First field shots (I know this is black and white but I just loved it) Thoughts?

These girls were so great!

I like it a lot, It's a bit overexposed, but it seems ok to me like that. It gives it a certain style.

I had to over expose to get the detail in the girls faces...the sun was so so harsh and so many harsh shadows. UGG..it was cloudy just before and then BAM 100% violent sun! LOL

So the Black and white saved that first photo. Here is a color one that I was able to get a better shot by changing the girls position a bit.

Yeah I like that, I like them both. I think they have a certain style that is fitting and probably appealing to younger girls.

Nicely done, Heather. High-key photography is usually appealing and I think you pulled it off well. And Jen is right, this particular style (especially the 2nd shot) are very trendy looks right now.

lllllooveeeed the shot

Very nice Heather...beautiful girls with beautiful outfits...I am always blowing stuff out because I like the daylight/outdoors and I need a light meter real bad...one of these days I'm going to check into ND filters and all of that stuff too...

Can you maybe please tell a tidbit more about the set up here?

For the first shot..it shows f/0.0 because I used a manuel lens. It is a Nikkor 28 mm 1:2 and it was used at 2.8 opened to infinity
Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D7000
Image Date: 2011-06-11 16:06:13 +0000
Aperture: f/0.0
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Center Weight
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Fine Weather
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined

The second shot I adjusted the girls so that the sun was not directly behind them and more to my left. This shot was also taken with my manual 28mm lens at f5.6 and opened up to infinity too.

Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D7000
Image Date: 2011-06-11 16:00:40 +0000
Aperture: f/0.0
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Center Weight
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Fine Weather
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined

Both were post processed to help with the harsh shadows (which I had to save the first with my blush black and white process) and the second I wanted to make it bright and colorful for the girls just like the girls. Two of the girls are from Germany and were done with their exchange program here so they all wanted photo together! It was fun and I used different process this time around than most of the time. It was fun and I was really happy with the turn out! Bright and cheerful!

I will also add: be careful. The look you have here is very trendy right now, especially among young female photographers. Don't let this become a creative crutch, or your work will start looking like everyone elses'. You don't want to be just another girl who can take photos like this.

Okay thoughts..this isn't as "bright" I would say..more true to life color. I know the previous editing was really trendy, which is AWESOME now. I'm pretty much a chameleon and can adapt to all the changes..I have in almost all parts of my life (if ya'll understand that) but what about this..not as bright just some sharpening and darkening actually. I want honest thoughts!!!

also please understand the SUN was HORRENDOUS!! so so bright and it there was so so much contrast between shadow and light that I needed to keep the ISO down to its lowest setting on my 7000 (ISO 100) if it goes lower than that let me know because I dont know how to make it lower!

Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D7000
Image Date: 2011-06-11 16:06:10 +0000
Aperture: f/0.0
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Center Weight
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Fine Weather
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined

Seriously I want some constructive criticism here...This shot is pretty much straight from the camera..a little editing to help with bringing out detail (blacks) was about it. This is different than my normal editing for this type of session so please....if need be tear it apart. Please not that the sky is blown out because if I didn't do that the girls would be BLACK! Like silhouettes! Not really the most ideal conditions..super sunny...and when I mean super, I felt like there was a spot light on us! LOL

I actually prefer the color version because I can see their faces better. The bright colors may seem a bit "girlish", but with the subject matter it seems appropriate. It looks like a bright, happy moment.

I don't know anything about what's trendy. It puts me in mind of a certain image of wholesome femininity, which is neither sexless nor overly sexualized, that seems to me to have been popular in the early seventies.

Thisi would have been a perfect situation to use an off camera fill-in flash. It would have left some color to the sky while adding a "catch light" in the eyes of the girls.
And I would have tightened the crop like:



But you seem to have a way with them so they all look natural and happy. Happy is always a good marketing advantage when the time comes to selling the prints.

I love the shot Heather it is trendy with the younger girls. Keep up the great work.

I personally prefer the colour shot. On my D200, when it's super sunny out, I set my WB on cloudy. I don't know if you have this option on your D7000. It helps with the contrast.

I love it, but I would bring your highlights down in Lightroom just a liiiittle bit if you can.