Peter & Tink – Final Version

Firstly, they’re all great images, and very imaginative. Secondly, its most important that you and Libby and her kids like them.
Thirdly, even great has room for improvement; I liked the look of the practice shots better.

Partly its the subjects. In the third practice photo he looks like he’s entranced by the fairy, and she just looks shy. In this set he looks a little more malicious (maybe its the hand on top of the jar, or that slightly forced-looking smile) and she looks distressed.
Between the almost flat lighting on the foreground and the heavy texture on the background/vignette, these shots don’t quite have the frankness of the practice shots. The first ones look so much more natural just by having shadows. (perhaps shadowless photography is great for context-less studio shots, but in environmental portraiture it doesn’t lend itself to believability)
I think gaze direction is important too. In the 3rd of the practice set he’s clearly looking at the inside of the jar, and she almost looks like she’s looking back out at him (although, since the jar is to the front of him, she’d have to look further back, and we’d loose her face). In this set he’s squinting in one photo, and in the second he’s looking straight up (which isn’t where she is).

I think these are already that good that others will want their kids shot like this, so a couple of thoughts for future shots like this:
Eye direction is important, plan the composition of the finished shot (where the fair will be), and use a stand in to make it easy for the subject to know where to look. In Lord of the Rings, when Gandalf roars “You shall not pass!” at the balrog (giant burning CGI character) he was actually yelling at a tennis ball on a string (apparently thinking about hitler). If you’re shooting from a tripod, snapping a frame before the maker is in should make it easy to remove in post.
Lighting is something that will make an image seem shifty, even when its otherwise perfect. Make sure angles, hardness and intensity match. Take note of the fall-off rate of your lights. In a context free portrait of a little girl it might be good to have more light on her face (the focus), but when you’re wanting to add her in to a larger photo, then having her legs out of the light looks strange.

Sorry if this is more than you were expecting when you asked “what do you think?”.

I can’t wait to see how this is done, but I preferred the first shots as well. Kids never ‘perform’ when you want them to. I love the fairy dress!

Liz these are just so much fun and so beautifully done! I love it!

Also, this reminded me of that:http://www.janvonholleben.com/?page_id=4&att_id=1486 (be sure to have a look at the other pictures in the set, and sets in the website and such).

So cute – I love everything about these!