a few from my maternity shoot

You're not trying to attack, but the BEST way to describe how you feel about this pictures is "nauseating" - are you for real? You ARE for real, and that's what makes your post nauseating (see how I used it there, I feel sick that someone would think the above post should even have been submitted).

As the OP indicated, he knows there are serious issues with the photos here; its kind of why we call this a BEGINNERS FORUM - something you seem to have missed in the whole being nauseated issue.

Christ almighty, some of you need to seriously get your heads out of your asses.

Yes, I'm for real, and yes, I will say again that I find the pictures nauseating, HOWEVER, I do not mean to say that the OP's work is nauseating. It is not his photography I find fault with, and I think he is doing brilliantly as a beginner.

I realized later, that I have a problem (which is entirely my own) with maternity shoots, and that is that I didn't even know they existed and find them sickening. I don't understand why anyone other than the parents would ever want to see these kind of shots. But, if they bring good business for a photographer, then that's great, end of story.

But, I was really expressing my comments to everyone, because the OP said that several people here had helped him with this shoot. Therefore, I assumed they had probably given him the ideas for his various shots. I was wondering why the shoot had to be done in this manner and not in a more subtle way. I was wondering if these type of shots were typical of maternity shoots.

Yes, I completely understand this is a beginners forum and I truly meant no disrespect to the OP. My comments were really not directed at him. I am sorry for coming across that way. :(
 
Taking maternity photos is as much a branch in portrait photography, as is portraits as such, senior portraits, wedding photos, children's portraits, pet portraiture etc., so yes, there seems to be a market (more so in the States than here in Germany, I feel), and there is a clientele that LIKES these photos. Hence there should be people there who learn to or are already able to cater also for this field of people photography.

Childless women may not feel this really IS something anyone might be interested in, since they have never gone through this stage of pregnancy in their lives. My daughter, who's a mere 15 years old (going on 16 in April) doesn't like to see maternity photos, either. So you're not alone. She doesn't say she finds them "nauseating" as such, but she sure finds them a little "horrifying". The thought that a woman's body can be stretched to such capacities sure DOES give her feelings of unease. But she'd only ever tell ME...

OK, that said, I sometimes also think that working with transparent cloth might in the end be the "friendlier" approach to this kind of photography, but all in all: to keep as memory a photo of this state is worth the while, for even as the woman who once WENT through one or two or three pregancies you FORGET what it was like and what you looked like, and you look at such photos in awe and think "Was that ever possible? My child fitted in there?" (That said, I must also say that I don't have any maternity photos of myself and my own pregnancies, other than some snapshots my husband took in our home).
 
I like the fourth and sixth best
I've seen shots with the blocks spelling out 'baby' before and usually they have the mom sitting at an angle so the blocks run vertically on the belly, rather than across. I think this would help outline the shape. with the black shirt, you can't really tell she's pg.
the pic with the bow is a nice shot too, just not my style. but well done, I think.
i actually did try to do the blocks that way but when she laid down her belly got kinda flattened and it didn't look right. that's why i did it that way but i can see where you guys are saying that original block shot is unflattering and snapshotty. i agree about the black shirt not helping her look pregnant. she's actually 35 weeks pregnant believe it or not! P.S. please don't mind the sloppy pp, I was just doing it quickly to post here.

DSC_0061.jpg

DSC_0073-1.jpg
 
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1. Way too soft for my taste.
2. Kind of an unflattering snap shot.
3. I like it as a selective color shot (see the posted edit). It's a keeper.
4. Decent pic, I think it's a keeper.
5. The lighting is bad and the statue looks like a phallic symbol, not real flattering.
6. I would have done something more with the angle, and perhaps with the guy... have him kissing the belly or embracing her more and looking down in a more loving way... not looking like they are posing for a snap shot... if that makes any sense.
does this look better now without the softness?
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is this one a better take on #6?
DSC_0092-1.jpg


To the OP, yes you got issues here man. Try and do a search for other maternity shots. I'm not saying ape them angle-for-angle (although you could) - but see what other people are doing. Also, what lenses are you working with here, that can go a long way in getting some help here.

About the only one I would I would keep is #4.



The rest have some serious contrast issues, the poses are not very flattering, or you've got that dog gone on camera flash hitting them dead on. If you are SERIOUS about giving these guys materinity shots (and you can do it), see about getting them in front of a more flattering background, get that flash off-camera, and a more intriguing wardrobe.
I did actually do a search for maternity poses and these are what I found. Can you give me any ideas in that area? I was mostly using the 55-200 lens and it was tough because the room I was in was so small so it made the shots harder to take. I used 18-55 for a few shots but like I said earlier, that lens is broken (and I was running out of time to take these pics) but I still used it. (bad I know but I'm not charging them for these, they're merely practice shots) I was using my sb-600 on camera for these but I wasn't sure how to bounce it off the ceiling the right way when I was holding the camera vertically so that's probably where that came from. How can I fix the contrast on photos? Is it something I have to do in the settings? I agree about the background, but there wasn't much to work with and their wardrobe was a little lax for being in photos, I agree there too. Is there a way for me to fix that magenta look to the photos now in photoshop? I have PSE 5.0. I obviously didn't know anything about the white balance stuff before going in so hopefully I can fix these up. What could I have changed the white balance to to make these pics not come out like this?

Thanks for all your feedback!

Wildlife Girl, you're entitled to your opinion as well, sorry if maternity shots aren't your thing, but if you are so bothered by maternity shots, perhaps you shouldn't have opened a post entitled "a few from my maternity shoot". I appreciate your compliment on my photography though, even if the composition isn't your thing.
 
There is a setting called levels that you can play with in order to fix the white balance in your images.... Its pretty easy to play with there are three eye droppers a black and white and a gray. Pick the eye dropper you want to use (I usually use the white) and find the whitest spot on the photo and click using the dropper. It will change the coloring of the image. There is an auto feature as well but that wont always give you the correct look.

As far as the settings go its hard to tell. One way for sure is look at the photos as your taking them. Your camera should also have a metering mode if I had to guess that would make a custom setting based on where your shooting. As much as you may or may not want to take out the manual that came with your camera and read it. There are also other books out there for different camera models that you can pick up they are basically just a different version of your manual.
 
I like 1 (without the softness), Love 3 (especially with the selective coloring), and I also like the cropped version of 4 (she seems too wide without the crop).

I just wanted to say thank you to ANDS! Thanks for understanding that we are beginners ;). You are always so helpful and supportive.
 
The last two that you posted were much better. I would probably say clone out the tattoo on his arm and the stretch marks on her stomach though.
 
I do have to say that I also find maternity shots horribly unappealing. No dis to the Op, I mean all of them. Almost all of them, anyways. Every once in a while there are some and you're like, 'wow, that really embodies the beauty of childbirth an pregnancy!' But most of the time I feel like it's just really ugly looking. I feel like maybe it's eally hard to pull off aesthetically appealing maternity shots. Most images' only appeal is hat there's a pergnant woman in it, and that mostly only appeals to people who know and love that person. But to make a maternity image that anyone can look at and say, 'hey, that's really beautiful'. That's hard to do.
 
generalbenson, I agree with you
even as a mother of four, I'm not a big fan of most maternity shots, though I do wish I had some of myself. I wouldn't display them, or even put them in the family album, but would enjoy viewing them privately every now and then.
I think its very difficult to produce a maternity shot that conveys the beauty of pg, but very possible to produce maternity shots that satisfy (and bring enjoyment to) the expectant parents.
 
I'm sorry for posting in this thread and for being offensive, I honestly didn't mean it that way.

To the OP, you're right, I shouldn't have opened the thread, but I had never seen a maternity shoot before. I didn't even know what it was! :blushing:

I see now, that it's just the type of photography itself I find offensive, unless it was really subtle, I don't know. But, I'm sure these photos are more along the line of what the customer wants.

I'll be off, sorry again to the OP, meant nothing against your photography. And, sorry to everyone else. :(
 

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