My first baby shoot!...C&C PLEASE!

[AtuspidsGoddess]

Let me know any thoughts! For this shoot I used a pretty crusty lighting set...=(...but gotta work with what I got right?

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

1. The lighting isn't bad here, but a reflector to bring a little light into her eyes would have helped. I'm NOT fond of the crop however. Bisecting limbs is not a bad thing, but do it boldly, and never at joints and NEVER, EVER laterally (as in the left arm).

2. Cute, but I think a broader crop would have worked much better. I would like to see at least some of her right arm. Nice lighting, but brighter catch-lights would be nice.

3. Again, too tightly cropped for my taste. As per #1 on cropping limbs.

4. Cute, but I would prefer to have her looking more toward the camera. If you're using Mom/Dad to attract the child's attention, always have them stand directly behind you, not off to the side. Looks like the key light was a touch hon on this one. Try and get down to the child's eye-level.

Just my $00.02 Worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

C&C per req:

1. The lighting isn't bad here, but a reflector to bring a little light into her eyes would have helped. I'm NOT fond of the crop however. Bisecting limbs is not a bad thing, but do it boldly, and never at joints and NEVER, EVER laterally (as in the left arm).

2. Cute, but I think a broader crop would have worked much better. I would like to see at least some of her right arm. Nice lighting, but brighter catch-lights would be nice.

3. Again, too tightly cropped for my taste. As per #1 on cropping limbs.

4. Cute, but I would prefer to have her looking more toward the camera. If you're using Mom/Dad to attract the child's attention, always have them stand directly behind you, not off to the side. Looks like the key light was a touch hon on this one. Try and get down to the child's eye-level.

Just my $00.02 Worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

Thanks for the feedback! I haven't done any cropping on these so they are in the framing they were shot in...but will definitely give thought to playing with the cropping on some of these to see what it does...

I had two umbrellas set up...one on either side of her and they don't seem to show at all as catch light? In fact...they hardly showed at all and it was darker than shooting in natural daylight...I had to really post process these in PS and up the brightness and exposure to get any of this lighting at all. =(...Maybe I'm still not getting the idea of catch lights vs. fill light v. all other lights yet...

As for distraction...LMAO...she did not like to be shot and I have more shots of her crying than not...it was actually my fiance in his bright red gonzaga hat that shes staring at in each photo...

 

[tirediron]

The answer is in your EXIF data - Shutter priority, 1/15, f13????? :shock: You need to get your settings sorted out. Remember that aperture affects the flash and shutter-speed affects ambient. In this set-up you were using almost all ambient light and getting virtually no benefit from whtaever lighting (Strobe? Speedlight? Continuous?) that you were using. The catchlights are visible, but barely - because at f13, you had all but choked the out.

Try this again with settings more like 1/125, f4 and an appropriate ISO (With a D200, try and get it to 400 or below for top-notch results).

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

The answer is in your EXIF data - Shutter priority, 1/15, f13????? :shock: You need to get your settings sorted out. Remember that aperture affects the flash and shutter-speed affects ambient. In this set-up you were using almost all ambient light and getting virtually no benefit from whtaever lighting (Strobe? Speedlight? Continuous?) that you were using. The catchlights are visible, but barely - because at f13, you had all but choked the out.

Try this again with settings more like 1/125, f4 and an appropriate ISO (With a D200, try and get it to 400 or below for top-notch results).

Ok so I have to admit that I used Ken Rockwell's guide to the D200 and learned a few things on how to play with my camera and then promptly forgot all of that the next day...I was having the hardest time setting that stuff up...and being able to change it on the fly. :er:

 

[tirediron]

Read, practice, post, repeat. By the way, how about posting some shots with that 55-700mm - is that the f.9 version?

 

[OrionsByte]

The only thing I have to add to tirediron's comments is that in the first shot, I think it might be over-sharpened. Either that or it's just noise from brighting up an underexposed photo... but her face looks kinda rough, whereas that's not the case in the other shots.

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

The only thing I have to add to tirediron's comments is that in the first shot, I think it might be over-sharpened. Either that or it's just noise from brighting up an underexposed photo... but her face looks kinda rough, whereas that's not the case in the other shots.

I know exactly what you mean on the first photo...I did an overpass sharpen on that one and didn't surface blur it as much as I did with the other ones because I wanted to be able to keep some texture on her face...I've been struggling with the facial texture thing...I know its nice to have texture for model, fashion type photos, but is it a must have for kids photography or is that an a preference basis? It seems that its very easy to have the smooth baby skin effect with kids photos.

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

Read, practice, post, repeat. By the way, how about posting some shots with that 55-700mm - is that the f.9 version?

HOLY MACARONI! Sorry about that...big time typo...that should be 55-200mmVR....*runs to edit signature*

 

[Viridian_Vixen]

Ok so I have to admit that I used Ken Rockwell's guide to the D200 and learned a few things on how to play with my camera and then promptly forgot all of that the next day...I was having the hardest time setting that stuff up...and being able to change it on the fly. :er:

I was having the same problem just couldnt get the stuff to stick and I found that reading and writing down the main points and taking notes has helped me remember a lot. And even a few cheat sheets in the camera bag just to have incase!

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

Ok so I have to admit that I used Ken Rockwell's guide to the D200 and learned a few things on how to play with my camera and then promptly forgot all of that the next day...I was having the hardest time setting that stuff up...and being able to change it on the fly. :er:

I was having the same problem just couldnt get the stuff to stick and I found that reading and writing down the main points and taking notes has helped me remember a lot. And even a few cheat sheets in the camera bag just to have incase!

I'll try that! First off need to get the definitions for each one down pat...=P