I took these (under mild protest) for the Christmas/Hanukkah card. As dad promised teen, it was a short shoot. It occurred to me that I should post some for C&C -- I need to learn and improve. Lighting was either (ahem) Strobist-inspired or seriously cheeseball, depending on your point of view: two flashes, bounced off nearby walls/ceiling. The poses, such as they are, were all her. No direction from dad (except the general concept of the hockey shot).
Please, C&C. All input welcome.
[Edit] Nuts, caption for #4 (as written on the card) was supposed to be "(Try to have a) Happy No NHL Hockey Season!"
They're all fine -- they look reasonably sharp, well exposed, and decently posed. She looks cute in all of them.
But to me, they're a tiny bit boring. White seamless background means your subject and your light are the ONLY things to look at. To me, this begs for a more dramatic (i.e., intentional, shaped, not just "bounced") lighting arrangement, or something dramatic in terms of hair, makeup, wardrobe. Otherwise the photos tend to lack context and by extension aren't terribly interesting.
Now, you aren't creating editorial art here, so that's probably ok. You've portrayed your daughter nicely, and the photos will be meaningful to those who love her. But otherwise they are very run of the mill, albeit well executed.
I do agree with Haseeb on the lighting, but a lot of times, this is what people want: even, 1:1 lighting. They're nice pics and you've done well.
As for No. 3, if you notice, she has one of those blue bows in her hair that she doesn't have in the other shots, and strangely, it's out of focus. Okay, of course, I know that's actually her feet, but that's my point. On a shot like this, she needs to be at a slight angle to the camera so you can see the length of her body and her feet are up behind her -- and away from her.
Nicely done for the exposure and main elements but lacking your 'style' IMO.
If you had either cropped way loose and offset her in the final image, that might work more. OR… crop way in till she hits the edges in some. Just a few thoughts.
DavidWEGS wrote:
If you had either cropped way loose and offset her in the final image, that might work more. OR… crop way in till she hits the edges in some. Just a few thoughts.
Thank you. I will play with crop and position. Appreciate the input!
awacs wrote:
Thank you. I will play with crop and position. Appreciate the input!
Aram
Oh, that's actually a really great point. It needn't be lighting, or hair, or makeup, or wardrobe, or backgrounds. Simply composition could do the trick, to bring something interesting for the eye.
