:( disappointed

[mrsdthompson]

Here is a link to my first shot trying to shoot pregnant women. I am SOOOO disappointed in myself! I like very few of the pictures I took tonight. We had so many struggles everywhere we went to take pics we encountered crazy scary people... Here is a link to what I have. Nothing seems in focus. What do I do differently? How do I focus on more than one person so that the image of both people are clear? I feel the girls are so out of focus... Can you help me??? I've always done better I think than this with the littles I've shot. Also the thinner girl would NOT smile and seemed very uncomfortable. How do you break this or is there a way to work with it???

Pictures by daniellelct - Photobucket

 

[mrsdthompson]

Forgot to mention that all photos are unedited and I forgot to set the white balance from auto before I took them.

 

[postalkitty]

As far as dealing with people who are uncomfortable, I may be able to help you out with that. The other stuff is a bit harder since I am still new to this whole thing. There are two things I can definitely suggest.

a) Try being a model and observe in that respect.
b) Meet with the people before hand and build a relationship and see how you work with each other off of how you get along and etc. Every photographer that I have worked with model-wise I have always met with before the shoot. We would talk about what they expected and any ideas from either party as far as what was wanted of the shoot and if either person felt uncomfortable. Then either straight after or at a planned time, we would get together and shoot. There would always be short session of warming up (testing of lights, shots etc) and then we went forward with it. There is a certain level of comfort that must be reached otherwise it will not turn out right. I know of a few photographers that if they get a bad feeling about a person or just don't feel that they will be able to work with said person due to clash of personality (difficult model), they will politely refuse to work with that person and just move on. Chemistry is everything. The best shoots that I have ever had have always been with someone I meshed with and I felt the most comfortable with. This, you cannot force, but you can gain. Some things that have helped ease some people including myself was the use of music. Have the model play their favorite music and sometimes it helps them relax a bit.

 

[Scoody]

Dude! What can I say? You say you have done better and I believe it because I doubt you can do any worse. When did you check the White Balance? At the end of the shoot? I check my White Balance every few shots. The poses seem stiff and cold. Maternity sessions are about celebrating the pregnancy. Those girls do not seem to be celebrating anything. Standing there, all stiff and mannequin like holding a few props does not make for a maternity session. Even the composition is off, there is no DOF.

 

[brandibell]

I generally dont click links so I haven't seen the pictures. In regards to making clients/ models comfortable I always meet before the shoot to introduce myself, sign contracts, go over questions or concerns etc. While on the shoot I make conversation (I find maternity easy - babies, pregnancy etc) and keep a positive and confidant attitude. If you seem nervous, uncomfortable or awkward how can you expect your client to feel comfortable? I also will compliment my client to make them feel confidant ( but be sincere don't say something that you don't think is true). I also always guide them through poses. I find many people are always worried about how to pose, in most cases you can't just put someone in front of the camera and expect them to know pose. Also if you make a suggestion they don't like or are not comfortable with don't push it on them. Offer them your advice from a profession point of view but ultimately the client decides what they want.

 

[WesternGuy]

Here is a link to my first shot trying to shoot pregnant women. I am SOOOO disappointed in myself! I like very few of the pictures I took tonight. We had so many struggles everywhere we went to take pics we encountered crazy scary people... Here is a link to what I have. Nothing seems in focus. What do I do differently? How do I focus on more than one person so that the image of both people are clear? I feel the girls are so out of focus... Can you help me??? I've always done better I think than this with the littles I've shot. Also the thinner girl would NOT smile and seemed very uncomfortable. How do you break this or is there a way to work with it???

Pictures by daniellelct - Photobucket

1st point: a lot of people, me included, do not like to click on links, it can be a way to get a virus infection - not that you would ever do that, but someone from outside could conceivably rig your images and then...don't laugh it happened to me on another forum and it took me almost 8 hours and some phone calls to McAfee to get rid of the thing - needless to say I do not use their product any more.

2nd point: your best bet if you are looking for C&Cs is to post a few of what you think are your better shots, on this forum - no one, including me, has the time or the commitment to plough through a great pile of images and provide feedback. If you post 5 or 6 of what you think are your best images, then your chances of getting some C&Cs are quite a lot higher. You should also make sure they are edited and have the WB, and anything else, set as well. If you don't have enough respect for the others on this forum who are prepared to give you honest and hopefully, beneficial feedback on your images, to provide them with a "best efforts" product on your part, then the comments, if you get any at all, and you will, will not be aimed at the quality of your images.

My 0.02¢, FWIW.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[Vtec44]

IMHO, you can benefit a lot from OCF.

 

[sleist]

You have a lot to learn, so make this a learning experience.
I would not charge people for your learning experiences though.

Besides what has already been said, you will be challenged using only the 55-200mm lens for portraits (based on your profile). I don't mean to imply that new gear would have improved things here, but if you are going to shoot portraits, there are some basic pieces of kit that will improve the potential for great results.

If money is tight, read some books and online resources.

And bag the props ..... The question mark makes be wonder if she knows who the father is.

 

[ghache]

You really need to work on composition, lightning posing..her outfit doesnt make her justice either. I dont think the location (or the way you used it) was the best for a maternity session.
Maternity pictures need a bit more work since your have to get the good angle and compose your shots differently so the focus is on the belly.

The girl in the blue shirt doesnt look pregnant. she just look a bit chubbby. I try to make my pregnancy shots when they are between 25 to 30 weeks. At that point you KNOW they are pegnant.

021.jpg picture by daniellelct - Photobucket

Why would you inlcude the old rusty wall mounted air conditioner in a maternity shot? AND she look like she drove 4000 miles in the back of a pick up truck.

 

[Proteus617]

Were these shot at the end of the day? I see golden light behind the trees. So you have magic hour light and put it behind your subject?

 

[ghache]

Were these shot at the end of the day? I see golden light behind the trees. So you have magic hour light and put it behind your subject?

why not? if she did something right in this shoot it was to put the sun behind her model.

 

[Overread36]

I feel that there is both a technical and a creative lack with the photos (the technical stemming from gear and/or a lack of the creative vision). The creativity is lacking because the poses feel forced and cold (as is the light itself) which is giving you a series of shots where its clear photographer and subject are not engaging as well as they should.

As the photographer its your job in these situations to engage with your client; to get them to relax and ease into the shoot - people skills is a very big part of getting this kind of work to succeed instead of just being cold poses.


Further you will find you can get better feedback with hte more info you give - an idea of the gear you were using and the gear you have access to; what settings you shot with; how you shot; your intent with the poses - what you hoped to capture and show. Mix this with some self sifting of your work *you've several shots with the ? which appear to be just slight variations on the same picture - pick one or two not all*.
Then embedd them into the forum - 5 or so at most to give people and idea and a background to you shots - from there people can far better direct you both technically and also creatively to better help you realise your creative vision.

 

[tirediron]

Okay, I took the bait and clicked the link. There are definitely some issues, and while they're not the best work I've seen, they're not the worst either. There are some common issue with the set as a whole, that if resolved would have improved things vastly.

First, learn to hold your camera level and square to the subject to avoid the kind of bizarre perspective we see in this image. If you're shooting around water, use a polarizing filter to minimize distracting reflections.

Read the tutorials here on exposure and camera metering to get a better understanding of how to meter your subjects. Spend some (a lot!) of time on the Strobist Blog to learn more about off-camera flash. That alone would have saved most of these images.

Shoot RAW - leave your WB in auto and correct it in post. When you're shooting at sunset or sunrise, the temperature of the light. Spend a LOT of time doing research; view every materinity photographer's website you can find, take note of popular and attractive poses. Suggest that clients do the same to give you an idea of what they would like.

As for putting them at ease, that's really a personal thing. I always do a 'pre-shoot' consultation which helps. I show them some of my work, and ask them what they would like. Ask them if they are camera shy - sometimes it will help to have a friend of family member, sometimes not. Ask them.

 

[tron]

since i dont have an exif reading program at work, im going to be that guy and ask what camera you used. that might help us help you with the technical aspects.

i came in here looking to relentlessly flame but everyone has ****ty days. keep us updated, youve gotten some good advice already and a lot of people will continue to help you out.

 

[mrsdthompson]

I agree with the poses These girls had no confidence and would do nothing with out direction. The bigger one wouldn't/couldn't sit said she'd pee her pants:? I tried getting them to laugh... but it wasn't doing much for me. The one in the blue no good. They are sisters and wanted me to take their pics or I wouldn't have done it so early in her pregnancy. LOL on the question mark comment! Here are some of my "edited" ones. I'll be back on later and reply to all the questions when I have more time