Reply To: I'm back! And ready for a revote!

[cameraclicker]

I have only looked at a few photos, near the top of your FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.567083026656450.1073741829.567071996657553/832944080070342/?type=1&theater, is strange.  It looks like there is a Lensbaby effect.  Her hair seems to have deeper DOF than her face, as well as her shirt seems to be in focus, but her chin is not!  So, how did you get her right shoulder, right eye, and most of the hair along her part in focus, yet her chin and left eye are out of focus?  Most if not all of the shots of that woman seem to have been smoothed too much, or the light is very flat, to the point of her nose blending into her face so it appears her skin is almost totally flat from the area under one eye to the same area under the other eye, then the bottom of her nose protrudes normally.  I think more shadow would help.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/pcb.832946606736756/832946470070103/?type=1&theater, please pardon the expression, a boob show, with the added bonus of bouquets tucked into their crotches.  I wonder what the bride and her posse really think of that photo.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.832668813431202.1073742283.567071996657553/832668956764521/?type=1&theater, detail in her outfit is pretty good.  Light on her face is too flat but slightly better than for that other woman.  What is it about models on train tracks?

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.832668813431202.1073742283.567071996657553/832669013431182/?type=1&theater, had to laugh at this one.  Her shirt reminds me of a topographic map!   Oh, and you missed focus.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.567083026656450.1073741829.567071996657553/832509046780512/?type=1&theater, Olivia is cute.  Why is she posed like that?  Focus on her eyes looks good.  She has some blemishes that should have been removed in post.  The pose baffles me.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.567083026656450.1073741829.567071996657553/832470630117687/?type=1&theater, her skin tone seems way too pink!  If it is a grab shot, a following shot through an Expodisc or or a white card would help with white balance.   Her outfit being black with white letters might work as a reference with a raw file.  In the JPEG, it drags white balance to several incorrect conclusions.

The photo of a girl in the leaves (Working on this cute families photos today! (4 photos)) , pops open then says it is unavailable content.  No matter, you missed focus.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.567083026656450.1073741829.567071996657553/832072600157490/?type=1&theater, looks washed out.  Histogram shows a large area at left of the cliff.  Revisiting the raw file might be the way to improve the image.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.830883846943032.1073742281.567071996657553/830884206942996/?type=1&theater, is an example of a shot where much more DOF might have improved the photo.  The out of focus blanket distracts.  Lens correction can be used to make the sides of the red door parallel.

https://www.facebook.com/MomWithAPaintbrush/photos/a.567083026656450.1073741829.567071996657553/830720336959383/?type=1&theater, then we see the red door is a picture!  Since it is in your studio, you can measure the door width near the bottom, then again just below the arch.  The measurements should be equal.  They are not in this photo, you can see your stands are wider at the top than at the bottom.  Shorter lenses tilted a little up or down cause that perspective distortion.  Software can fix it but you have to shoot a bit wide because you lose some of the scene when applying a fix.  This photo also shows the light fall off inverse square rule in action.  At the top left, by your light the photo is burned out.  As you get further from the lamp, the light is not as bright.  For more even light you can move your light further back.  Since you are lighting a backdrop, shadow from a harsher light source should not be a problem.  Why does light seem to be escaping from the back of your softbox?  The photo makes me think you have the window in the long side of the room.  If that’s the case, move your background to the end of the room to give yourself more space to shoot across.  Separate your subject from the background as much as you can.  That will let you use a somewhat deeper DOF and still have the background out of focus.  Light your subject and background using separate lights to get independent control of both.

That takes us to the beginning of the month, so I will stop there.  You still have things to work on.  Focus, shadow/highlight, white balance, posing, post processing.

Most of the photos of the little guy on the front of your SmugMug page were pretty reasonable.  A couple had focus/DOF issues.  I don’t think the B&W conversions do any favours.   Then I got down to the bottom.  Why is the couple laying on the gravel bed of the railway?  That looks really comfortable!  NOT!  It looks like she fell down and dragged him down on top of her.  I just don’t understand models on tracks — model trains excluded.