Thread: JMK: CC on fall photos please

I have been debating all week about putting these up for CC, but as I've been complaining about my struggles getting good photos of my kids, I probably should put them up to get some good feedback and learn. I already know some of the weaknesses - I think the primary one being that they were in a poor choice of clothes! This was an impromptu thing on a Sunday afternoon in some Sunday clothes, and the tights and weird Chinese pants under a jacket don't really work fantastically. But I feel like I got some better shots than usual, so here goes:

#1 - My favourite, in spite of the clothing issue. I did crop this tighter to deal with the dirty pants/tights; but wasn't crazy about the plain tree background then.


#2 - No eye contact but I liked the pensive look?


#3 - He's actually looking at my husband. Just can hardly get him to look at the camera.


#4 - Again, looking at my husband.

I really like #1, the clarity & colors and smiles. It's a great pic.

Tracy, I love these!

I think 1, 2 and 4 are keepers. Color looks good and at leastvthe kids are looking the same direction!

3 is a little iffy for me. I love the expression, but not the stick, and maybe his face is a little blown on the right?

Thanks for posting!

I'm thinking now that the darks in #1 are a tad too dark, even though they make it look very rich.

Oh, Tracy, stop being so hard on yourself!! These are much better than you're giving yourself credit for. Your kids are young, and don't really follow direction yet. I'm finding myself taking waaaaaay more pictures of Carson right now than Jackson, just because Jackson runs away from me! And then, when I did get him "corralled" in the wagon, he ended up falling out and hitting his head on the ground. Yes, I understand that the frustration is there, but it's okay to get pictures of them not looking directly at the camera (I think you just need to hear someone say it )

Anyway, for the CC:

#1 - I love it! Doesn't matter if they're clothes aren't what you want. I have plenty of pictures like that. You should treasure this one! It does look a little too dark in your darks, but I love the color. Your leaves pop out very nicely. Micah's eyes have some very nice light in them. I can't decide if it's just because Nora has a more squinty-eyed smile or just her dark eyes, but it doesn't look like she has as much in hers. The pose is adorable! I love the one hand around her brother's shoulder.

#2 - I really like this one. I do wish I could see more of her mouth, but definitely a keeper!

#3 - I wish the sticks weren't covering his face. His left side of his face looks blown. Maybe you could rotate him next time to where more of his back was facing the sun.

#4 - I love these kinds of shots! I think they're so cute! I'm impressed that you got them both to stay there long enough to even get the picture! I can't get Jackson to lay there by myself. I think I'm going to have to get a helper for one like this and have them literally hold him down. There'll probably tears in mine LOL! Lighting looks good, but it looks like your shadows on the ground in their clothing are too dark. You might want to add some fill light to that if you can. Your color looks really good to me, and their skin looks nice and smooth

Keep it up Tracy! I'm really glad that you shared these with us. Kids are SO hard to photograph, but you're doing much better than you think.

Originally Posted by Amy_&_Eva

I'm thinking now that the darks in #1 are a tad too dark, even though they make it look very rich.

Hmmm, yes, now that you mention it, I think so too.

Originally Posted by StateChick

3 is a little iffy for me. I love the expression, but not the stick, and maybe his face is a little blown on the right?

Yes, his face is a little blown. I find his skin so perplexing: it doesn't look lighter than anyone else's in person, but it is often blown in photos, when no one else's skin is. It's so odd. I can't shoot in RAW, so I can't recover this one; though I have seen some stuff lately on "fixing" blown spots in JPGs too, so maybe I should try giving one of the tutorials a go.

Funny about the sticks. He loves, loves, loves sticks and outdoors it's almost hard to get a photo of him without sticks in his hands. So for me, as his mom who knows that about him, I just think it's kind of the quintessential Micah photo. But obviously the sticks are a distraction to others, as you and Steph mentioned them; so I will have to try harder next time to get him to put the sticks down for a minute!!

Originally Posted by Ladybugsteph

Oh, Tracy, stop being so hard on yourself!! These are much better than you're giving yourself credit for. Yes, I understand that the frustration is there, but it's okay to get pictures of them not looking directly at the camera (I think you just need to hear someone say it )

LOL, you're too kind - and it's probably true. But one of the most dominant CC comments I read here is about eye contact, and when I struggle to establish it, it's frustrating! In #1 I had DH crouch right behind my shoulder and that's why that one worked; but on my own, they don't do it. They look at each other, or at a stick or something in the distance or at their feet... anywhere but at me! Still, some of my favourite photos of Nora in particular are of her looking into the distance (she has such a pensive look sometimes), so I know it's not all bad!

Originally Posted by Ladybugsteph

I think I'm going to have to get a helper for one like this and have them literally hold him down. There'll probably tears in mine LOL! Lighting looks good, but it looks like your shadows on the ground in their clothing are too dark. You might want to add some fill light to that if you can.

LOL, no tears, I hope! They are fun photos to take -- I just had DH nearby making faces, so they stayed put for a second. I will play with the photo again to try to reduce some of the dark areas.

Thanks for the CC, so much!!

Ay yay yay, I'm in over my head fixing the blown spots on that one photo! The poor boy looks like he's been in a fight! But I did lighten up the darks in two of the photos, so any additional CC on my edits would be great!



This one wasn't specifically mentioned, but looked a bit dark on closer inspection as well:

I think they are great tries at your own kids pics! My own tries with my kids are usually a fail. I always get the 'looking off in the distance' look. I wish we all lived nearby each other so we could all 'shoot' each others kids, LOL. I don't have time for any CC right now but my only comment would be that I love the expression on your 'pensive' shot, but the leaves seem in a weird place and it took me a second to realize that they were on a stem. Otherwise they are cute shots and even if they weren't 'perfect'....you'll love them because even snapshots of our own kids are treasures. don't be so rough on yourself!

I think you did a great job on lightening the darks on those two, Tracy! Looks good to me! Though, now I feel like they're a little yellow in the second one you fixed.