kids last

[kat]

This one is of my neice. She has the darkest of eyes and I just wanted to know if they were vibrant enough or should I do something to them.

[DrChek]

This should be a vertical picture, right? I like the soft color treatment, but I think it works better in your other baby picture than it does with an older child.

[kat]

We've debated on vertical or horizontal..and go back and forth.

I'll have to get the original back up and see if it's a better pic! Thanks for your critiques DrChek!

[DrChek]

We've debated on vertical or horizontal..and go back and forth.

I'll have to get the original back up and see if it's a better pic! Thanks for your critiques DrChek!

It's just a bit odd with the background and her hair falling sideways.

[Mad Aussie]

I tend to agree that due to the hair falling toward the ground so strongly that the photo needs to be vertical or at least near vertical.

I struggle to decide what to do with the eyes. If they are naturally dark and this is a photo for your own collection of memories then I think leave it as is.

If it's a photo to play with etc then I'd be applying some skills to the eyes.
I'm a photoshopper so I'd probably try using curves and use the white picker first to bright the whites of the eyes up. If that worked then I'd maybe apply some colour to the eyes and possibly even manually add more highlight. It's all hard to say without actually playing with the photo.

Some burning could be good in that bright area near the right shoulder.

When I tilt my head (to get it vertical again) I really like the composition.

You're brave to shoot such a shot in the bright and high sun like that.

[kat]

Wow..okay.

Let me get the Photoshop for Dummies out and get to work! Nah..I'm going to pass that on to the other half and get him to play with the original.

This shot was actually taken on the third day of our camping trip in the middle of nowhere..hence the little "get away from me" look on her face. Three days stuck in the woods with an aunt and a camera would drive anyone nuts!!!

[kat]

Vertical look.

[Marko]

The vertical is much better.
You might try to dodge(lighten) the eyes in a graphics program.

[Mad Aussie]

Well her 'get the hell away from me Aunt Kat I want to go home where there is cell phone reception' look turned out almost sultry didn't it?

I've really learnt something from this shot.
In bright sun, when the shadows are showing under eyes, noses etc, instead of turning the head more toward the light to eliminate the shadows ... try the opposite perhaps.
Turn the head so that most of the face is in shadow and then use fill light ... bounce or reflector perhaps.
Result hopefully is a more even lighting across the face itself.
Could be good to remember when there's no shaded areas available.