Still Tweaking The D300...

[Jaggz]

I did my first paid gig with the D300 this past weekend at the Botanical Gardens in FW. I am still working on figuring it all out with the new camera...I love it so far - but it is slightly different than shooting with the D200. Anyhow, here's a couple photos from the weekend, and a couple with the "vintage - retro" style going. Please feel free to C/C.

Jake~

[MicWayWal]

Hey Jake how are you doing?

Posing. Looks good overall in all the images.
#1 Nice compact group but they might be a touch too close for my liking. The people as a group form the shape of a square box, a boring shape, right in the middle of the image. You are shooting horizontal, so stretch it out a bit next time. I would have taken both of the ladies on the outside of the second row and had them sit on the side of their butt and let their legs stretch out wards away from the group. This would give the overall group more of a triangular shape. It will also let you see the guy on the left better.
I would not put them so close to the wall. Pull them away so the background would be a little softer.
#2 Good relaxed pose but maybe a better crop would help. They are too far down and right in the crop. Both faces are on the right side of the image. Too much space on the top and left for this pose.
#3 I love fun poses like this. Very real. However the background is a little distracting for me here. You are in kinda of a no man's land angle-wise. Not quite square to the wall nor not far enough down the wall. Don't know if it is possible but I would shoot more down the line of the wall to give more depth to the image. A wall with a vanishing point is better composition.
#4 Very nice image. Watching a kid look in wonder is excellent. Again cropping is an issue for me. Both faces are on the same half side of the image for no apparent reason. And there is too much space on the bottom of the image. A closer crop would help here.

It looks like the colors on all four have had some Post Processing work done. Not crazy about any of the colors. But who can trust a monitor viewing the web anyway?

Love your images. A realistic fun approach to portraits. Keep up the good work.

[mdparthum]

is that vintage-retro style a photoshop plug-in? love the shots too!

[Jaggz]

Originally Posted by MicWayWal

Hey Jake how are you doing?

Posing. Looks good overall in all the images.
#1 Nice compact group but they might be a touch too close for my liking. The people as a group form the shape of a square box, a boring shape, right in the middle of the image. You are shooting horizontal, so stretch it out a bit next time. I would have taken both of the ladies on the outside of the second row and had them sit on the side of their butt and let their legs stretch out wards away from the group. This would give the overall group more of a triangular shape. It will also let you see the guy on the left better.
I would not put them so close to the wall. Pull them away so the background would be a little softer.
#2 Good relaxed pose but maybe a better crop would help. They are too far down and right in the crop. Both faces are on the right side of the image. Too much space on the top and left for this pose.
#3 I love fun poses like this. Very real. However the background is a little distracting for me here. You are in kinda of a no man's land angle-wise. Not quite square to the wall nor not far enough down the wall. Don't know if it is possible but I would shoot more down the line of the wall to give more depth to the image. A wall with a vanishing point is better composition.
#4 Very nice image. Watching a kid look in wonder is excellent. Again cropping is an issue for me. Both faces are on the same half side of the image for no apparent reason. And there is too much space on the bottom of the image. A closer crop would help here.

It looks like the colors on all four have had some Post Processing work done. Not crazy about any of the colors. But who can trust a monitor viewing the web anyway?

Love your images. A realistic fun approach to portraits. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for all the feedback Michael - you know I'm not good at posing people - just posing! All in all...some great feedback...making mental notes at this moment. Sometimes shooting with a two-year old, you get what you get!!! I didn't have too much time to get the angles, and perspectives! In the end - they LOVE them...so I count this one up as a success! Thanks again! I'd love to come shoot with you someday!

[Jaggz]

Originally Posted by mdparthum

is that vintage-retro style a photoshop plug-in? love the shots too!

Hey Michael (the other one!)

Yes these are from a plug-in...http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/usa/entry.php.
I was just playing around with some of them to see what I could come-up with. Thanks for the feedback!

[Duffy Pratt]

The retro style looks to me like an imitation of the sort of fading that you might see from a picture from an old Polaroid Land Camera. I don't know why anyone would want to see that kind of fading and color bias, but if that's the intention, it is done fairly well. I think there are people nowadays who are making money by taking those old faded pictures that are grossly yellow and turning them back into something more natural looking. It takes all kinds, I guess.

Duffy

[Jaggz]

It takes all kinds, I guess.

Duffy

Thanks for the feedback, I guess. ;-)

[D. Jay]

It might be just me but I think the pictures are off focus.

[PhotosbyHollyWood]

great shots... I like them... what a beautiful family..

I just started with family groups and they re not as easy as they look!

great job!