A friend from school came over this weekend and we did some casual unplanned shooting in the living room. I learned a lot from this. In particular, I need to find a seamless background, need to find a bigger room, and would love to get 1 or 2 B400s.. might have to wait a while. Shot with 2 speedlights, Cactus V2s triggers, medium PLM, cardboard softbox, 40d. Please be harsh with critiques, I'm here to learn. Thanks
-Sam

1.

I like 5 & 6 the best. they seem to stand out from the others.

Jim F

Hi,

Nice variety.

You are lucky to have a friend who will pose and change in such ways.
And she is lucky to have you as a friend who can make such nice portraits of her.
Not everyone has that.
Keep up the good work.

SAm wants harsh!
Throw away #1, pretend it was someone else's shot. Disown it. Cut off arm and hand, eye position too far over, poor light on face and shoulder. Backgound lighting has its ups and downs (brights and darks), but not where you want them.

Putting that behind us....
#2 I like the pose in this one. The sunglasses rarely work, but I understand your criteria for the shoot.
#3 Shadows on the background bother me quite a bit in this one. Shadows on the face and a lack of a catchlight are also noted.
I'll leave the rest for others...

A variety of processing and lighting, but I must say #6 is my favorite! The lighting and B&W just works here.

I agree - number 6 is my favorite

I totally agree with Jim on #1. The rest are SO much better, and so much more flattering to your friend. Delete it, and get on with your wonderful life.

#9 looks like you guys were trying to do what everyone else does. That's odd, because the others are unique and they stand out.

#3 really does it for me. It's like she's the twin sister of #1, but #1 is a wallflower and #3 is the fun one who goes on dates and parties like it's 1999.

As for uniqueness, it's #3, 4, 6, and 8. I think #4 is the shot the subject should like, her mom should love, and her current or future husband should display on his desk.