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Early Sunday morning, sitting over the last of what later proved to be too many glasses of chilled Rioja, a friend of a friend, holidaying here with her two daughters, asked me if I would take some pictures of the group to serve as holiday mementoes. I duly obliged yesterday afternoon.
Thanks Pops, Ad. The subject matter certainly didn't make the job harder ! being all dressed in white did. It was my idea and I think it worked but in the intense sun we get here in the summer managing the highlights was a challenge.
Beautiful Bear. But then I wouldn't have expected anything less.
Jeff
Hey, don't lets all get too carried away here If I was to critique these shots I would have a few comments to make. It is obvious though that Kenton was up against it with the conditions, and were it not for the fact he was photographing a few attractive ladies and there was some Rioja to be drunk, he probably wouldn't have been so pleased with some of them. To be fair though the first and last do have some problems and had it been me I probably wouldn't have shown them. Sorry Kenton I do like the 2nd and 4th shot though
Stephen, you should not apologise. It is always good to have a critical eye cast over my pictures, especially an eye as experienced as yours. You are welcome to comment if you have the time and the inclination.
All that white was tough, but I think it generally worked. The highlights are totally blown all over the last picture, nothing much to recover at all, but I like the composition and think that, occasionally, the quest for technical perfection can be overlooked for a nice picture.
Stephen, you should not apologise. It is always good to have a critical eye cast over my pictures, especially an eye as experienced as yours. You are welcome to comment if you have the time and the inclination.
OK, well here are a few thoughts, though I must stress they are my personal opinions and I am fully aware of the difficulties of the conditions and even photographing more than one person together
In the first shot, you are experiencing ladies with long hair and what looks like a stiff breeze. They all look to be having a bad hair day and essentially their hair looks a mess. This along with the sun being high and behind them has meant their faces are in shadow, which by whatever means you have had to compensate for. I think that a bit of fill in flash, perhaps at low power would have helped here and made the skin tones look more natural, not to mention put a catchlight in their eyes. I'm not too keen on two of them having arms akimbo, and I'd have had them all with arms down, or perhaps with their left hands on the shoulders of the one in front. The mother, has not got eye contact, though at least none of them have blinked Finally I think you should have used a smaller aperture so that they were all in focus, you had plenty of capacity to do this, not to mention knocking the shutter speed down so you would get flash sync. (1/250s max on my camera)
I do however like the tight grouping of the four, and this contrasts with the third shot, where again IMHO they are rather spread out and though you have tried to be creative with the composition, I'm not sure it works that well. Oh btw, I think you should have spotted out what are maybe birds but could be dust sensor marks in the sky.
I don't see a lot wrong with the 2nd and 3rd photo and I like their arrangement and grouping. You have used f/11 and it has worked, much sharper than the first. If I was to be really picky, I might have asked them to have their hands all in the same position. I like the way you have the girl in the dress at the front on the steps, her legs are worth showing off
With the last shot, there are too many blown highlights for me and it compromises the rest of the picture IMO. The wind is blowing their hair too much also and is creating out of focus areas. Did you use a blurred layer to smooth their faces, then erase round the eyes etc. Maybe not but there does seem to be a lack of skin texture I can see why you like it though, but as an outsider I don't think I would have used it.
Well there you go Kenton, I've pulled some of your shots to pieces and you didn't even initially ask for critique. I hope you are not offended
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, the creative grouping does the rest. Very nice.
I do like the 2nd and 4th shot though 
I can see why you like it though, but as an outsider I don't think I would have used it.
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