Nitters will no doubt nit, Dawn... but to my eye, these are lovely. The exposure is much more accessible than your previous post. I wouldn't go much higher unless your imaginings drift toward high-key at some point. Right now, you're presenting a certain look/style that you do very well.
You might pay a little more attention to splaying hands/fingers if doing so comes across as natural. In image No. 1 her slightly closed left hand is an example, and a shot that I would have regretted not catching and asked her to open up and rest it on her right arm. To my eye, pleasant hands are one of the most attractive elements in portraiture.
I agree with Chuck about her hand in the first, and I would urge you to clone out the white bit on the sofa in the second-to-last, but other than that, these are a pure pleasure to view. Excellent work!
Aside from the hand / arm positions being a bit too contrived for my taste, these are wonderful. I am sure you have some with big beautiful smiles as well (hopefully) to balance out these somber expressions.
I thought your previous set with these girls was good, but these are exceptional. It's a very distinct style that I like a lot. I can't be any more clear - these are very cool shots - any of them alone, but especially as a set. Others, if you agree with me, I encourage you to click the "Vote as featured thread" button at the top.
I'm in the exceptional camp. These are top quality in anybody's book. They are so thoughtful and insightful capturing a part of who these young women are in a way that should make anyone envious. The light, the posing, and most importantly, their expressions which tell us how thoughtful and interesting they are. I rarely see work this good here on FM or anywhere else, and I rarely am this verbal in how I feel about images posted here. These are images that hit me in the heart and it feels good. Congratulations and keep up the great work. I also agree with Chuck's comments about the current exposure levels. They feel exactly right here.
Wow I really like these! Love the lighting. That last one is so awesome! My only critique is because that dress is making the older girl look bigger then she is Maybe a slight turn to the side so she wasn’t so broad shouldered in the first image? And I agree about the hands as others have said. Other then that I think these are a awesome!!
Thank you so much for all your comments and helpful critique.
Your wonderful comments couldn't have come at a better time. Recently I've hit a phase where I am wondering if I'm really any good at this and if there's even a point to sticking with it in the hopes of making a living doing what I truly love. I'm not fishing for compliments here; photography as a whole is extremely saturated and I wonder if I should continue on when there are photographers out there who are charging as little as $35 a session. I can't make a living pricing competitively with people at that price point, and I struggle with believing that my work is good enough to charge a livable wage for. Last night I couldn't sleep, wondering if I should sell all my gear because I'll never be truly successful and able to support my family with it.
I have put a lot of time, sweat, tears, and money into this love of mine (as so many of you have) and receiving validation from others who share the same love of photography is heartwarming. Your comments really have uplifted me to continue on and keep trying. I can't afford to shoot purely as a hobby and it is my dream to do this 100% of the time. I'm once again hopeful that it might be possible, thanks to you.
I always appreciate any kind words on images I post...these just struck me at exactly the right moment in time. So thank you. Thank you.
I am just a hobby photog and have never done any studio portraiture ... but if these were my kids and I had paid for these pictures, I would be an exceptionally happy customer
