Family portrait

[carlyfan]

I got this shot of my aunt and uncle and their girls on Easter. They needed a family picture for their daughter's daycare and asked if I could take a quick picture. The two little ones were not happy about having their picture taken, but I did manage to get a few with all of their faces in it.



This is the first time I have really tried a family portrait. How is it? Is the posing okay? Is it technically sound? Any tips on getting little kid's attention besides calling their name and waving your arms? (because those really were not working for me!)

EXIF
Camera Brand: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Date Taken: 2011:04:25 15:58:06
Exposure Time: 1/200 sec.
Aperture Value: 4.00 EV (f/4.0)
ISO Speed Rating: 100
Flash Fired: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Focal Length: 85.0 mm

Thank you so much!
Lisa

[JFSanders]

Posing is fine. The lake is washed out behind them and is a distraction. Maybe moving around so the trees were behind them instead? The WB is a little off. I did a midtone adjustment in NX2. The bright colors and light skintones will do better with a contrasting background.

Jim

[OceanHorizons]

Originally Posted by carlyfan

Any tips on getting little kid's attention

Hi Lisa! I'm brand new at photographing people, and I haven't tried photographing kids at all, but I remember there was some great advice in this thread: Lost My Confidence

The mom, dad, and older girl have very pleasant/natural expressions. The whites on the girls' clothing looks blown out on my (uncalibrated, laptop) monitor and it draws my eye away from the faces. Maybe there should be a little more room to the left so the dad's foot isn't so close to the edge of the frame?

Except for the littlest girls not being "in the moment" and those really white areas, I thought it was a pleasant picture.

[carlyfan]

Thanks Jim! You're right it probably could use some more contrast.

Thanks OceanHorizons! That was a good thread. Yes, I wish I hadn't got so close to the dad's shoe. I'll try to burn the blown out spots and see if that helps.

Lisa