Reply To: Do I blow big chunks?

[nesgran]

You’ve got the start down but there are issues. Your kids shots seem better than the rest

Most of your shots aren’t sharp enough or they are sharp in the wrong place. Little kid on crate with boots, the boots are sharp but her eyes aren’t. This shot has some problems, http://www.loribrownphotography.com/Lori-Brown-Photography/i-9zFRc2j , The man on left is out of focus but guy on right is sharp, you have a very harsh shadow from the direct flash. You need to stop down for a shot like that and think carefully about your flash so it doesn’t give off those shadows.

Kid in black holding hands with dad (?) walking down a wintery road, very soft and far far too much contrast. All the shadows have gone black and it is very noisy http://www.loribrownphotography.com/Lori-Brown-Photography/i-k3nTZWJ

http://www.loribrownphotography.com/Lori-Brown-Photography/i-NmwNtHV Another very soft shot with a far too long shutter speed, nothing to light up the eye sockets giving the girl racoon eyes, far too much contrast and also a wrinkly sheet as a backdrop.

Your black and whites don’t add anything over your colour photos, get rid of them

For your personal web page you will most likely want a far smaller and far less intrusive watermark. For FB I can see the point somewhat but not on your own site. No one is going to steal these shots and since they are on your webpage already there can be little doubt as to who the tog is.

Why are there so many shots that look basically the same? Is this a portfolio or somewhere the family can order prints? If it is the former you need some serious culling and if it is the latter you probably want to think of a better distribution platform

You got some nice autumny shots in the Towson family album but the one where the girl is throwing leaves you can barely see the kid behind the watermark. I quite like this shot, it could have been a touch wider and slightly sharper but not bad. Also, why are these not circulating on your front page as they are better in many instances than the ones that are there and also far more fitting with the season?

Pretty basic framing but don’t cut people off at joints, you have a number of these. It doesn’t look great. Most of your kids shot are from an appropriate height but some aren’t when you are standing over the kids. The photo up the bride’s nose is not flattering.

Why have you written in third person about yourself when it is a one man operation?

I quite like this shot, maybe a touch more contrast but it need some serious tilt correction as the horizon is leaning by at least 10 degrees if not more. http://www.loribrownphotography.com/Lori-Brown-Photography/i-6646Fr7

Your editing isn’t consistent, one shot will be very high contrast and some will be really washed out instagram looking. You can go crazy on one off shots but if you are doing a series they need to look consistent.

I think your problem lies in your camera somewhat, a micro four thirds will have issues for what you are asking it to do. You need to be less afraid to crank up the ISO to keep a reasonable shutter speed and then deal with the noise in post. My suggestion would be to save up some money, invest in a good camera like a Nikon D700 or Canon 5D MkII which can both be had on the used market for reasonable money for a photographer charging. The reason being is that they will both handle noise far far better, at least two stops better if not more. They will also let you do the thin DOF without such long focal lengths. They are also much better ergonomically and will let you change settings far easier on the go and the flash control is far better. The selection of lenses available is completely different and much more suited to natural light photography. By all means, the GF2 is not a bad camera but it isn’t a camera for a professional photographer unless you need a small body like that for a specific reason.

I think lots of families will be happy with the shots they are getting but I would be a bit upset since most of them are not as sharp as I’d expect them to be. Even in the 6×8″ they show up on my computer screen the softness is readily apparent, imagine if you wanted an 8×10 or something bigger than that.