Up and coming photographer with questions: Hi, my name is Lynn and I am the photographer for KRD Photography in Grants Pass, OR. First off, I have about 7 considering clientel and i...

lynn.rhyann Loc: Grants Pass, OR

Hi, my name is Lynn and I am the photographer for KRD Photography in Grants Pass, OR.

First off, I have about 7 considering clientel and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me. I will be doing their senior portraits and I have been doing my research and I have seen about 100 million ways to do senior pictures, but that doesn't help me any. What type of techniques should i use? what poses are good for senior pictures? Any advice other than that?

Second off, I also do animal photography and i was wonering if you could critique the photos that i have taken here. I have a Nikon D3100 and these photos are untouched.

Raptor

Hennessey

Voltron

Accent Images

Hi, Raptor needs a close-up,

Who is Hennessey? the black dog or the other one?

Voltron is over exposed and you cut the eyes

Clarence Loc: Modesto, California

Raptor is too busy, the newspaper distracts, should be something solid color, sand or grass etc. The rock on the left should be removed. Like Accent Images suggests, close up would do it.
Hennessey, closer to black dog. Object on right bottom is distracting and 2 x 6 on right is also distracting. Small dog is not an object of focus so remove it. Moving in or cropping would take care of all this.
Voltron; I would not cut off the head, I would not have the feet (at least the back feet) in the photo, the head instead. The hair around the mouth should be more distinct like it is on the front foot and by the left eye.
I am no a pro, but I enjoy looking at lots of photos and these are my suggestions. I hope I did not come on too strong. I am offering suggestions only and not as a teacher.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Last year I took the senior pictures for my oldest nephew, he liked them, I had mixed thoughts. Anyway, my point is I will remain silent on the senior pcitures.
As for the three that you posted above some initial thoughts are:
- Things are centered to much. Rmember the rule of thirds.
- You have too many things going in the first two pictures, it is hard to determine what the main object is.
- Zoom in on the first picture or crop it so the animal is what we see, not the rock or the newspaper.
- Not sure what my focas should be on in the third picture.
I wonder if these general comments might also help you with the senior pictures.

debbiesweds

I have done some and think the customers were pretty happy with them, the ones that always turn out best is when you get them to relax in the position - sometimes I pick up their hand and shake it and tell them to loosen their hands then lay it back down on the post or tree or wherever it is, also I make sure the guys are more sprawled out - not sitting too politely - makes them look too feminine - I will even say spread your knews apart make yourself comfortable etc - this is for the guys, girls seem to be much easier!

TTKBJR Loc: Kansas

As a parent of a senior who had his pictures done last fall, my suggestion is to do more head shots then full body. I think parents like to see close ups of their kids and they don't all have to be smiling. I'd let them sit naturally then do some fine adjustments to that pose so they are not slouching, chin in ,etc.. let them hold their hands the way they normally do. I think it will make the picture more uniquely theirs and more endearing to the parents.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

lynn.rhyann wrote:

Hi, my name is Lynn and I am the photographer for ... (show quote)

This very subject is being discussed on the Main discussion board - See "Senior Pics"

lynn.rhyann Loc: Grants Pass, OR

Thank you all! As i said at the beginning the photos had not been edited in any way. these are all photos of my pets, just something i was doing. i will keep all of your suggestions in mind though. Thank you for the information! I appreciate all of your input.

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

If by "seniors" you mean high school kids... that's one thing. If by "seniors" you mean retirees... lower the key light to lessen the wrinkles. A soft box or umbrella is a must. Size matters. Also consider the kicker, or "hair light" and don't forget to light the background. For the hair light, remember thinning hair and white hair does NOT need to glow.

Two low set key lights (or key and fill), giving about .5 stop variance from light to shadow is good.

On a movie set, you work from background to foreground, most often, when lighting.

For high school kids, the same applies, but the key lights go higher, and you can use a bit more contrast, usually. Size of softbox matters a bit less.

Accent Images

One thing you might want to practice on is this: If you are passionate about photography and want to improve your skills just remember to always compose your shots the best possible when taking the images instead of just taking what ever and then editing later.

This will save you so much time in front of the computer and will also improve the images greatly.

Ugly Jake Loc: Sub-Rural Vermont

Accent Images wrote:

One thing you might want to practice on is this: If you are passionate about photography and want to improve your skills just remember to always compose your shots the best possible when taking the images instead of just taking what ever and then editing later.

This will save you so much time in front of the computer and will also improve the images greatly.

I agree with accent - the lizard was probably a quick snap, though - and I disagree about the paper being distracting - he's camouflaged !

Joey Goode Loc: Simla,Colorado

google search and pinterest search senior pics amazing ideas