Baby Photography - Feedback Please!

atsilvers27 · Nov 5, 2013

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and a complete beginner. I just got my Nikon DSLR 5100 a few weeks back and am so excited for my first "big" camera. I've taken a few photos of my newborn in her christening outfit, and I have mixed feelings about them. I like how they look but these are in lieu of having them professionally done. I used the "portrait" setting. I edited the photos in Windows Live Photo Gallery. Please critique and let me know how I can improve my photography!

atsilvers27 · Nov 5, 2013

Whoops! The first one is wrong - I had to resize these and that one looks grainy...here's the proper photo:

D-B-J · Nov 5, 2013

They are okay.. but not professional. It's definitely a good start, but there are some issues here. The backgrounds in some are simple (a couch, a sheet), and distract from the image. All of the wrinkles in the image you reposted distract from the baby. In the shot with the window sill in the back, both the sill and cushion button distract from the baby.

Overall, the images are exposed well, but could use a slight bit of warming (they seem on the cool side to me).

Lastly, I've seen many newborn shots done using lenses with wide apertures, to get a really shallow DOF. For me, I really like that tactic, and wonder if you have tried this to?

Disclaimer: I'm no newborn photo professional, these are all just my opinions. Take them as you wish.

Jake

paigew · Nov 5, 2013

I think this is a great start. Did you shoot these in manual mode? What were your settings? #2 is my favorite because of the eye contact and little smile. This is a hard age to photograph because they aren't quite strong enough to hold the head up, but are strong enough that they are flailing about a lot. I know you wanted the dress, but in older newborns swaddles help keep things clean and simple. I would forgo the fake backdrop, find a good window by a bed and take some lifestyle images. Really look at your baby and take a photo of her, not just of her in some dress. Tight fitting clothes (onsies) are preferred because it shows the tinyness of the baby. As is, baby gets lost in the big dress.

atsilvers27 · Nov 5, 2013

Thanks for the feedback... Perhaps I should've labeled this "Christening" baby pictures as they were for her Christening, not just regular baby pictures. But yes the dress is big. Maybe a similar issue with a big wedding dress?

paigew · Nov 5, 2013

atsilvers27 said:
Thanks for the feedback... Perhaps I should've labeled this "Christening" baby pictures as they were for her Christening, not just regular baby pictures. But yes the dress is big. Maybe a similar issue with a big wedding dress?

Well a wedding dress is different because it usual fits the bride, who is a grown woman, not a teeny tiny baby. Take a look at professional baby photos that you really love. I would bet they aren't wearing over-sized clothes. But I get it, its a traditional photo if you do the christening thing. If you want professional looking photos, ditch the dress.

atsilvers27 · Nov 5, 2013

OK. Now that I have some time to sit down and look at this properly...I shot this with the "child" setting on the Nikon, which I guess is the short-cut/beginner/lazy way of doing it. Here's the breakdown for the one with the slight smile (#2).

Camer Model Nikon D5100
F-stop f/3.5
Exposure Time 1/100 sec.
ISO Speed ISO-400
Exposure bias 0 step
Focal length 18 mm
Max apeture 3.6
Metering Mode Pattern
35mm focal length 27

I can crop the photos so the gown doesn't take up so much space, but then I lose part of the essense of the photo, I guess almost like cropping off a wedding gown. If the gown weren't so important I agree with the minimalist approach.

paigew · Nov 5, 2013

These photos are fine for what they are...your baby in her gown. Try again, don't try and make these into something they aren't. Lay her on a flat surface (bed) that is in nice light.

Get on manual mode so you know exactly what your camera is doing. The fstop the camera chose was pretty good (f3.5). The shutterspeed however, was too low. These may have come out with no motion blur but that is lucky. I think 1/200 is a much safer choice for a baby this size. With toddlers I prefer 1/320+. Then adjust your iso accordingly (per meter reading)