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Nice!! What cuties!!

Nice!! What cuties!!

Thank you. They are my little devils.

very nice shots and cute kids...

Those red curls are adorable! Nice shots! :yay:

Thank you. They are my little devils.

Hope they're using sunscreen

Hope they're using sunscreen

I can't use enough...lol! I should buy stock in sunblock.

Those are pretty good overall. My suggestions for next time would be...
Use a reflector to lighten up the shadows - particularly on their faces in the image where they are posed together. Think of something like this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/470069-REG/Bowens_BW_3225.html); note that a similar item can be made cheaply at home, if you want to invest a little time for it. That said, you want to retain some contrast or the image will be too dull.
Frame them with less dead space, or, if you have a high MP camera, you can afford to crop off extra area later.
Major technical flaws can be understandable in a way, but simple ones can be the most nagging. Case in point, that horizon. I would make sure that is perfectly level. Or, if it is skewed as a bit of artistic liberty, it should be done to such a degree that is obviously intentional and not an assumed mistake.

soccermom your kids are adorable. I love the redhair. My neice and nephew are also redheads.

Those are pretty good overall. My suggestions for next time would be...
Use a reflector to lighten up the shadows - particularly on their faces in the image where they are posed together. Think of something like this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/470069-REG/Bowens_BW_3225.html); note that a similar item can be made cheaply at home, if you want to invest a little time for it. That said, you want to retain some contrast or the image will be too dull.
Frame them with less dead space, or, if you have a high MP camera, you can afford to crop off extra area later.
Major technical flaws can be understandable in a way, but simple ones can be the most nagging. Case in point, that horizon. I would make sure that is perfectly level. Or, if it is skewed as a bit of artistic liberty, it should be done to such a degree that is obviously intentional and not an assumed mistake.

Once i got home i realized my mistakes. I actually orderd a reflector, just waiting for it to come. I did notice theat the horozon was not level in some of the pics i took. This was a practice shot. Now i can look at the pictures and see what i need to fix. It was a great learning experience. Thanks for the tips. The only way i am going to get better is to keep practicing. Also the time of day has a huge affect on the outcome of the pictures.

soccermom your kids are adorable. I love the redhair. My neice and nephew are also redheads.

Thank you.

beautiful children!

Thank you to everyone!

Most adorable kiddos!

Those are pretty good overall. My suggestions for next time would be...
Use a reflector to lighten up the shadows - particularly on their faces in the image where they are posed together. Think of something like this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/470069-REG/Bowens_BW_3225.html); note that a similar item can be made cheaply at home, if you want to invest a little time for it. That said, you want to retain some contrast or the image will be too dull.
Frame them with less dead space, or, if you have a high MP camera, you can afford to crop off extra area later.
Major technical flaws can be understandable in a way, but simple ones can be the most nagging. Case in point, that horizon. I would make sure that is perfectly level. Or, if it is skewed as a bit of artistic liberty, it should be done to such a degree that is obviously intentional and not an assumed mistake.

WOW!!!
The title of the thread was "day at the beach", not hey, look at these pictures and see what you can say to degrade me.
I can understand your post if she had asked for input or advice, but as it is, it's simply arrogant.

WOW!!!
The title of the thread was "day at the beach", not hey, look at these pictures and see what you can say to degrade me.
I can understand your post if she had asked for input or advice, but as it is, it's simply arrogant.

I am fine with it. I usually post pictures so i can get another eye's opinion. Thank you though for defending me.

Your children are beautiful-love how your daughter sits with her legs crossed at the ankle-good training in the home mama. :flowers:

Your children are beautiful-love how your daughter sits with her legs crossed at the ankle-good training in the home mama. :flowers:

Thank you. It has been hard. She thinks shirts, skirts and dresses belong over her head. Now that she is out of pull ups and wears panties i guess she thinks everyone needs to know...lol!

WOW!!!
The title of the thread was "day at the beach", not hey, look at these pictures and see what you can say to degrade me.
I can understand your post if she had asked for input or advice, but as it is, it's simply arrogant.I have to say WOW myself simply out of amazement that someone who goes by "bulldog" could be such a :drama:. Aside from that, you appear to be a fool for the following reasons:
1) It is patently apparent you have never taken a real art course - that is, something beyond elementary school level where the teacher showered you with praise regardless how hideous your artwork was. SoccerMom has recently asked for advice on going pro, so I trust that she can handle constructive feedback - as you can see she did in her response to my post - better than some thin-skinned dweeb who is merely passing through.
2) Prior to shooting/posting these photos she DID ask for advice on this very setup, as you can see here (http://forums.somd.com/4311238-post1.html). My advice was building on that which she had already received.
3) I distinctly used the word "suggestions", indicating that she could take or leave my pointers as she saw fit. I understand that the fact that I have been doing this stuff for a while combined with the fact that you know nothing about me might come across as arrogance, but I was offering sincere advice on things I felt she could improve.

Anything else I can clarify for you? :tap:

I have to say WOW myself simply out of amazement that someone who goes by "bulldog" could be such a :drama:. Aside from that, you appear to be a fool for the following reasons:
1) It is patently apparent you have never taken a real art course - that is, something beyond elementary school level where the teacher showered you with praise regardless how hideous your artwork was. SoccerMom has recently asked for advice on going pro, so I trust that she can handle constructive feedback - as you can see she did in her response to my post - better than some thin-skinned dweeb who is merely passing through.
2) Prior to shooting/posting these photos she DID ask for advice on this very setup, as you can see here (http://forums.somd.com/4311238-post1.html). My advice was building on that which she had already received.
3) I distinctly used the word "suggestions", indicating that she could take or leave my pointers as she saw fit. I understand that the fact that I have been doing this stuff for a while combined with the fact that you know nothing about me might come across as arrogance, but I was offering sincere advice on things I felt she could improve.

Anything else I can clarify for you? :tap:

Your advice/suggestions really helped. I even went back on some other pics i took and figured out to make them better. Thankfully i have photoshop elments 8. I can fix some of the issues. I am getting a new desktop to put the program on. I can't wait to fix the pictures. Thanks again.

Very beautiful kids and great pictures! I really like the red curly hairs. :smile:

Great work! :yay:

great shots and really cute kids :yay:

Once i got home i realized my mistakes. I actually orderd a reflector, just waiting for it to come.

Try using your flash to fill in. It's a lot easier to carry around than a reflector :lol:

Try using your flash to fill in. It's a lot easier to carry around than a reflector :lol:

The flash...Duhhh...lol!

Your advice/suggestions really helped.Thank you and you're welcome.


Try using your flash to fill in. It's a lot easier to carry around than a reflectorEasier but may not produce results that are as good as those from natural light. Plus, if it's an in-camera flash, she probably can't control the power very accurately; a hot shoe flash would be better in that way at least. A reflector also has the advantage of flexibility, in that she could place it in different positions depending on the specific light/shadow effect she wants.