Smiles and laughter

A sweet child's portrait of a little girl with a cute little smile to boot. She appears very relaxed and fully engaged with the lens. The smile is authentic and again captured by the photographer at the right time. I like the tones and the choice of background which complement the complexion of the model. The image is evenly lit by lighting on either side of the subject. The vest peeping through her top is a little distracting, but this is a very small detail on what is overall a great shot.

This is such an irresistible display of emotion, a mix of surprise and utter happiness. It is so descriptive I could almost hear the 'bride' laugh. It is a nicely framed and well captured shot, which works really well as a black and white image. The light source to the left of the frame is soft and flattering. A little dodging to the top left shoulder of the bride and her face would have worked well, but as it is, this does not distract from the main focal point.

A warm and compelling portrait of two generations both seemingly hiding away from the camera. The grandmother is shying away from the lens but she seems to be made at ease by the embrace of the young child, who in turn is playing hide and seek with the photographer. The subtle smile on the grandmother is wonderful yet humble, whilst the little girl is just plain cheeky! I like the fact that the focal point is not in the foreground. Great shot!

This is another well-timed shot - highly infectious and leaving you wanting to be in on the joke. The shallow depth of field drives the viewer's gaze right where the action is, i.e. the subject's face. The details on Rhiannon's face are fantastic! The outcome of the joke or whatever the photographer said before hitting the shutter release button has rippled through every muscle of her face: the mouth, the creases around her eyes and eyelids are just perfect. It is a tight crop with perhaps too much negative space at the top but other than that, excellent!

A wonderful outdoor portrait shot under wonderful light conditions (perhaps early/mid afternoon?). The golden tones of the background work really well with the auburn hair and hazelnut colour eyes of the model. The smile is subtly discernible but definitely there, as suggested by the corner of her mouth, the slight crease by her cheekbones and her eyes. The highlights are slightly clipped on the left-hand side of her face, which a little dodging could easily fix. Overall, a lovely capture.

This is a child's smile full of pride and independence: a perfect freeze frame of unplugged childhood, a notion which is is reinforced by the apt use of black and white. The adjustments made by the photographer on what we are told was originally an overexposed shot are spot-on. The shallow depth of field has obliterated the background, thus putting the emphasis on the subject. The windswept fringe and pig-tails, along with the details in the knitted top are just gorgeous. A fantastic image!

This is a gorgeous display of smiles and laughter between two close siblings. The neutral yet flattering black and white conversion works really well on the subjects. As a backlit shot, this could have done with a small amount of dodging on the top right-hand corner of the image. Alternatively, the shot could have been cropped to mask some of that area off. This is a lovely image, which no doubt will be a great keepsake for years to come.

This is a nice portrait full of details and a friendly smile. I like the monochrome conversion and the tight crop which does not leave out any essential information about the subject. The shot does not seem posed and could have possibly been taken just as the subject realised what was about to happen, as suggested by the focal lens, hence the relaxed and maybe slightly surprised smile. The main source of light on the right is nice and soft - overall, a very competent capture.

I love this shot, which is just pure exhilaration - a full smile that conveys such a wonderful display of excitement about what the photographer tells us is the little girl's first catch! This could have worked well as a black and white image too, toning down the (slightly) distracting splash of red from the fishing rod's float. A black and white conversion would have also emphasised the contrast of the scales on the fish. Overall, a great effort and fantastic capture!

I like this timid yet engaged capture. The soft pastel tones are beautiful, and the subject is evenly lit from the light coming from behind the photographer. I would have liked to have seen a wider shot, and to have a little more information/context to this shot. I do not think that a wider frame would have taken away the focus from the little boy, as suggested by the shallow depth of field and the softness surrounding his face. A great shot, nonetheless.

This is an excellent display of playful cheekiness! The tight shot depicts a gorgeous little face playing with the photographer and resisting that big ear-to-ear smile! Or did the full smile come after this very frame? It would have been nice to see a little more of Alfie - did he have a silly pose to go with that cheeky grin? Overall, it works well as a colour shot and I think a monochrome version would have been great too, showing off Alfie's smiling brown eyes.

This is a great attempt at catching a lovely gummy, toothless smile! From working with children I know that it often takes them time to warm up and drop the focus on their smile (or whatever it is that you are trying to capture/get them to do). It is always worth trying to distract them until you can catch that idle moment where they have forgotten what the photographer is doing and are fully indulging in being themselves.

This is another super cheeky smile, made all the more cute by that little dimple. This shot would have worked even better if it had been taken without the use of flash, perhaps closer to a window or if taken in low light condition, closer to, say, a table lamp. If flash was absolutely necessary, taking she shot further away from the subject would have helped with the red eye effect. The background and corner of the wall is a little distracting - a wider shot further way from the background would have made for a more natural shot (allowing the subject to sit naturally rather than lean on the wall). Overall, great effort.