to get all the kids attention. Mom must have been off to the side encouraging the kids on number 5. When you notice this just have her stand behind you. You could probably borrow the eyes from number 4.
bsvirginian

Thank you! Unfortunately, I had to tweak in post to get the exposures right. We were in and out of trees, the clouds kept moving and we'd have bright sun patches and then none at all. I was using my on-camera flash for some fill (only flash I have), and I was so worried about blowing out highlights that I had the exposure down too far on many of them. I'm relieved that they were able to be worked back to this state! And you're right, mom was off to the side on #5. She was doing her best to get the little guy included with the girls and was chasing him and placing him for me. In between, I thought I'd just go for the girls but she happened to be close by, so that's why curly-head's eyes went there. Otherwise, I definitely would request she be behind me.
Thanks for the nice words!

Elaine

binghott wrote:

awesome job! i the lighting looks great, i'm assuming these were taken with clouds overhead. the eyes look fantastic in all of these!

#3 is insanely cute. you really nailed that shot! i love the colors, the expression, the angle, just everything about it is great!


if that were my family, i would be thrilled to have such adorable kids and even more thrilled to then have these wonderful pictures of them!

Yes, there were clouds and then sun and then a couple sprinkles and then trees and then open space...we about had it all! And these were shot between 3:30-4:30 pm. The best part is, they were in my back yard or just through my back gate, and I had not tried pictures in all these locations before, so I learned some new spots! #3 is my fav, too! Thanks for the kind words!

Elaine

pathfinder wrote:

Elaine,

I tend to agree with you that #1 looks just a touch warm; there is a lot of pink reflectors surrounding that little fellas face on mom's lap.

Try looking at the image with a green Photo filter of maybe just 10% ( my assumption is that the magenta may be just a bit hot ) and see if you like it better. The pixel numbers in your image measure fine but the greens are slightly better after the filter, and the pinks are less radioactive.

Your shot is not bad at all, but you know that little guy has to be getting a lot of red and pink reflections.

Thank you! I will try the green filter! Normally, I'm afraid of too much green showing up, because of the surroundings. All the pink going on must have helped to override that a bit. Thanks for the tip!

DavidTO

Elaine.

If I got that for Father's Day, I would tear up. Nice job. Yeah, technical nits, but really, you got the job done, and done well.

Elaine

Seneca wrote:

Every shot is well done...from the pose to the angles and angels in the picture. I also like the clothing you wore - you supported your daughters in the pink by wearing pink yourself...and also a touch of red for your son's red shirt. I think your husband is going to very surprised at his father's gift and touched considering he is also the reason those little munckins are in this world. Good Job, and absolutely beautiful children.

Just to clarify...this isn't me and my kids, but a friend of mine. And yes, the kids are beautiful, aren't they? I always knew they were, but after photographing them, I'm even more convinced! Thanks for the kinds words!

Elaine

chopsky wrote:

Incredible shots.
I'd be over the moon if I received those as a gift.

By the way, what lens(es) and lighting did you use?

Well, that's good to hear! Hopefully, this father will be over the moon as well! I used my Tamron 90mm macro for the entire shoot. I had to zoom with my feet quite a bit, and it's not a fast focusing lens, but I like that it's so sharp wide open and I didn't have any trouble focusing in the afternoon light. I used on-camera flash for fill and to try and brighten the eyes a bit. That's it! Thanks for the comment!

Elaine

evoryware wrote:

I think it's a great fathers day gift. Too bad for #5 she's looking away while her sister looks straight on. #3 is excellent imo.

Thank you! #3 is my fav too!

Elaine

saurora wrote:

Elaine I would be very pleased with these if they were mine! I think you did a great job. The lighting conditions were perfect. The skin tones are too yellow. Follow Andy's tute and you'll get there. Dad will be really pleased with these. I also like the shot of Mom by herself in the gallery.

Thanks, Susan! Do you think the skin tones are too yellow on every shot, or just #1? I only have PSE 5 (and Lightroom, which I don't know how to work yet), so all the tutes around here just end up frustrating me more than helping. I'll give it another look, though. Thanks for the !

Elaine

JillG wrote:

Hi, I think you did a great job! Love #4..

As for too hot, maybe just a bit of desaturation? Since these are going to be prints and you are concerned with skin tones, here's the link to the Smugmug tut. (You probably already know about it ) http://www.smugmug.com/help/skin-tone

I used it for printing 30 different pics of a live dance performance last year. It worked very well.

Jill

Thanks, Jill! I do want to make the prints look great. I did saturate many of the shots, just a tiny bit, because the colors were looking a bit dull. I was concerned about that affecting the skin tones poorly...maybe I'll have to revisit that issue. Thank you!

Elaine

DavidTO wrote:

Elaine.

If I got that for Father's Day, I would tear up. Nice job. Yeah, technical nits, but really, you got the job done, and done well.

Thanks, David! That's nice to hear! Now...about those technical nits...I am here to learn!!! Is there anything else that hasn't already been mentioned?? Something to do better next time??

urbanaries

wow, elaine, what a gorgeous set. As mentioned before, the light and exposures are wonderful, and this is a huge success!!!! Well done. My absolute fave is #5, but I tend to gravitate toward shots that aren't engaging the camera directly. Just an adorable capture...they all are.

the one thing that i wondered about was the color of the mom's eyes...they look a tad oversaturated, almost like she's wearing colored contacts. (which she very well may be, I don't know!)

At any rate, wonderful set and i'm sure the father will be QUITE pleased. Ya did awesome!

Elaine

urbanaries wrote:

wow, elaine, what a gorgeous set. As mentioned before, the light and exposures are wonderful, and this is a huge success!!!! Well done. My absolute fave is #5, but I tend to gravitate toward shots that aren't engaging the camera directly. Just an adorable capture...they all are.

the one thing that i wondered about was the color of the mom's eyes...they look a tad oversaturated, almost like she's wearing colored contacts. (which she very well may be, I don't know!)

At any rate, wonderful set and i'm sure the father will be QUITE pleased. Ya did awesome!

Thanks, Lynne! I can't tell you how relieved I was after working these up and getting such nice responses here. Yes, the mom does wear colored contacts and so her eyes come off as VERY blue, even in real life! Thanks again!

fashiznitsngrins

See, Elaine, you didn't have to worry!:D

Might want to crop some off the top of #4 - looks like it might draw the eye a little better to the boy.

Great shots!

Elaine

fashiznitsngrins wrote:

See, Elaine, you didn't have to worry!:D

Might want to crop some off the top of #4 - looks like it might draw the eye a little better to the boy.

Great shots!

Hah! You're too kind!

I left the pics a little wide so various sizes could be made, but I'll give it another look, thanks!

jblaze5779

I think the boy in the weeds is the winner.

Elaine

jblaze5779 wrote:

I think the boy in the weeds is the winner.

Thanks! Me too!