Yes I know there are "blown highlights" in their hair on the first couple...I intended it. Just wanted to put that out there to start, even though that won't stop people from commenting on it
Had a hard time getting the kids to look at me. There were friends there who kept grabbing their attention.
These images have a "polished" feel to them that make them seem professional to me right away, especially 3 and 4. Of course it always helps to have such an attractive family to shoot!
The blown highlights on the first two actually don't bother me too much, because they're not huge blown areas, and it's part of the rimlight around them.
I feel that 2 and 5 (and 4, just a bit) have too much headroom. In 2, I would have liked to see down to their hands, and not have the hands chopped off at the wrist.
3 is nice but the little boy is disappearing a bit into the fireplace. A second light coming from the left would have helped give him a little separation from the background.
5 is a nice moment, and what a great expression from the little boy! However, keep an eye out for when a smile becomes so big that you lose the eyes. Kids often do this (they're used to giving huge fake smiles whenever mom and dad say CHEESE!) and some adults too: when they smile too large, their eyes squint up and you lose them. Look out for this and try to catch the beginnings of a smile, or wait till they're not laughing, etc. This girl is doing this in every picture, and the boy is doing it in the first two.
All in all, I liked the set and I think your lighting is pretty good. The skin tones are nice, too.
