not sure what you are requesting on the post....posing could be improved.

Comments to improve my skill would be nice. Thank you tony

My Simple Suggestion: When posting multiple images, number the individual images to make it easier for others to address their comments to specific images.

I'm not an expert, but have also been trying to capture good family photos for a while. I'll give my 2 cents worth and hope it helps :-) There are some nice colors, nice color coordination of clothing, and a neat looking family!

#1 has some good smiles and they look fairly relaxed in front of your camera (just mom looks a little stiff). The background is very pretty. I would have liked to see more posing with that BG. I think you used a flash to light them up, necessary when the light is failing. I've found it helps to warm up the whole photo to kind of even out the flash WB with the BG.

#2 The colors and BG is nice, but they all look a bit stiff or uncertain. Dad looks uncomfortable and like he's trying to find a position. The others are either not smiling or like they are trying to figure out what you want. You might have tried them in that similar position for a few more shots once they got comfortable. (maybe you did?)

#3 I see some nice interaction. In the upper left one the big sister doesn't look happy. It is also a bit cool (like #1). Maybe there is a story to Dad's hand up in the main picture? The B&W looks a little gray to me, but I'm not sure how you'd make it more contrasty and not get too much attention drawn to the white shirts. I'd brighten up the lower left one. The lower right one has big sister looking a bit awkward, but they do all look happier. Dad's position could be with his face looking forward a bit more.

I'd love to see more of your work. I'm always trying to get better at posing people - especially families.

Take care,
Emily

Emily Mulder wrote:
I'm not an expert, but have also been trying to capture good family photos for a while. I'll give my 2 cents worth and hope it helps :-) There are some nice colors, nice color coordination of clothing, and a neat looking family!

#1 has some good smiles and they look fairly relaxed in front of your camera (just mom looks a little stiff). The background is very pretty. I would have liked to see more posing with that BG. I think you used a flash to light them up, necessary when the light is failing. I've found it helps to warm up the whole photo to kind of even out the flash WB with the BG.

#2 The colors and BG is nice, but they all look a bit stiff or uncertain. Dad looks uncomfortable and like he's trying to find a position. The others are either not smiling or like they are trying to figure out what you want. You might have tried them in that similar position for a few more shots once they got comfortable. (maybe you did?)

#3 I see some nice interaction. In the upper left one the big sister doesn't look happy. It is also a bit cool (like #1). Maybe there is a story to Dad's hand up in the main picture? The B&W looks a little gray to me, but I'm not sure how you'd make it more contrasty and not get too much attention drawn to the white shirts. I'd brighten up the lower left one. The lower right one has big sister looking a bit awkward, but they do all look happier. Dad's position could be with his face looking forward a bit more.

I'd love to see more of your work. I'm always trying to get better at posing people - especially families.

Take care,
Emily

Nice C&C Emily.

enginyr wrote:
Comments to improve my skill would be nice. Thank you tony


Your photos are great as is. What skill in particular do you really think you need? Someone said need better posing. Baloney. You were having fun and you took some great shots!

wow this is some great feedback. I've always just bought my gear here.

pilles, thank you for your generous comments. What I think I need is "nothing"...yet I am constantly surprised just how detailed people are that put me to shame.

I also think posing is awkward.

1) I think the bodies should be in the center more. Having it off center doesn't make sense to me in this shot. The dead space on the right does nothing for me or the image. Beautiful scene though.

2) Why is everyone smiling and the girl on the left look pissed? The "model" look isn't cutting it in a family portrait unless everyone is doing it. Dad looks really uncomfortable. I think laying down in a position like his should be reserved for a lady, but that's just my opinion. The color and light are great!

3) Image on the right is the winner in my book. Top left, the older girl needs to smile! Bottom left is probably the nicest family moment and the large image is a nice moment for mom and dad.

I like the *pop* in #2, but facial expressions are not the best.

The rest look like decent snapshots IMHO.

I updated the cropping thanks to tanner_j and I have brightened up (maybe a tad bit too much) thanks to Emily. Many average goes seem to like it when the picture is a tad over exposed since P&S camera's seem to under expose rather than over expose or maybe the magazine covers that smooth the skin.

pilles wrote:
enginyr wrote:
Comments to improve my skill would be nice. Thank you tony


Your photos are great as is. What skill in particular do you really think you need? Someone said need better posing. Baloney. You were having fun and you took some great shots!




i'm assuming this wasn't just a "for fun" shot. I'm sure you think you it was baloney because you specialize in snapshots.

1st image: mom and dad are separated..family portraits you want the core of the family at least together. then there is a hand coming out of the fathers neck

2nd image: the father takes up all the attention and the youngest daughter grew out of his right shoulder.

if you are wanting to sell LARGE canvas prints...then posing is definitely NEEDED. if you want nice snap shots to show in FM....these are great.

I think number 1 is great and ought to go on the wall.

cjfromaustin wrote:
I think number 1 is great and ought to go on the wall.

I think it's my best actually after the recrop it makes me smile everytime I see it. thank you

Tony Brown wrote:
pilles wrote:
enginyr wrote:
Comments to improve my skill would be nice. Thank you tony


Your photos are great as is. What skill in particular do you really think you need? Someone said need better posing. Baloney. You were having fun and you took some great shots!




i'm assuming this wasn't just a "for fun" shot. I'm sure you think you it was baloney because you specialize in snapshots.

1st image: mom and dad are separated..family portraits you want the core of the family at least together. then there is a hand coming out of the fathers neck

2nd image: the father takes up all the attention and the youngest daughter grew out of his right shoulder.

if you are wanting to sell LARGE canvas prints...then posing is definitely NEEDED. if you want nice snap shots to show in FM....these are great.

Actually it was more for fun since I it was for free I really wasn't worried they would want their money back and they are very nice people.

As for your other comments I will bite my toungue since I like a family tighter even if it may look like a growth forming :-P.

Your pictures are amazing by the way. Not the last family because of that dreadfully gloomy sky ( i would have done a blue gradient in ps). But the wedding stuff is amazing. Perfectly exposed, saturated, framed. The only thing you need to kill is the no follow tags in html. It puts big pink box in front of each image.

1: If your end goal is to sell larger prints then shoot horizontal. You can sell a much larger print that way. I would watch the eyes. Dad has his almost closed. The mom is almost seperated as if they don't want her in the photo. Think all could use some fill light in the eyes to brighten them up. Good colors and background.

People keep talking about selling larger prints. I don't quite understand why that is a recurring issue. When I do shoots, I charge for my time and what comes out....comes out.

So if you guys charge per print, technically the customer could say...Nice prints, but no thanks and just take your sample pics?

enginyr wrote:
People keep talking about selling larger prints. I don't quite understand why that is a recurring issue. When I do shoots, I charge for my time and what comes out....comes out.

So if you guys charge per print, technically the customer could say...Nice prints, but no thanks and just take your sample pics?

People sign a contract that includes your minimum in whatever sizes you agree on.

I would love to do that but it seems like all they want is a disc of all images. It seems as if the Los Angeles market is flooded with photographers. I guess I need to work hard to jump into the upper end of the market or be gone!

My comment has nothing to do with your pictures, per se, but more to do with the family's choice of style and clothing. The older daughter (?) seems to be significantly more "made up" and dresses a little fancier than the rest of the family. If they are going for a cohesive look (which it appears to me that they are), than that breaks it up a little bit.

enginyr wrote:
People keep talking about selling larger prints. I don't quite understand why that is a recurring issue. When I do shoots, I charge for my time and what comes out....comes out.

So if you guys charge per print, technically the customer could say...Nice prints, but no thanks and just take your sample pics?


I never give a minimum purchase but many will have set minimums. The reason is I know I will get amazing images no matter what I have to do. The client will be happy and like the samples. Usually I include XX number of finished prints with options on larger.
The reason most want to provide prints is to make money ( only reason I shoot photos ) and to control the quality of the prints. I feel I am cheating my client if I don't provide the print. The prints I give them will be up to my standards or they will be re-made. Giving a CD and letting them go to a mass market lab will not give them a top quality product that they deserve. The color will be off, the crop may be really bad and the end product is usually not even close to professional lab standards. Nothing I want my name associated with. I will give the re-touched images that were printed on CD for use on line but at least they have a master print showing how it should look.

thanks...

there is nothing wrong with posing the families close...but there should be a continuity about it, in your images you just need to re-arrange the family members.

YOU are losing BIG money selling the disc....trust me I learned the hard way.

I charge a session fee...and sell the prints. there isn't any "minimum" must buy limit. at times the sale can be 300.00 to 2000.00. and if a disc is sold it was for 1k. i'm working with a photographer that is more established and she is an amazing sales person.

image:

1. i'd pose mom and dad together...with dad on right side and fill girls to each side of parents...lower you camera angle so the horizon is not going through their neck

2. again... parents in center and girls fill in..move family to Left. good angle.

3. collage...the lower left image has to most potential for a large print sale. move the little girl to mother's left, and you have a WINNER.

the lower right has good potential...turn dad alittle more to camera and lower head with better angle...would have had good sales for the image.

trust me....a nice 24x30 canvas print with some small image sales will add up to a nice 1k profit for an hour shoot.

Thank you jefferies and Tony.


Tony, So you can charge, Lets say $200 a session fee then. include some 640 x 480 pictures for the rest of their shoot or not include any?? Then charge $300 or $500 for big canvas shots. What about framing? I seem to be meeting people that don't want prints even, and if they do want prints, they just want cotsco's.

i'm saying....you give them options for prints sizes....4x6, 8x10, 16x20..etc...the clients will tell you what sizes they want..........i'd say charge less the 200.00....150.00 etc...as a customer 200.00 sounds a lot. look at Sears portraits...low session fees but people walk out buying a 1k dollars worth of images. if they want images to share on the web...then sell the images WEB size of the images they chose to buy.

i'd leave the framing to the clients....

when i started i wanted learned the "photography" side......and i've had to learn the hard way the "business" side...and my friend is teaching me A LOT.....i still have much much to learn on the business end.....and photography techniques also....(I'll be the first to admit that)........its take practice to pose families....but once to get a hang of it....they people begin to fall in place, and your quality will IMPROVE.