Digital noob needs help w/ infant photos

[Noisycricket]

Hi guys! I'm new to the digital age. I got my AA in photo in 98 so was all film. My hubby bought me a D90 for our wedding. I like to photo babies, kids & couples mostly. I shoot in RAW and use Photoshop & now Lightroom. I feel like my pics are lacking that crispy, polished, finished look. I also feel like I'm having difficulty with the focus. Through googling, I've found that this may be a common issue with the D90. I shoot in auto sometimes, I know I know, but it's hard to do the settings while chasing a maniacal 2 year old around. Infants are easier, I usually use aperture priority as I like the babies sharp and a soft background. However, that sharpness sometimes isn't where it's supposed to be. I've read the manual and tried a few different things I've read online. The other thing is what I said before, not having that finished look on my pics. People like them but they're not photographers and it bothers me. Darkrooms are simpler. Any ideas, help?
Thanks!

 

[cgipson1]

Ideas? yea.. post some photos with the problems you speak of! With the shot / exif data... so we can see what is going on.

 

[terri]

Welcome to TPF, Noisycricket! We're happy to have you on board. I've moved your thread from the Welcome forum over here to where you can get suggestions from more advanced members here. There is always a lot to learn, and changing your workflow will certainly come with challenges. I still shoot film so I'm no help with digital advice.

Take Charlie's advice and post some of your work with the issues you are experiencing, and you should get plenty of replies. Enjoy the forum!

 

[gummibear]

Yes, post some photos of your work. You may need to try manual focus or a faster, sharper lens. Also when you shoot in RAW you will need to adjust your sharpness levels when processing, because the RAW file will not apply whatever camera settings you have set.

 

[OhMGPhoto]

Whatever you do, steer clear of playing with the "clarity" scale in ACR! IMO it creates a muddy, thickness to the lines of the image. best for landscapes or animals where rough is tolerable. But I agree, use the sharpening abilities in ACR to sharpen images. If you don't know the navigation of all that yet, either google OR just go into photoshop and use "Fliter>Shapen>Unsharpen Mask" Also, there are amazing actions out these days (Free, of course.) found on major "popular" photographers websites. Paint the Moon, Michelle Kane, Florabella, MCP to name a few.

 

[KmH]

I use the Clarity slider in Presence section of ACR all the time.
The Clarity slider adjusts the mid-tone contrast.

Sharpening is a complex subject, and there are a variety of sharpening techniques. Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

It's likely a lot of the OPs focus issues boil down to depth-of-field control. Understanding Depth of Field in Photography