CC my 1st shots in full Manual Please

[birdfish]

I shot these two against a black seamless paper background using an on camera flash bounced off the ceiling. There was a huge window with natural light about 6 ft. to his right. Due to limited space in my living room he was approx. 1 ft. from the background and I was shooting about 3 or 4 feet away from him, if that. I haven't done any PP yet just wanted to get some CC.

This was my first time shooting in full manual and I think I used SS 1/160, Aperture of F9, and I didn't realize it but ISO was set to 1600.

Here are my personal critiques:

On #1 I know the paper is wrinkled in a few places especially at his left foot. And I like the overall greyish color (even though I was trying to get black) except for the light color across the middle where the paper roll went from vertical to horizontal. Any suggestions on how to remedy that when shooting?

And on # 2, again the light color across the middle. Plus some dog hair on the paper to his right. And, I was going for a black BG again. Also the fact that his shirt says Little Slugger while he is holding a basketball irks me. I really love his expression in this one though. Although I am biased since he is my son and my favorite subject to shoot/practice with. He's really gonna hate me one day for all the pics I take of him.


1.

2.

 

[Tigertail]

I think #2 would feel more natural if it were framed above the subject following him looking up rather than below him. Biggest issue I have though is with the backdrop. I don't think it was a good color choice and gives a dull and lifeless feel to the photos. A lighter color would have helped a lot but I think shooting in a more natural setting or outdoors would be best. I've seen baby shots done on grass with them playing with objects and they look far more fun-filled and lively. This kinda reminds me of the default gradients in Illustrator that no one uses.

 

[KmH]

The cove of the seamless caught a lot of the bounced light and really detracts from the background.

The high angle of the bounced light, while large and soft like the window light, is from an un-flattering angle. It doesn't look like you used any kind of a bounce card to direct light straight ahead from the on camera flash unit.

IMO both shots would have had more impact if framed vertically rather than horizontally. Your subject would have had more scale in the image and the negative space uing the horizontal framing serves no useful purpose in the photo.

 

[birdfish]

Thanks tiger! I kinda like the backdrop though, it's different from what I usually do with him. I've done tons of outdoor shots with him and just wanted to try something different.

 

[IgsEMT]

my 2c
Lighting is dull, flat and boring. Bouncing in nice, but I find ceiling isn't always the best place to bounce the light of. Every once in a while when my kids are doing something funky in the kitchen, I grab the camera and bounce the light off light-wood finish cabinet doors. It adds so-called-dimensionality to the image and decent enough ratio.

Good Luck