As promised toddler shoot C&C

MattK0138 · Aug 4, 2011

Thanks for the tips earlier on the toddler shoot. Here are my 2 favorites from my latest attempt. I think I need to work on my lighting more but I was happiest with these. I need to learn so let me have it good, bad and ugly.

1

2

oldmacman · Aug 4, 2011

What was the goal of low key lighting with the toddler? To me, low key is dark and moody, which he kind of is in the first pic. Pic 2 has him washed out a bit. Is this done with a flash or strobes and were any light modifiers used? It looks like pic 2 used a snoot across the eyes.

Ryan L · Aug 4, 2011

I didnt see the thread earlier so maybe I missed something, but for me... not a good look. How about bright green fields, beach, water, baseball, things kids like to do.

MattK0138 · Aug 4, 2011

My goal was to have the focus completely on his face and I did low key because it's different than what you normally see and it's so hard to keep him still so instead of taking 200 shots with him running out of frame or flailing around I could capture him easily. I used an off camera flash with a piece of paper shaped in a cone homemade snoot. Again I just thought it was unique instead of the bright shiny portraits and would make his face stand out.

MissCream · Aug 5, 2011

Not a fan of what you did here. Underexposed in the first one, second one looks like a test shot where he passed by a window or something. I would try again, very handsome young man!

Forkie · Aug 5, 2011

It says that your photos are OK to edit, so I've had a go if you don't mind. I tried both, but couldn't get anything I liked out of the second one. This was only a quick 2 minute play.

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This is something I would do with the first pic. Because of all the shadow to the right of him, I've got rid of it by going in for a tighter crop. You'll also notice that his face is now roughly on the top right intersection in the Rule of Thirds. I also chose black & white because the colours, once brightened, weren't great on the black background. I think a high key portrait would have been more successful, especially since his wearing bright clothes!

It's also a shame that I couldn't get any detail out of his eyes, but there's pretty much no information in there to draw out. The same goes for the shadows across his face, I couldn't get anything out from behind the shadow of his nose!

I do love his pose in the first one though, he is a handsome chap!! Hope this helps a little.

(Another minor pointer, kids always have that blue vein across the bridge of their nose and I always clone it out!)

MattK0138 · Aug 5, 2011

Yeah the first one the background was to lighted so I darkened it in gimp. It's not underexposed. I am new to photography and know nothing of editing. Thanks I like the photo edit. I am going to play around in gimp and see if I can get the same result. As far as high key lighting I don't have the equipment I have my camera 2 lenses a remote, tripod, cheap flash with the cord thing allowing me to use it off camera.

hopdaddy · Aug 5, 2011

In your first post, you asked for ways to get your toddler in frame long enough to get a photo. Looks to me you were successful......as far as your photos posted, I will agree with critique given, my course of action would be to make sure ,my Focus, lighting ,and composition were at there best, than look for a unique style..... but than again, I had to be told the same thing.....repeatedly! lol

gsgary · Aug 5, 2011

MattK0138 said:
My goal was to have the focus completely on his face and I did low key because it's different than what you normally see and it's so hard to keep him still so instead of taking 200 shots with him running out of frame or flailing around I could capture him easily. I used an off camera flash with a piece of paper shaped in a cone homemade snoot. Again I just thought it was unique instead of the bright shiny portraits and would make his face stand out.

These are lowest of the low key, you have a long way to go in both of these part of your son are just disappearing into the dark
this is what i class as low key

MattK0138 · Aug 5, 2011

I didn't get him in frame. I chased him around with the camera and held the flash in my other hand. So it was run and gun. That's another reason I chose low key because I couldn't keep in front of a background.

gsgary · Aug 5, 2011

MattK0138 said:
I didn't get him in frame. I chased him around with the camera and held the flash in my other hand. So it was run and gun. That's another reason I chose low key because I couldn't keep in front of a background.

Set up your flash and don't move wait for the moment, here's another of Archie where it looks like he does not move but you could not be so wrong