I just wrote this.....

MM those photos of DLP are BEAUTIFUL!

Deano - is that medievil times or something similar? I have always wanted to do something like that - but haven't yet.

M2M - great action shot. And - way to to Green and Gold! It is like I tell my girls - the best students, the best athletes, the best (anything) are not the ones who have it come to them easily. The best are the ones who love it, work hard for it - and never give up just because it isn't always easy.

And - Wow - total wake-up moment for me. I need to start listening to myself a bit more. ;)

I love photography - I love it soooo much. I have done dozens and dozens and dozens of portraits and some were bad.. some were ok.. some shocked the shoes off of me and left me wondering.. I did that????

Portraits are hard for me -and they have never gotten any easier. Sure I have learned a few tricks, learned more about lighting, more about post production, more about posing - yet I still just eat myself up when it comes to doing them. Recently - I have even resorted to pretty much hiding from them. Pathetic huh?

So - I am going to knock it off and start to work on it more. I am going to stop hiding behind flower photos and put myself out there.

So this is where I am asking for help. I don't care if you don't know anything about photography. You know what you like and what you don't like and that is all that matters. If you are a consumer and have ever or will ever buy a portrait of yourself or someone you love - your opinion is valuable to me. If you do know about photography - fantastic - let me have it.

I am not asking anyone to be mean - just honest. I really need your honesty.

I am going to start posting portraits that I have taken (and have model releases for) and ones I will be taking during this quest to improve.

Please tell me what YOU like and please tell me what YOU don't like. And it is OK if 3 people hate something and you love it.. or vice versa. Everyones opinion matters at this point. Your opinions are going to help me see my work with fresh eyes.

I need to hear things like "Wow Jen... this just not one of your best." And if you put things like - chances are 99% that I am gonna laugh and try to see what you see.

Also - if I post one you really do like - tell me. If there is even one small detail that kinda bugs you - tell me that too - even if overall you really do like it.

I am not looking for mean - just honesty. I have always really valued honesty even if it is not always what one would really want to hear. I respect honesty - I do not respect smoke being blown. ;)

Also you may be 100% honest and I may just not agree with you. You will however be forcing me to see things through your eyes - through a consumers eyes. Maybe it just isn't your style but still hits the target on the feel I was going for - and if that is it - tell me.

I spent a hour and a half outside at midnight with Emily last night. I love that girl - she is always willing to model for me. At 16 Em has a style with the portraits that SHE takes - that I love and am really envious of. I am also asking her for her honesty, help and direction. A lil good old fashioned role reversal there huh?

OK - so with all that said... here goes with the first one.

This is one taken last night of Emmie - this is my favorite of all that I took. There are quite a few others I am not so sure about - I just haven't finished editing them yet - but I will and when I do - I will post them too.

http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/photos/641784046_aMihm-M.jpg

Here is a link to view it larger. - http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/Through-My-Eyes-Daily-Photo/September-2009-Daily-Photo/9482679_fifg4#641784046_aMihm-XL-LB


... again - you don't have to know anything about photography to have an opinion - so please do not hesitiate to share it.

And ..... thank you.


::: OK - big deep breath and hit submit :::

I like the lighting on the face... nicely lit,even ,not too harsh.My only problem is that the hair gets lost in the darkness.For me I would want to see just a tad more lighting, because for most women the hairdo is just as important as the face.

In portraits, especially of women, I prefer the "softness" or "soft glow" of the skin and facial tones. Of those two terms, I'm not sure which is the best description for what I'm trying to say. I'm far from being a pro ! But I do enjoy photography while on trips, and experimenting a little.
Some portraits I've seen in the past looked too soft, but maybe that was a trend back in those days.
Your photography reveals the beauty of your children !

I like the lighting on the face... nicely lit,even ,not too harsh.My only problem is that the hair gets lost in the darkness.For me I would want to see just a tad more lighting, because for most women the hairdo is just as important as the face.

Thank you and you are right - her dark hair has gotten lost in the darkness of the night. When I do studio portraits I TRY ;) to remember to use a hair light when a dark haired client is on a darker backdrop. If I do something like this again - outside at midnight by a streetlight, I will make a point of using the streetlight as a hairlight. If it makes too much of the stuff around her show up - I can fix that in post. Hmmm now you have me wondering if I could use some of the lighting filters to bring out her hair more. I am going to have to try that.

See - this is exactly what I need. :)

In portraits, especially of women, I prefer the "softness" or "soft glow" of the skin and facial tones. Of those two terms, I'm not sure which is the best description for what I'm trying to say. I'm far from being a pro ! But I do enjoy photography while on trips, and experimenting a little.
Some portraits I've seen in the past looked too soft, but maybe that was a trend back in those days.
Your photography reveals the beauty of your children !

Thank you - I do understand what you mean. I did use a beauty glow filter on this photo and then went back and took care of a few blemishes and imperfections. It is a fine line between doing enough to make the model/client look thier best and doing so much they look fake. I have been guilty of crossing that line before.

Thanks also for the comment on my kiddos. Emily makes things pretty easy for me - she's a natural (the lil booger ;) )

I like it but........to me there is a tad too much light on her arm and side, the white of the top/dress is really bright. My eye went to that area first. I do like how her face looks and also think some light on her hair would look good.

She is really pretty!

I'm not a photographer, but I dabble a bit, and I've worked with many photographers over the years (as an art director) for my business. I now do a lot of retouching, image manipulation and compositing in Photoshop, mostly of stock images we buy for projects.

I agree with Grumpylover about a backlight for the hair. It won't take much, and I think it'll make a world of difference. Also, a fill would soften the hard shadows created by the flash. Or you could try a scrim, or indirect flash to soften the shadows.

I like the pose (shy, mysterious), but the strong lighting seems to contradict that. I agree with what m2m said. I think I'd crop it a bit to accentuate her face, eyes, and the mood, and to get rid of the amount of brightness from the shoulder/dress. The face and eyes are what you should see.

And as for the little things, well, that knife of hair across her hand bugs me. :D

I liked yesterdays portrait of Em better - she likes this one better. We spent about an hour to an hour and a half outside starting just after midnight. I was going for a bit of a more edgy feel - well TRYING to get a bit more of an edgy feel - but I still wanted to keep it feminine too. I dunno if I got anywhere close to what I was trying for - but I guess ya never get if ya never try

http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/photos/642796025_bVHVh-M-1.jpg

Larger size - http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/Through-My-Eyes-Daily-Photo/September-2009-Daily-Photo/9482679_fifg4#642796025_bVHVh-XL-LB

I like the second one better than the first. In the first one, her arm position makes it look as if she's hiding her face. She also needs back light...hair really gets lost. As far as #2, the reason I like it better is because you can see the whole package so to speak. The black background really showcases her.

Thanks for everyones help so far. I really appreciate it.

This is Sarah. She was one of my students the last year I taught preschool. She is SUCH a sweetheart! I did her Christmas portraits last year. This is my favorite from the series.

http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/photos/437857742_MUhpS-L-2.jpg

Large size - http://jenniferd.smugmug.com/Through-My-Eyes-Daily-Photo/Through-My-Eyes-Daily-Photos/2008-Daily-Photos/6993809_984Ua#437857742_MUhpS-A-LB

What a cutie! The white background is really bright can it be toned down just a tad, not much just a little bit? Love how her eyes sparkle!

Photo #2 of Em, I like better, none of her is "lost." Still the dress, I think it is because it has white in it that it seems too bright.

What a cutie! The white background is really bright can it be toned down just a tad, not much just a little bit? Love how her eyes sparkle!

Photo #2 of Em, I like better, none of her is "lost." Still the dress, I think it is because it has white in it that it seems too bright.

thanks M2M - Sarah is a complete sweetheart - so is her Mom.. she is someone I admire and respect so much.

I understand what you are saying about the white background. It is actually supposed to be completely blown out. Some people like it - some don't. I have learned to add a slight warming filter to the photos since I took that one - and it does help with the starkness. I just don't have one I feel comfortable posting (no model release).

The straight out of the camera shot of the second of Em looks SOOO much different than the edited version. Again I see what you mean about the white of her dress being blown out - the action I used on it is called a midnight action and it does blow out the highlights - giving things almost a surreal/dreamy look.

I hadn't even thought of using it on this photo - but Emily wanted me to try it. Again it is a personal taste thing and I respect that it just might not be what you like... I wasn't too sure about it myself. Emily liked it - so I kept it.

When I use that action on a portrait - I always offer the same shot edited without it. About half of my clients love it - about half don't.

I posted that shot as my daily a few days ago and I have to say the thing I was the most concerned about no one noticed. The street lamp she is leaning on as well as the sidewalk I "dirtied" up ALOT using some photoshop grunge brushes. First time I have ever really tried that - well and successfully got away with it. LOL


Thank you for your opinion - really - thank you. :)