Baby Please C+C

[YvetteC]

I would love advice...thank you!

 

[janineh]

1. Baby underexposed. Not looking at camera. Not a very charming look. Babies that age are better photographed asleep.

2. Funny angle. Baby not looking at you...

 

[tirediron]

Yep. That! ^^

 

[MLeeK]

adding 2 has motion blur in it.

 

[myvinyl333]

I am not experienced in portrait photography so I will refrain from technical comments. I like both shots. Would like to see more of the swing shot which would add to the facial expression. Keep doing what you are doing because it is working. Good luck.

 

[YvetteC]

Thank you so much for your comments...I want to learn as much as I can. I kind of have a thing for cross-eyed newborns but I can certainly see how not everyone thinks that is an appealing look! I was wondering if the baby was underexposed but I don't have enough experience yet to trust my own judgement. Lighting is still a struggle for me.

Is always better to have the subject looking directly at the camera or is that more of a personal preference?

2 was the least blurry I had...the swing was moving and the baby was laughing/moving. Any advice for that scenario?

 

[myvinyl333]

You could run the shot through whatever editing program you use and adjust the exposure to have some options.
Who tells a baby to look into the camera, Wal-Mart? IMO break the rules as often as you like. If this is a paid gig then listen to the professionals, If not it is your preference all the way.
I see nothing wrong with the so called blur. But I defer to the professionals if this is a paid shot. If I was shooting a moving baby I would use the fastest lens I had and set my camera to shoot continuously in hopes of getting that one shot.

 

[myvinyl333]

While looking @ websites I ran across one you might find interesting: Janine Harris Photography - Janine Harris Photography

 

[YvetteC]

You could run the shot through whatever editing program you use and adjust the exposure to have some options.
Who tells a baby to look into the camera, Wal-Mart? IMO break the rules as often as you like. If this is a paid gig then listen to the professionals, If not it is your preference all the way.
I see nothing wrong with the so called blur. But I defer to the professionals if this is a paid shot. If I was shooting a moving baby I would use the fastest lens I had and set my camera to shoot continuously in hopes of getting that one shot.

Thank you! Not a paid gig at all...just a hobby to escape the stress of my job so I guess I get to break all the rules! With kids, I prefer to capture them when they are playing, laughing, etc. I like to capture personality, not just an image. I don't think that philosophy lends itself to rule following. I feel pretty good about what I'm capturing...I just want to make sure I'm on the right track with the stuff that doesn't come naturally to me....the more technical stuff. Thanks for the link too...interesting.

 

[myvinyl333]

You could run the shot through whatever editing program you use and adjust the exposure to have some options.
Who tells a baby to look into the camera, Wal-Mart? IMO break the rules as often as you like. If this is a paid gig then listen to the professionals, If not it is your preference all the way.
I see nothing wrong with the so called blur. But I defer to the professionals if this is a paid shot. If I was shooting a moving baby I would use the fastest lens I had and set my camera to shoot continuously in hopes of getting that one shot.

Thank you! Not a paid gig at all...just a hobby to escape the stress of my job so I guess I get to break all the rules! With kids, I prefer to capture them when they are playing, laughing, etc. I like to capture personality, not just an image. I don't think that philosophy lends itself to rule following. I feel pretty good about what I'm capturing...I just want to make sure I'm on the right track with the stuff that doesn't come naturally to me....the more technical stuff. Thanks for the link too...interesting.

There is a beginners forum where you can ask anything. Most important thing with photography is to have fun and it is satisfying to you. Lots of fantastic photographers willing to help you.

 

[slow231]

You could run the shot through whatever editing program you use and adjust the exposure to have some options.
Who tells a baby to look into the camera, Wal-Mart? IMO break the rules as often as you like. If this is a paid gig then listen to the professionals, If not it is your preference all the way.
I see nothing wrong with the so called blur. But I defer to the professionals if this is a paid shot. If I was shooting a moving baby I would use the fastest lens I had and set my camera to shoot continuously in hopes of getting that one shot.

this is so true. but that said, in most instances, i bet you'd prefer a shot of the baby looking into the camera. i agree with the comments so far. 1 is a blank expression (which they tend to give a lot at that age and hence the trend toward sleeping shots), and 2 has a ton of blur which I (and probably most others) do not prefer in the subject. babies are so candid with their expressions. the eyes alone can tell a lot, so softness on the face i can deal with, but blurred eyes is a huge faux pas for me. look at how good expression is in 2. i don't think anyone will tell you that this shot wouldn't be better had the eyes been crisp.

 

[manaheim]

1. Baby underexposed. Not looking at camera. Not a very charming look. Babies that age are better photographed asleep.

2. Funny angle. Baby not looking at you...

I agree with this, though 2 did make me laugh.

 

[gnorknik]

Is the first photo around the three month mark? That's usually the hardest stage to photograph until they get to toddler age. It helps to have some sort of noisemaker to get their attention, or just have mom stand behind you.