DSLR Photography Forum

I'm aware of the shadowing and the fact a dark background wasn't a great choice but go ahead and give comments freely.

Nice shots and yes, you could bring out / fill some shadows in PS-CS2, but even this way look okay.
I like how natural the poses are, you can tell the models are relaxed. I would also watch the color temperature, Some of these shots are on the warm side, some are on the cool side. A good adjustment of white balance usually corrects this. After-all the goal is to be as natural as possible, right?! You did an outstanding job with the posing and framing / composition.

Very nice portraits, Peto. Were they pleased with the result?

They are great, Colin!!!

#1 Love his expression and the pose... Very nicely composed... I think the lady at the left has a bit too much makeup, and he is a bit bright..
#2 #3 great pictures... they look happy and very relaxed, natuaral as Janika said.
#4 It is great but she is a bit bright... I don't think it is the light but lack of a bit of powder...
#5 In this composition he steals a lot of my attention... perhaps the other way round?
#6 I like it, very nice pose of all... I just saw something in the back of the lady at the right of the picture, because of the pose I would think it is a hand but I doesn't look like so...

I don't mind the black background... to me it looks elegant...

This is completely personal preference, so take it with a grain of salt!
I find these shots a little too posed/formal for my personal preference. I like portraits that show a bit of the model's personalities coming through. I feel like if their heads were tilted in towards one another it would warm up the relationships between them a bit.

But as I said, this is 100% my own preference, and i'm sure that the family will love them, and technically I couldn't fault them.

P.S do you have enough room to bring them a bit further away from the backdrop?? i think that might help with the shadows.

Thanks everyone for commenting. The shadows on the backdrop was a lazy mistake that could have easily been corrected in the studio. I am glad that I posted these as I didn't realize right away how red the one girl was. A few little points made like the hand behind the back and such that I'll also be taking care of.

They haven't received these prints yet that is why I posted them here to see a little feedback. This is my first non-pet-human shoot. I was mostly happy that I was able to keep them all comfortable and smiling/laughing in my little studio.I'm definitely in need of 2 softbox's.

Hmm, all the points have been made already, so all I can say is: Excellent work!

BTW, my favorite Brown is the girl with the white shirt. Her smile is very nice. I would like to see it without braces.

Thanks G. All the touch ups have been made and ready for processing.

They look very natural and their personalities show through. Sorry for not commenting in more detail. I haven't logged on in a week and a heck of a pile of posts to plow through...


[edit] Back. A couple of quick critiques to note or discard as appropriate.

- I'll never use a black background again for a portrait unless I have proper background lighting or I am trying for a special effect. Dark clothes just disappear and shadows make the subjects look bigger than life (if you know what I mean). I learnt this lesson the hard way. Also darn difficult to separate a black background from dark hair and clothes in PS.

- My personal preference is to shoot portraits from a slightly higher point of view than this. I know this preference is in conflict with traditional portrait styles - but here is my thinking:

In the case of women, I shoot slightly down rather than slightly up. This POV highlights hair, jewelry, and accentuates other notable assetts. Example: I prefer the seated photo of the girl in white to the standing one.

For men, I shoot on eye level - makes them look strong but not too imposing, reduces double chins and hides nature's ommissions in the case of the follically challenged. Example: the 2 photos of the younger man. I prefer the one where he is seated at eye level.

Just my $.02.