CC always welcome. Cool family session with a long time friend. Known these guys for years and now they have a family. This is their first family session, anywhere and I had a great time. Part of what I think my job is as the photographer is to keep the parents calm.

1

Nice stuff. Everyone's a keeper. Four and eight for me. I really like the composition in eight.

Matt..I love these..Great variety and more than excellent post production. Second to last with little girl against the wall has great skin and general warm and beautiful color balance..Great pics..Share your PS actions?...Regards Bruce

Beautifully done. I love the sincerity of all these shots.

thanks everyone... steadyhand? any suggestions? i appreciate all the comments AND criticisms...

No one's going to comment on the lampshade and tree growing out of the guy's head in #7 ??

Don't worry, even I shoot mergers every now and then. But that is why God invented Photoshop.

Hi Matt

Nice work. Nice looking family.

My Simple Suggestion: Making comments on a large number of posted images is difficult if they are not numbered. IF you will insert a number between each photo link in your original post, then they will be numbered. That will make it easier for anyone to make comments on individual photos.

Do that, and I will come back by later.

I just love the processing, and the shots too

Matt, great work all around. Wonderful moments captured and processed professionally. What more could a family ask for. I think they'll be thrilled!

Hard to pick a favorite, but number 5 would have to be it, because you captured her little personality so well.

Scott

The shots are good but the processing is better. Looks like all natural light, what else did you use?

Josh

Hey Matt, I always dig your pp! Shooting a family of five with three young kids is not easy, and you did a good job.

Tim

Great job on all of these man. Hope they like them as much as I do.

The triptych is wonderful. You've captured a beautiful expressive spirit there.
Excellent pp as per your usual.

Steady Hand wrote:
Hi Matt

Nice work. Nice looking family.

My Simple Suggestion: Making comments on a large number of posted images is difficult if they are not numbered. IF you will insert a number between each photo link in your original post, then they will be numbered. That will make it easier for anyone to make comments on individual photos.

Do that, and I will come back by later.

good call

Rhane wrote:
The shots are good but the processing is better. Looks like all natural light, what else did you use?

Josh

all natural... the way i prefer it... but it was a HUGE struggle. i asked them to start at 7pm, but the sun was still sky high, way to harsh for great portrait light... so we waited until around 7:45 - same thing, we really needed to start around 8:30PM but the kids couldn't have lasted.

jodo wrote:
The triptych is wonderful. You've captured a beautiful expressive spirit there.
Excellent pp as per your usual.

thanks, i try to always be conscious of over doing the PP... sometimes i fail (like with a recent corporate shoot)...

#7 was tough... i had to photoshop in one of the kids. i took about 13 shots and each time someone was doing something off, not looking at me, funny face, so #7 represents a lot of work. it's not a SHARP photo, and i was aware of the light growing out of my buddy's head - but for the work i put into it, his wife cried because she loved it so much... so, moms who cry at the happiness the photo brings them = success.

I think you did a great job. Lots of depth and feeling to the photos. Group shots with kids are tough. Never do they all look at the right time. It is good you took time to put one together. That is what should be done.

Howdy Matt,

My comments are offered in a friendly tone of voice.

First, I enjoyed your comment about keeping the parents calm.

My favorites from this set were #2 and #8.

Why? Because of the expressions shown.

In general, this looks like a nice set of images for any family. It has a certain "look" that appears to be popular on this forum and so somewhat common with others.

What do I mean by that?
Some of the images look very "familiar" and they do appear to have a kind of "set piece" look to them. As if they follow a "template." I suppose the wedding forum has many "template sessions" in it and so will this forum too. By that, I mean it looks like many other "family portrait" sessions that are seen on this forum.

Within the last week or so I saw another "Family Session" that had many of the same shots from mostly the same POV and with many of the same PP elements too.

So when I see a session that has certain elements repeated such as "headless parent holding kid" or "shot of shoes" or "shot of everyone lined up on steps" or "shot of everyone holding hands walking away from camera" or "kid on empty street" or "head with flare behind it" or "wide angle with small figure" or "figure in door" or "Three little faces in one image" and such, it rings a bell (or raises a flag) as something I have seen before. When those shots appear like a sequence such as A + B + C + D then it appears as if a "formula" has been followed.

Is that good?

That is for you to decide.

Is it something I like?

Not really. I would prefer to see more unique images with different interactions of people in the family and with more natural compositions and natural actions. Natural compositions? Natural actions? Yep. Natural compositions and actions meaning what these people actually naturally do together. But, obviously that is another style of photography and requires a different approach to the time spent with the family.

But, assuming that this "template" or style is what you like and will produce, there are still opportunities to make things a little differently. I believe those little changes would make your sessions look better than the rest.

I don't expect you (or others who shoot this "style" or "template") to agree with all or any of my comments below. I don't write them to offend you or others. Simply to help you with a different POV.

What follows are very simple short suggestions for each image.

1. Change format or composition. Get lower next time.

2. Looks like the face has been lightened. The face appears "washed out." I don't think the "flare effect" is a positive in this image. Crop to eliminate the blue bar on upper right and change format

3. Show the father's head and toes. Avoid busy backgrounds.

4. Show the face and hands.

5. Less headroom, show the hands

6. Show hands and object of attention (if there is an object) and rotate format

7. Pick another background before the shot. This one is very busy.

8. Show more girl, less bricks

9. Show faces and front of body rather than backs.

10. Show head and face, use lower POV.

OK...that may seem like lots of changes.

Here is ONE thing I would recommend:

My Simple Suggestion: When you start to get lots of comments praising your Post Processing and relatively FEW comments on your compositions and capture of expressions or memorable or unique images, then it is time to minimize your PP and focus more on the basics.

I hope these comments and suggestions help you.

I think I learned a lot from here, I'm sure Matt and others would also do.