Lens for photographing children

[abee]

Here are all the details:

I borrowed 2 soft box lights. I believe they were 1600W. It was slightly cloudy that day, so I opened all the blinds up to let as much natural light in. I used a 35mm 1.8G lens that I rented (only because I thought I needed a wide lens than my 50mm, but all that ended up happening was it was too wide and I had to crop every photo). My settings were: Manual mode, ISO 800, shutter speed 1/250, F2.8. I used a grey card to set my white balance. I used a tripod because my ISO was up. I shot RAW and used Lightroom to crop the photos, increased the temperature slightly and sharpened them.

I went to London Drugs to print them, and because I cropped them, they ended up being square images, so then London Drugs software had to crop them further to fit them into 4x6. The printed photos are clear to the layman's eyes and from far away, but to me they look noisy and not as crisp as the beautiful images others have posted in this thread.

I'm just at a loss because I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I never seem to get those perfectly sharp images that everyone posts, unless I am outside on a nice day. So its obviously the lighting.

I have toyed with the idea of upgrading my D3200 body, but then I've always thought that you upgrade your lens and not the body. So should I upgrade to the D7200? Upgrade to the 50mm 1.4? Or get different lighting?

 

[abee]

Here is the photo, hopefully its big enough. This is edited in Lightroom

 

[budget cruncher]

I think your biggest issue is shooting at f/2.8.

For this shot, try sending it to another print lab, and experiment a bit with paper types. Also, be sure to sharpen it first.

 

[DandL]

Here are all the details:

I borrowed 2 soft box lights. I believe they were 1600W. It was slightly cloudy that day, so I opened all the blinds up to let as much natural light in. I used a 35mm 1.8G lens that I rented (only because I thought I needed a wide lens than my 50mm, but all that ended up happening was it was too wide and I had to crop every photo). My settings were: Manual mode, ISO 800, shutter speed 1/250, F2.8. I used a grey card to set my white balance. I used a tripod because my ISO was up. I shot RAW and used Lightroom to crop the photos, increased the temperature slightly and sharpened them.

I went to London Drugs to print them, and because I cropped them, they ended up being square images, so then London Drugs software had to crop them further to fit them into 4x6. The printed photos are clear to the layman's eyes and from far away, but to me they look noisy and not as crisp as the beautiful images others have posted in this thread.

I'm just at a loss because I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I never seem to get those perfectly sharp images that everyone posts, unless I am outside on a nice day. So its obviously the lighting.

I have toyed with the idea of upgrading my D3200 body, but then I've always thought that you upgrade your lens and not the body. So should I upgrade to the D7200? Upgrade to the 50mm 1.4? Or get different lighting?

For about the same money (unless you buy used/refurbished) than upgrading to a D7200 and a 50mm 1.4 lens, you can purchase two Einstein strobes Paul C. Buff - The Genius Package complete with stands, wireless transmitter and modifiers (umbrellas). I don't believe you can achieve the results you say you are looking for by upgrading your camera body and/or lens, without addressing the light issue.

Your D3200 is 24mp, same as my D7100 and the D7200. Even though you have an f/1.8 lens, you shot at f/2.8, so going to a f/1.4 wouldn't make any difference. The photos I posted were shot at f/8 and f/7.1. Had I used a 50mm f/1.4, I still would have shot at f/8 and f/7.1 for those photos.

My recommendation is to get some quality lighting...

Doug

 

[robbins.photo]

Here is the photo, hopefully its big enough. This is edited in Lightroom

Ok, so first recommendation, from looking at this looks like your letting the camera choose your focus point. I'd reduce the number of focus points it has available to choose from to just one, and put that focus point on the child's eye. The eyes are the first place your eyes are drawn too, so if they look soft the whole photo looks soft. My guess is the camera's af choose the basket instead from the looks of things, since it was a higher contrast. The basket looks sharp, the other elements look soft

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

[cherylynne1]

I agree with The Zoo Guy. Looking back at the first picture, it might even have chosen the bunny instead of the baby.

Deciding what to upgrade depends on what the problem is. I only mentioned the d7200 because I thought the grain might be the problem, and the d7200 handles high ISO better than the d3200. I think we can pretty much agree that the lens isn't the problem in this situation. I think that if the camera was focused correctly with good lighting and a lower ISO, you'd be happy with the results. So...for right now, I wouldn't recommend upgrading anything. Just practice with what you have. You have equipment that is capable of getting the results you want, it's just a matter of using them correctly. If you're really determined to spend money, then I also agree that lighting is going to help the most.

Also, you mentioned that you used a tripod because your ISO was up...there's plenty of reasons to use a tripod in this situation (for instance, so you can gesture and make funny sounds without moving your camera) but that's not one of them. You might be confusing the advice that you should use a tripod so you can have a lower ISO and therefore a slower shutter speed, which isn't advisable in this situation anyway because babies are always moving. But higher ISO alone doesn't mean you need to use a tripod. Just wanted to clarify.

 

[abee]

You people are amazing. Thank you for the advise I will take everything you said and apply it to my next shoot. Thank you!!!!

 

[DanOstergren28 3]

I've included a sample photo. I believe I was at ISO 800 (it was cloudy) and aperture at 2.8. I used a grey card to set my white balance.

I think this looks great, and you are being too critical. The lighting is beautiful, and your colors look amazing. I also really love the grain you got from shooting at a high ISO; paired with the soft colors and light, I think the grain gives it a very pleasing sense of nostalgia. I don't think photographers should constantly be avoiding grain or a little bit of softness. They can add a lot to a photograph.

 

[fmw]

Sounds like you are using a shutter speed a bit too slow for hand holding the camera. The problem is not the camera or lens. The problem is likely technique. If you have a tripod, use it.

 

[budget cruncher]

If you have a tripod, use it.

She was using it.