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Hi Mary,
First of all, congratulations on getting this portrait query. Good for you!
I'm not sure why you're not getting posts on this. I think it's because people are trying to decide whether you'll have enough information to make a portrait based on the clarity of this reference. It's hard to tell from my screen. For example, can you see both sides of the bridge of the nose for each child? I do a lot of backlit, outdoor portraits. You will need to show subtle color changes in the shadow side of the face in order to indicate plane changes. You're not going to get the kind of modeling you'd get in an indoor photo shoot.
That being said, I don't especially like this pose. I have really strong opinions about posing siblings in a multiple portrait. There should be some indication of the relationship between the two (I think it was Peggy B. that first said on this Forum that when you paint multiples you're painting a relationship). I would like to see some visual overlap of these children so that they form a unit. Compositionally, this would be a light (possibly triangular) mass against a dark or strongly colored background. If it's part of the relationship, I think you ought to include some actual touching - holding hands, touching a shoulder, etc. Often an older child is protective of a younger one but not always. Remember that you're being hired for your taste as much as for your technique.
Small "problems" such as feet chopped off by long grass will become big problems when you start to paint them, especially on a canvas this size. I think you should tell the mother that you would like to photograph her children in a similar pose, and then take your time setting this up EXACTLY as you'd like it to be. In the long run, this will make it much easier for you to do a wonderful job. The good news is that these are two beautiful children and this could be a spectacular painting.
Best regards,
Linda
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