I posted these in another forum and got no feedback. I've never done portraits before so I practiced with my kids. I'd like some feedback so I could improve these shots.

Well, I'm no portraiture expert but I can offer some humble advice based on how the shots grab me.

Of the two I prefer the composition on the color one. It's always a little dangerous to cut them off inside the frame like you did in the B&W image (and partially in the color). If you have to cut off an arm/leg/whatever, never do it at the joint btw. I think the color host has a small violet cast. In general if you have to lean towards a color instead of being neutral always lean towards a warm cast. I like the triangle you arranged them in on the top image. The bottom shot is missing that. The tree branches make a nice natural frame but they might be a tad too close to the tall fellow's head. The tonal values in the B&W are good, imo. Too bad it is clipped, I would like to see more of the image.

In all, not a bad set of shots. There's room for improvement but there's definitely some good things happening here.

-GB

The colors in your color photo are off. I don't know what they look like on your monitor. On mine, they don't look good. A color cast like GB1 has pointed out. Regardless of the composition, it pays to pay attention to the skin tone.

Warning: I know little about portrait. But a lot of folks who use the same camera as mine shoot a lot of wedding photos. They like to talk about skin tone, among other things.

Jad,

What settings did you have the camera on to take these?

Whenever I take portraits I use spot metering on the skin where it is brightest to get the correct settings and set the AWB to neutral so that I can then correct it in post processing. I shoot in RAW so it gives me plenty of latitude in correcting problems with exposure.

I think the skin is blown out hence the loss of tone in that area.

I am not the best at portraits, where is Alison when you need portrait advice.

Roger

Well I have to say the color photo looks on the over exposed side, the skin tones washed out, and it the better composed photo in my opinion. The B&W is the better exposed but it needs more of the subject in the frame.

No portrait expert here, either, but agree with everything above and would add that I think the depth of field should be shallower.

There are also some positives here. The general posing is very good and natural in my opinion and in the first you have used the tree and branches to perfection. The background of greenery would be better had it been blurred out somewhat (larger lens aperture/smaller f stop).
In the second you have again set the kids up very well for another nice natural pose and I like in particular the body language of the younger boy as he leans against the post.
So for you first portrait attempts these are good and will sit very nicely in the family album for your kids to show to their kids in years to come.
My colleagues here have pointed out some negatives and their advice should be helpful.

I'd like to add that although the colors of the first photo are off, it is fixable.

I hate to admit this, but I set the camera to auto and snapped these as fast as I could. I don't normally do that, but the tempature was in the thirties and my kids were freezing. They were throwing their jackets off long enough for me to take one or two pictures. I wanted to try a few different settings, but they weren't going to cooperate long enough. And to top it off, I forgot the new diffuser that I'd bought at home. So I agree that they're over exposed. I was really interested in hearing what people had to say about the position that they were in, the back ground and the framing of the shots.

Thanks for all of the feedback. When the weather warms up, I'll make them go again when I can spend more time.

Of the 2 I like the color shot the best. On my monitor here at work (which tends to show things dark) the skin tones look fine.

I think both images would benefit from a tighter crop from the sides making the kids the only focus of the shot instead of "kids in a park".

A really tight crop might even save the BW image-you almost have a natural frame above and next to them with the legs and crosspiece of the shelter. Crop just outside that and I think it would look pretty good.

Remember when you are shooting portraits to fill the frame with your subject unless there is some reason to include lots of background (for instance if you were taking portraits inside your home or their rooms and wanted to show their natural habitat as well as them).

I am not the best at portraits, where is Alison when you need portrait advice.

Roger

LOL am I THAT famous? :D

Sorry I totally missed this post!
I was going to run in here saying, "Did someone mention portraits?!" haha
I still say I am no expert but others beg to differ. I do like to help people if I can though :D

As for colours etc its all subjective, and it's hard to know how experienced you are with a dslr and photoshop, but you can follow a few simple rules when taking portraits.

The rule of thirds and think triangles or diamonds, (this you nailed without realising probably in the first). This also helps you to see faces in large groups take a look at the old school class photo. Everyone is staggered.

I like both portraits but would have pereferred them to be off centre.
Not so much the first due to the tree forming a frame over the subjects. I really like that and the bg with some great depth of field is nice too.
Some things work well centered, like standing all 3 in an archway. It's nice when you frame your subjects.
I love that wooden porch type construction. I would have probably stood all 3 over to the right pillar and shot the whole building.

I think the colour version could do with some yellow being added to the colour balance.

It's a shame they weren't all wearing the same colour because the human eye is attracted to the lightest part of the image. This being the young man's t'shirt on the left.
I know it's not always possible to get everyone colour co-ordinated so in this case I may have hidden the young man's bright t-shirt by the other 2 subjects sitting in front of him in both images.
Of course this is always easier said than done when under pressure to take pictures quickly. I always forget alot of things when under pressure especially at weddings!

Please try to get off auto if you can. When I used to use auto, the focus was very rarely where I wanted it.
Alot of portrait photographers use AV but I don't like the slow shutter this gives me at times. I use manual alot of the time now and P when I use my flash.

Do you know how to meter in-camera so that you don't get blown out highlights on faces?

Apologies if I have repeated anything. (I haven't read all the posts tut tut).

Thanks for the additonal comments. This was my first attempt at doing portraits and I was not sure on positioning and framing of the subjects. As I said, I don't normally use auto, but my kids were freezing their butts off. I don't have any experience metering and that was something that I wanted to try, but they weren't going to cooperate (and I didn't blame them because I was cold as well).

You are very welcome.
Metering is pretty easy.
Here is what your in camera meter looks like

http://alisongreenwoodphotography.com/ssp_director/albums/album-69/lg/canon_in_camera_light_meter.jpg

For perfect exposure the needle should be in the middle. It's best to slightly underexpose by 1 or 2 stops to help prevent blow outs on the face. That was a tip I learned from a member on here.
Set the exposure by adjusting the shutter speed or the aperture.