The dreaded foursome composition!
 

After several weeks of bad weather, I was finally able to photograph this delightful family. The kids were very well behaved (even though I know that early on a Saturday morning they would have preferred to be ANYWHERE else.)

Please look them over. This painting is to be a 30 x 40 oil, loosely painted with an impressionistic background. The father originally said he didn't even necessarily need to see detail on their faces.

Thanks.

Sorry about that. Here are the pics.

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 4

Final number 5

Alicia,

I like number three, but ya just gotta do something with that big ball that the third from left is holding! I am posting a cropping possibility (notice no ball). I also moved the trees from the top left down and over a little so that they are not cropped out when it is zoomed in.

Rebecca

Thanks Rebecca,

Think you're right, the balls gotta go. I like the second one I think. I like the color and the composition. May have to replace the head on the young boy with one where he is smiling.

Weather
 

Alicia, what do you mean by bad weather? Most people are under the impression that the only days to shoot are sunny days. Professionial photographers pray for overcast days. The cloud cover acts as a filter and gives skin tones beautiful luminosity and form. On sunny days shoot in very early morning or late afternoon with the sun behind the subjects. Overhead lighting like this is very harsh and is causing a lot of squinting.

The photo is more about the landscape than the family, some cropping is needed. The faces are blurry, are they clearer in your reference?

Look up Frank W.Benson's immpressionist work at http://www.frankwbenson.com/. He did great stuff with multiple figures.

Your size seems a bit small for this undertaking. Also, don't believe the father one bit when he says he doesn't care about resemlence, HAH! Wait 'til the first relative scrutinizes it. They aren't always kind to the artist!

It is very difficult, I know to do a four figure photo session let alone the picture. I would go to a photo store, check out some books that include tips on group shots and reshoot.

If you are just starting out you want to give yourself all the help you need. You have to be firm with your clients. Remind them that in the past they would have had to spend more than one more Sunday morning doing this. It is very important for you to set high standards for yourself and your clients from the beginning.