# Senior Portrait Session, C&C appreciated!



## jkleinhe

So I have ventured into the senior market and am getting my feet wet.  I am doing complete natural.  I would really like to excel in this market so whatever comments or ideas you may have, please do express them.

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## dukeboy1977

I like your work very much, BUT I can't get over the "head on the tracks" suicide pic...It scared me a lil!  lol  I don't understand how a chair would get into the field either so this pic makes no sense to me, but ok...You had a gorgeous subject to work with which makes almost anything look good, so...good job. What equipment are you using? You could PM me if you want to keep it private, if you don't mind sharing with me. Thank you, Jeff


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## Robin Usagani

Need to show her legs and body more.  I think the red chair is an awesome idea with that background.  Did you take one with her sitting on it and you shoot directly from the front with her legs crossed or something?  I do not like #2 at all.  I like # 6 the best.


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## jkleinhe

Schwettylens said:


> Need to show her legs and body more.  I think the red chair is an awesome idea with that background.  Did you take one with her sitting on it and you shoot directly from the front with her legs crossed or something?  I do not like #2 at all.  I like # 6 the best.



Thank you for your response.  I really liked the red chair too.  Here are a few of her with full body.  I didn't post any because I feel like they are lacking in some way.  Perhaps you can give some critique on what I could do better.  I am just not in love with them.

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## jkleinhe

dukeboy1977 said:


> I like your work very much, BUT I can't get over the "head on the tracks" suicide pic...It scared me a lil!  lol  I don't understand how a chair would get into the field either so this pic makes no sense to me, but ok...You had a gorgeous subject to work with which makes almost anything look good, so...good job. What equipment are you using? You could PM me if you want to keep it private, if you don't mind sharing with me. Thank you, Jeff



I'll be honest and say that I don't have the best equipment.  I am currently still using a Nikon D90.  Realistically, it serves me just as well as the D300 that many use at a fraction of the price.  I am saving however for the 700 so that I can have a full frame.  Not being a full frame is really, in my mind, the biggest place that my camera is lacking.  For lenses I used the Nikkor 50mm 1.4, which I try to use the most.  It is fast and tack sharp.  At times I also used my AF-S DX VR Zoom- NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED.  It is not a fast lens, but it gets the job done.  I can't wait to get the newest  Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens but I need to continue to get clients in order to pay for it!  Hence why I would really like to get into the senior market...also I really enjoy this age group!  Lastly, I always have a step ladder and reflector.  That is it!  I work in NC so it is HOT and HUMID.  This shoot that I posted I did in 100 degree weather and I was dripping with sweat.  Because of the conditions I try to have as little as possible with my besides my props.  Plus I try to go to numerous locations so I don't like to bring lights and such as it takes longer for set up when I am shooting seniors.  Lastly I use LR and PS to edit all of my images.


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## Robin Usagani

I know there are rules with senior portraits.  But you could break the rules for the photos she wont submit.  I think she could sit on the chair and not look at the camera once in a while  .  Man.. now you are making me want to go to the thrift store and find an old red chair like that!


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## gsgary

The eyes look soft in all of the shots, #2 from the second batch looks the best, not a fan of the rail track shots everyone seems to be doing those shots try to look for something different


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## Stephen.C

I like 3, 5 and 6 alot =) I hope you get a bunch more seniors!


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## Big Mike

Nice work.  
Overall, I'd say that they could benefit from close cropping.  In #1, for example, there is a lot of dead space above her, that is not really helping the image.  And while her head & torso are centred, her legs go off to the left, leaving dead space on the right.  Including her knees and leaving less space on the right, would have been better.

The one that is closely cropped, #2, is (IMO) an awkward angle and doesn't really work.


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## Aayria

I would like to comment more.. but since I'm limited on time I just want to say +1 to the head on the railroad track one being scary! I like the shot where she's just sitting on the tracks, with the railroad trailing behind her.. but geez... that one with the head on the tracks is difficult to look at without cringing.


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## Derrel

Your color palette is nice: natural and lovely in appearance, and not overly saturated and faked-looking. Your lighting quality is controlled and fairly consistent from frame to frame,and your shots have a nice catchlight in the eyes, probably from the use of the reflector and natural late afternoon light. On the second set, of the boxcar and her, you show the proper use of horizontal framing in environmental portraiture, where the camera is turned horizontally to show an *interesting* background that is actually part of the composition, with a valid reason for its inclusion within the final frame. While a couple of shots could use a bit of refinement, overall you did okay on this set I think. Much better than many people do on senior sessions.


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## jkleinhe

Big Mike said:


> Nice work.
> Overall, I'd say that they could benefit from close cropping.  In #1, for example, there is a lot of dead space above her, that is not really helping the image.  And while her head & torso are centred, her legs go off to the left, leaving dead space on the right.  Including her knees and leaving less space on the right, would have been better.
> 
> The one that is closely cropped, #2, is (IMO) an awkward angle and doesn't really work.



Thanks for the comments.  I'm not sure how much closer I can crop on most of these in the first batch.  I try and get it right in the camera so that I don't have to do much cropping once I load them into my computer.  What I have found is that if I get to close, then I loose too much or it doesn't look good when printed if the client chooses an 8x10, it just cuts off too much of them.  Do you know what I mean?  

I will work on my cropping in the future though.  I certainly don't want people scratching their heads wondering why I have so much dead space in a photo.


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## jkleinhe

Derrel said:


> Your color palette is nice: natural and lovely in appearance, and not overly saturated and faked-looking. Your lighting quality is controlled and fairly consistent from frame to frame,and your shots have a nice catchlight in the eyes, probably from the use of the reflector and natural late afternoon light. On the second set, of the boxcar and her, you show the proper use of horizontal framing in environmental portraiture, where the camera is turned horizontally to show an *interesting* background that is actually part of the composition, with a valid reason for its inclusion within the final frame. While a couple of shots could use a bit of refinement, overall you did okay on this set I think. Much better than many people do on senior sessions.



Thank you for your critique!  I was hoping that someone would be more of a technical speaker.  If you have time, I would love for you to further tell me exactly which images need refining and how I might do it.


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## Big Mike

jkleinhe said:


> Big Mike said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice work.
> Overall, I'd say that they could benefit from close cropping.  In #1, for example, there is a lot of dead space above her, that is not really helping the image.  And while her head & torso are centred, her legs go off to the left, leaving dead space on the right.  Including her knees and leaving less space on the right, would have been better.
> 
> The one that is closely cropped, #2, is (IMO) an awkward angle and doesn't really work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the comments.  I'm not sure how much closer I can crop on most of these in the first batch.  I try and get it right in the camera so that I don't have to do much cropping once I load them into my computer.  What I have found is that if I get to close, then I loose too much or it doesn't look good when printed if the client chooses an 8x10, it just cuts off too much of them.  Do you know what I mean?
> 
> I will work on my cropping in the future though.  I certainly don't want people scratching their heads wondering why I have so much dead space in a photo.
Click to expand...


It is good to 'crop-in-camera' and get it right in the first place.  But I find that it's also really good if you can visualize different crops as you are shooting.  For example, you might look through your viewfinder and think that you want to leave a little extra space because you might sell an 8x10.  If you crop too close at the camera's 2:3 ration, you might miss the chance for that 8x10.

And really, cropping is pretty easy (with the right software) and most cameras have enough resolution that you shouldn't worry about it.


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## Early

#3 in the first batch stands out for me, though perhaps a little more dof to bring her feet into focus would have been even better.


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## Petraio Prime

Look nice except for the one crooked one (sorry, I hate that fad).

the only thing...she seems to have her smile _exactly the same_ in every photo...

how is that possible?

The one in the red chair...the sun on her face is rather too 'hot' and it would have benefitted you to have a scrim or diffuser on that side, to soften the harsh sunlight.


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## jkleinhe

Petraio Prime said:


> Look nice except for the one crooked one (sorry, I hate that fad).
> 
> the only thing...she seems to have her smile _exactly the same_ in every photo...
> 
> how is that possible?
> 
> The one in the red chair...the sun on her face is rather too 'hot' and it would have benefitted you to have a scrim or diffuser on that side, to soften the harsh sunlight.



Thanks for that comment.  You're right.  I do not like this picture and didn't really know how to fix it but that would really have helped.  I tried to reflect light on the other side of her face but instead I should have tried to soften the light on the other side.  Good advice...wish I could retake that one.


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## Laika

The second picture in the second set you posted is the one that is working best for me. I feel like some of the poses are slightly awkward.

I also like the ones with the red chair pretty well. Though I agree with the poster that said her face is a little too bright in some of the chair shots.

Overall I would say its a pretty good session!


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## njw1224

Overall I think you have very good instincts. I do feel you need some refinement in posing. The arms, hands and shoulders look limp and lifeless in most of the shots except the shots where the hands are propped under the chin. Check out some of the posing instruction by the great old masters like Don Blair. These masters took posing to an extreme, but there was sound reasoning behind their techniques that can easily be worked into the looser shooting styles of seniors. 

Also, don't forget about varying the expression. This girls face looks almost exactly the same in every shot - same smile and amount of "happiness". That gets old after looking at a number of images. Do some serious, some looking away from the camera, some laughing, etc. 

You may also want to look into using some off-camera flash at times. With certain backgrounds, it can really make the subject "pop" and stand out. 

Good job though. Keep at it.


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## jkleinhe

njw1224 said:


> Overall I think you have very good instincts. I do feel you need some refinement in posing. The arms, hands and shoulders look limp and lifeless in most of the shots except the shots where the hands are propped under the chin. Check out some of the posing instruction by the great old masters like Don Blair. These masters took posing to an extreme, but there was sound reasoning behind their techniques that can easily be worked into the looser shooting styles of seniors.
> 
> Also, don't forget about varying the expression. This girls face looks almost exactly the same in every shot - same smile and amount of "happiness". That gets old after looking at a number of images. Do some serious, some looking away from the camera, some laughing, etc.
> 
> You may also want to look into using some off-camera flash at times. With certain backgrounds, it can really make the subject "pop" and stand out.
> 
> Good job though. Keep at it.



Thank you so much for the excellent feed back.  I will look into Don Blair and study up on that.  I do have problems with posing, I am still uncomfortable with it.  It just doesn't come naturally to me or to many subjects. 

Concerning expression, you are right about all the smiling.  She is a natural with the smile.  I did do some serious posing but I did not post it here, she did well with that.  I had her look off into the distance a couple of times but she looked awkward and she didn't really know where to be looking or what type of expression to have.  How do you coach someone with this look?  Some people I feel have a much easier time with it then others...or perhaps it is just me the photographer?


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## deannamb

The railroad pic looks awkward, but I dig the rest.


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## Alpha

1) Shooting at odd angles does not help. It looks cheap.
2) Play with your DOF, but control it.
3) Check out some articles/books on posing.


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## photosbybritni

You did a very good job, I hope you do really well in this market.  I would stay clear of the "head on the tracks" pose though, made me extremely uncomfortable.

I think #3 is your strongest image, definitely a favorite of mine.  I'm not to keen on image #4 though, elbows are cut off and she looks to stiff to me.

I love the chair in the field its different and unique.  I have seen similar furniture props used as this, however I would not pose my subjects behind it. Just my opinion...

Good luck to you.


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## njw1224

jkleinhe said:


> I had her look off into the distance a couple of times but she looked awkward and she didn't really know where to be looking or what type of expression to have.  How do you coach someone with this look?  Some people I feel have a much easier time with it then others...or perhaps it is just me the photographer?



Personally, I wouldn't have her look too far off camera. Perhaps just a slight gaze away or down a bit. Full profile shots can look great, but generally just don't sell well. People like to buy photos when they can see the face. So showing the face in the photo but not having the eyes at the lens is probably better. You more likely to get away with selling a full-profile shot if it's a bit more distant - showing the full body - because then the emphasis isn't on it being a head and shoulder portrait, and clients will be more accepting that the face is sideways.


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## thestorey

These are great she is going to love them! But I would have gotten a few "alternates" with her mouth shut with a less toothy smile. maybe a smirky grin.


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