Out Takes = Missed Shots?

Well I had my first engagement shoot for a couple that I know from college.  They were great and were very pleased with the result of the shoot; as was I.  After reviewing the photos I noticed that there were some shots that I wanted to get but didn’t quite get them nailed down. This shot was an out take that I like but it shows how distract it can be during a shoot, especially as a fairly new portrait photographer.  This image has a good composition and exposure but I could have gotten a better… SQUIRREL!… Expression out of them.

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Seriously, I was having a good time but may have missed a great image, by not just taking one more composed shot.  I know I shouldn’t be to too picky but as I am beginning a new start as a portrait photographer and getting out of my comfort zone, I want to do really well at what I do.  I had several images that were on their way to being pretty good but felt that some major things were not up to par.  Expressions were great, but exposure was off, or exposure is great but I didn’t focus on the right part of scene.  These are just a part of the learning process, I know, and I am too much of a perfectionist.  I did get some great shots for my first engagement shoot. I just can’t get past the ones I missed.  How do overcome that inward critic, and nail the shots you have on your list?

A slideshow of the ones I chose to present to the client; after their approval of course, after the jump

P.S. Don’t mind the difference in the watermark and logo on the photos, I am in the processing of updating my logo.  Maybe the topic for next week’s blog post.