Cute Baby Inside :) Feedback Please!

[KelSS90]

Looking for any and all critique on these. I learned a lot from the feedback of last set of 6month pictures that I posted and read up on a lot based on the comments, so I think/hope there was some improvement here.

Camera settings for all: f/4, 1/125, ISO 800.

1&2 ... Taken in the living room with the girls facing a large window. Lots of natural light, but all overhead lights and lamps were on as well (fan light up above, inset lighting in the ceiling to their left, table lamp to their right).



3 ... Taken facing front door, spot metered for the baby and then brought the highlights down to try to correct the overblown outdoors. Mom was holding her around her right wrist and hand to support her sitting, so I had to crop it




4 ... This one was literally a shot in the dark. Lol. Was packing up as mom was playing with baby and just grabbed my camera to get a quick shot, all the lights had been turned off so I just had the light from the window (and didn't have time to adjust any camera settings). It was SO underexposed that I thought it was unsalavageable. I was able to make it okay (I think) but wishing the ceiling wasn't so, so white. And really wishing I had taken the time to reset and asked her to play a couple of more times.


Overall impressions? Comments? Critique? All is VERY appreciated!

 

[tirediron]

Nice series; it's refreshing to see smiling, happy infants instead of sleeping ones. My only real niggle is some minor variations in WB between the colour images.

 

[KelSS90]

Thanks! She's is the happiest baby I have ever met. Every single time someone speaks in her direction, she smiles. Which was amazing while I was shooting yesterday.

Looking through the whole set I have, the WB is fairly inconsistent throughout (which is weird because the settings weren't changed between shots). With the given sample here, would you say the second image looks about right? (Going to go through in Lightroom and try to gain more consistency, but would like to be correcting them in the right direction and not making the good ones worse. Lol)


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[Parker219]

When you sharpened these images, especially number 1, did you sharpen the ENTIRE image? From the looks of it, you did, because I see a lot of noise on the background / wall as well as on the subjects.


I ran a noise reduction just on the background and a couple minor things. I don't know if my edits will show it too well, by the time I download yours, upload mine, ect, its not going to work as well if you do the edits with your raw files of course.



View attachment 64323

 

[Parker219]

haha- ok Its hard to tell. Like I said, just take the original photo and if you sharpen, just sharpen the subjects, in my opinion, you will get better results.

 

[KelSS90]

I did try to do some noise reduction, but wasn't all that successful. If you used Lightroom, do you mind sharing what steps you took/what sliders you used? Thanks for taking the time to re-edit! I appreciate it.


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[Parker219]

In lightroom, look over on the right hand side under the DETAIL tab. Then adjust the luminance slider to JUST where it gets rid of the noise, don't over-do it because then you will start to lose a lot of detail. Also adjust the detail and contrast sliders right in the same section. After the photo has no noise, then you can selective sharpen...well in Photoshop you can, not sure about lightroom.

 

[KelSS90]

I think I'll be able to selective sharpen in Lightroom with the adjustment brush at the top. I used the luminance slider but I'm always afraid ill venture into that weird "this kid looks like an airbrushed doll" area. Lol. I'll reset at least the Valentine's Day ones and have another go at it in the morning. Thanks for the help!


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[KelSS90]

Parker, did some re-edits based on your critique? First was my original edit and the second is what I came up with after messing around with it a bit more...cdoes it looks over edited? Also, does the second look too warm? Thanks again.

 

[ronlane]

If Dad's a golfer then #2 is the bomb. You should try a series with the hat and golf balls and get the baby's face. I like the b&w.

 

[KelSS90]

Thanks Ron! Dad is a huge golfer and I think she is going to frame it and surprise him for Valentine's Day. The baby is SO close to sitting... so maybe I can go that first week of February and try to get some more shots like that.

 

[ronlane]

Thanks Ron! Dad is a huge golfer and I think she is going to frame it and surprise him for Valentine's Day. The baby is SO close to sitting... so maybe I can go that first week of February and try to get some more shots like that.

If you can get the baby sitting up and not crop the hand, that would be awesome. I'm sure that he will love any of them with the golf. (Us golfing Daddy's love for our kids to show interest or have on golf stuff.)