Spur of the Moment

[BShumaker]

This was as the title says, a spur of the moment "hey, will you take a photo of our family?". So of course I was happy to do this. This was Thanksgiving day and in the country of Southeast Texas, mid day.

Looking for a critique in general on the photo: composition, brightness / contrast, etc. A couple of my main concerns are the highlights on the guys neck and arm, are they overpowering? Also, if I should crop the bottom of the photo to the sleeves so the boys bare arms are not showing. Seems a bit distracting maybe?

Canon T3
F 4.5
1/100 sec
ISO 100
at 30mm

Thanks in advance.

[Ridgetop]

I definitely would have looked for an area with a little more shade. The shade/sun mix that you used throws some strange shadows and highlights. The shadow across 1/2 the father's face is probably the worst example of that. The general pose and overall picture is nice, but definitely try to maintain uniform lighting if you can.

[BShumaker]

Thank you Ridgetop. I do agree with you, the shadows and highlights are quite harsh in certain areas. That is definitely something I need to work on is directing the subjects. I was rushing to get something quick seeing that he was not at all happy to be having a photoshoot, but something to probably get use to and take my time. I appreciate the comments.

[fofazoju]

The shadows bother me a bit, the crop and his bare arms do not.

What does bother me is the coloring you choose - I'm not a fan of the desaturating you used. I think sometimes it can be effective but I think it is too...pinkish maybe? I'm not sure exactly I just know I don't like the color. Other than that, I like the composition and think it is a nice shoot for being "spur of the moment"

[BShumaker]

Fair enough, fofazoju. Thanks for the comments. I did not desaturate it completely to B&W, so maybe it is her shirt which was maroon that is making the shot look pinkish.