Three Brothers

Any comments or ratings are appreciated! :-)

Okay - here are the things that I have questions about: First of all (and, most importantly to me), does it look too much like a family snapshot? (As in, is it obvious that I propped three kids up on the family armchair?) Secondly, when I desaturated and used the sepia filter, the background was too dark, but in trying to fix that, I feel like the faces are too dull. How can I deal with that? (And, does the floral background detract?) Thirdly, are the six, white-socked feet too distracting?

By the way, for those of you who are curious, the older boy is about 2-1/2 years old. His twin brothers (fraternal twins) are about 8 months old. The twins are well on their way to being red-heads like many of the Aepelbachers!! :-D

Challenge question (for bonus credit): Can you match the twin from my previous post? Which one? :-)

Any and all help y'all feel like offering will be greatly appreciated! :-) Have a wonderful weekend!

Yes, probably a little staged. The socks are a distraction to me, maybe if the middle boy had shoes on. If you lost all the sharpness in the sepia tool, maybe try black and white. There is a sharpen tool in Photoshop that will crispen up pix, but it can be easily overdone. The floral couch is so-so. I'm fairly new to all this also so just play with your options in your editing program. Sometimes I'm trying to learn Less Is More.

I think there is a Mom out there with her hands full.

 

The challenge was about sharing photos of kids, family & friends. So in that regard, you get an "A". The challenge was not about getting high ratings.

 

Thanks for sharing.

Here's another idea.

I like that you got rid of the floral "back" but not "seat" of the chair. Interesting idea! I may go back and completely re-work this image, blow it up, and send it to my brother and his wife as a gift. :-) Thanks, Howard, for the suggestions. By the way - you know that I don't give a hoot about ratings, right? Just that people have taken the time to think about my image, and if they feel compelled, to offer advice. That's why I'm here! :-)

Hi, Lou Ann, So what if it looks like a family snapshot! Families loves these photos and time goes by fast! I do have to say, I like what Howard did to the photo...and agree Mom has her hands full!

1) Yes it does look a bit staged. (How else do you keep three lively kids on a seat long enough for a shot?) Does that matter? YES if you want to get 7/7's on PN but NO most other places.

 

2) Which is which? No idea - OK I'll guess the right hand one.

 

Lovely to see them and keep em coming. My main comment is to try to improve the lighting which looks rather flat. A nice directional available light often works well imo.

FYI - for anyone contemplating how BUSY my sister-in-law is with these three little ones, take a look at my blog (http://www.louannsplace.com/blogger.html) and look at the entry on Wednesday, January 19. I have made a commentary on the idea of having twins after you already have one small child. It's amusing to me ... but I'm sure not to my brother & his wife. :-)

When the twins are a little older, you can get them outside for some natural light and candid shots. This is a bit staged, but I'm with the rest of the group - so what?! The parents will be happy to have it.

How about quadtones? This is my #15 favorite in my saved quadtones.

Hi, Lou Ann, I agree with Colin's comment about the boys. This is a great family portrait to be cherished for years to come. I do like Kim's version. The chair is less distracting and the photo has more punch. Cheers, Sondra

The main thing that struck me was the flatness of the kids' faces. Would agree that the suggested uploads are an improvement. I would also expect that this photo will remain in your family for years to come.

50 bucks say the twin on the left is the one from the other picture. Although both faces are posed at slightly different angle, I place my be on the left twin for shape of face and ears. This one goes on the wall, say about a 5x7. Kim's quadtone is cool, too. I think Jayme will mat and frame for you, Lou Ann. ^_^

Okay - thanks, Colin and Wilson for playing. And ... tah-dah ... Wilson wins the $50 (when will you be in DC, Wils?) ... the twin on the left is the same as the pic. It's the ears and the shape of face (thinner than the other) ... but it's mostly the expression. He has that expression in almost every single picture ever taken of him. I'm in love with all three. :-)

Wonderful children. A little PS work had made the picture even better. These children really seem to enjoy the photo session... lol.

 

Kind regards.

Hey, that's an idea. I think the Cherry Blossoms in March would be pretty dandy, yes? What time of the year would you suggest for DC? You tell me, Lou Ann. Maybe I'll then round up some PNers to meet up, retrieve my $50, and buy a round for all? Hhhmmmm.... any taker? ^_^

If a bunch of PNers came to the cherry blossom festival in DC and we all got together for some picture taking, I'd DEFINITELY pay up!! That would be such a blast! Here's their official website. It's March 26 through April 10 this year, but if it's a mild winter (it has been relatively mild so far), the blossoms will actually be a bit early. :-)

Lou Anne, this is definitely a family portrait to keep & treasure. Full of vigor & life.

Lou Ann- finally catching up! I find that when you take pictures of kids under 1, (non-walkers)

they almost always look staged, unless you just do body parts, LOL. The nephew in the middle has a wonderful smile and he carries the image for me. He looks so happy and proud of his little brothers, nothing else really matters, as far as distracting is concerned, in the image. His smile, and looking directly into the camera along with his arms around the 2 twins was all I saw when I first looked. Everything else just faded into the backround, like it's suppose to do! Nice job!

It has a real antique look which makes this remarkable.

I like Kim's fix to some of your concerns, Lou Ann, but the downside is that you lose that antique look which caught my attention in the first place.

 

Frankly, I was just driving by to check on you. Haven't seen many postings lately. Maybe now that spring is getting here. . . ?