I decided to use this challenge as an excuse to sit with the kids for a portrait, but my daughter was only interested in pushing the button on the remote so its just me and my son (she pushed the button - does that disqualify me?)
I used a softbox for the main light and window light for fill. The camera was on a tripod with remote switch. I used the self-timer and manual focus aiming for the back of the chair.
In photoshop I did my usual edits, starting in raw I adjusted the contrast. I added a curves layer, sharpened, adjusted the color with w/ hue/sat. Cropped, added a border, resized, saved for web.
My son has really gotten interested in photography and was making lots of suggestions as we went along. He seems to have a pretty good eye. We were looking at some photos at a county fair the other day and he pointed out one and said, "Wow Mom, that's so over-exposed" He's eight.
I wasn't sure what to title this, he's such an amazing kid and so very sweet, I hope that shows in our photograph.
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Detailed analysis:I think this one meets the challenge perfectly. The image is very clear and sharp. The lighting is spot on and the pose is very relaxed and natural looking.
I do agree with the comments on the cropping. I think with a tighter crop, it would give it more of a "portrait" feel. As it stands, your sons legs dominate the image. I will add though, the bare feet do add to the "relaxed" feeling of the image.
I love your choice of colors in this image, they all blend very well with each other. The clothing, background, furniture, and foreground are all a very pleasing combination of similar colors and tones. The use of "earthy" tones also adds to the feeling of warmth and comfort in the image.
Overall Impression:Excellent shot that meets the challenge perfectly. A slight adjustment in cropping would possibly help, but is a matter of personal preference.
Great smiles and great color, but I would recommend cropping the bottom half of the shot for more portrait impact and a closer look at those great smiles.
Only a few small things that I see that could use some tweaking. One is the scarf, it isn't adding value and appears to be in the way. Another is, even though I love it that he is barefoot, his legs being closer to the camera than the models heads are causing them to overpower somewhat and look out of portion with their bodies. The last thing is the light color knee of the Mom's jeans. It isn't flowing with the overall colors, causing it to stick out too much. The pose and the expressions are some of the best I have seen here so far .
I would not have shot this directly from the front like this as it has made your son's knees and legsdominate the shot. Perhaps a different crop on the picture taking out the legs, cropping from just under the bands and arms would have made it a far nicer picture.
I think I would have like to have seen this cropped higher. I love how natural this is and how it captures the fun in the faces of your models. Well Done! 8
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