Wow! #2,6,and 7 are awesome!

2nd one is great

Ditto to the others. Especially on #2. The reason the 1st one really doesn't work is that there is too much depth of field. Too much is in focus. The thing that makes 2, 4,6, and 7 work is that there is a really shallow depth of field. Otherwise, you lose perspective of what the main subject is. A close up on her, with that cool criss-cross pattern in the background of the chain link fence would be nice, or her looking through the fence would be cool too. Keep up the good work!

I'll give it a go.

number 1: I agree with what was said about the depth of field. The chain link fence does not work at this aperture and focal length. If you were to approach a chain link really tight with a wide angle, or compose shooting down the fence might help out. Also zooming in with a telelphoto and cropping in on her face would have worked. The pose could have been improved I think if there was a gap between the pole and her back. Lastly a lower stance may have helped. By shooting at her eye level she becomes a little top heavy due to perspective,

2: I like it, there is a lot of attitude in it, and is interestingly composed. It is a bit dark though.

3: Good pose and shot. I would have experimented with a tighter crop and lower angle for a variety. I often lay on the ground and get filthy.

4: good

5: flowers a a bit distracting.

6: I like this one. A good tight crop. Could have been improved using a very small fill flash or other light source to add a catch light to the eye. This will keep the pupils from looking sunken.

7: Good toning and action. Again I think a little bit lower of an angle could possibly help. Shooting from a squat.

that is about as mean as I get. I remember getting smashed a few times starting out. They were the only responses that made any difference. I hope this helped, although I'm sure your wife could give you better feedback than me.

they are cute the only thing i can say is always watch out for the background otherwise you get trees and poles growing out of peoples heads also the bat covers up her leg in a wierd way on number one

There's some good feedback here. It looks to me like he was a working on taking a picture of her --- rather than making a portrait. Does that make sense? It happens to me when I'm unsure of the situation and first time out on a session would definitely be nerve wracking!

That said, my first thought would be to drive rule of thirds into his brain until everywhere he goes he is studying composition. He found some really interesting spots and was going down a good path, the composition just needs to be mixed up a bit. Centered can work when used well and purposefully, but a little shift would strengthen most of these.

Ditto on the DOF comments too. The second photo is really interesting and says something about her due to how the focus was placed. (I never close down beyond 2.8, but that could be just me.)

This is a great start! And heaven knows that heading out with a teenage girl can be a challenge! She and her mom I'm sure will love these. Keep 'em coming. I'm excited to see what Phil does next...

Now that I am able to log in again I can post for myself.

Thanks for the responses. I know that I have a lot to learn and this really helps. I have another tonight so maybe I'll have some more tomorrow. This one is a guy and that just makes me think it's easier. We'll see!

Phillip Viohl

Lookit with you and your fancy avatar!

I agree with the other posters...another thing to watch is the head angle vs. angle of the eyes. Images 4 & 5...her head is tipped down and her eyes are looking up causing her forehead to wrinkle.

Good start though...keep plugging away.

# 2, 4 and 6 are my favorite! Great job!