My daughters 1st Halloween (with my wife in there too)

[JAC526]

Hi guys.

My wife and I took our daughter to a local farm for some fall/Halloween shots. Please C&C so I can improve.

All of these were shot with a 5d and sigma 50 1.4. I shot with one hand held off camera flash. Most were shot at f/8 and 1/200.


Mom and Sophie 2 by JChick526, on Flickr

This was the only shot that used all natural light.


Sophie and Mom Halloween 2012 by JChick526, on Flickr

Flash was up and camera left as far as my short stubby arm could reach.


untitled-7423 by JChick526, on Flickr

Flash was above camera as far as I could reach and to the left. I wish I could of avoided the shadow from my wife's hand. I think a reflector or second strobe would of helped. But I didn't have enough hands.


untitled-7435 by JChick526, on Flickr

I believe the flash was straight on but up high on this one.

Thanks for looking guys.

Joe

 

[JAC526]

bump.....

 

[paigew]

aww baby's first pumpkin patch These are super cute pics but they are pretty much snapshots. The lighting, composition, posing, and dof are all very casual/snapshot feeling.

 

[JAC526]

So what would you change to make them less snapshotty?

 

[paigew]

The lighting, composition, posing, and dof

Do you have a vision or idea of how you want these photos to look? Have you ever photographed people before?

 

[JAC526]

I wouldn't say a particular vision. I knew that from where we were shooting that I needed a reflector or a speedlight. I chose the speedlight b/c it is easier to manage as one person than a reflector.

I chose a smaller aperture b/c I wanted everything in focus. However, the third shot would be better if I had used a bigger aperture to isolate my wife from the background.

I have shot people before. I was looking for specifics concerning the lighting, composition, posing, and DoF

 

[paigew]

wb is off on all shots. baby looks tense and uncomfortable in all shots except #2 where it looks as if mom is 'choking' her. Also you never want to shoot 'up the nostrils'. 2&3 look very 'flashy' with glares and flat lighting.

 

[JAC526]

I need a solution for white balance for sure. Either an expodisc or more likely a gray card (b/c of expense). And yeah I should of taken a lot more shots and spent a lot more time shooting to get pictures where the baby does look comfortable.

She's my daughter so of course I'm biased. I was using a Yongnuo 560 with just a generic diffuser and I am still very much a noob at flash.

Thank you for the honest opinion. It is what I need to improve.