Needing Suggestions for Improvement

Hedgehoggin · May 27, 2012

Hello Everyone. I am a hedgehog breeder and have recently decided to start offering baby picture packages to customers who would like to purchase their baby's photos. I have already found a great company for printing, but I do not have a fancy camera or any fancy equipment. I have fleece for a background, a Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS, and a modified heat lamp with a florescent bulb for lighting. I use the free GIMP softwear to modify the image size & px for larger printing. I am really looking for some suggestions on how I could improve the photos I am taking with what I have. I also would like to know what equipment might be most useful to me doing these kind of shots where they are generally very close in range and there is often a lot of movement. I would really appreciate any suggestions or criticisms. Thank you!

LizardKing · May 27, 2012

That's a nice camera, I love them. Anyway, first picture is really nice but the second is out of focus... You definitely want to avoid that in the key areas of your photo.
Maybe you're limited with your equipment, but you can still be creative and work on the composition of the image. Try a quick google search for 'photographic composition' and read a couple articles, try to learn the basic elements of design. Such as perspectives, how to fill the frame, placing the subject, etc...
If you have a lot of movement, try to have better lighting (if possible)... That will basically help the camera take the picture faster and avoid blud. Otherwise, try bumping the ISO a little... but not too much or you'll start seeing a grany/noisy texture in the photos.

BTW... how cute are these little buddies? I want 2 at least!! jajaja

dxqcanada · May 27, 2012

Try building a cheap lightbox: Strobist: How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
Makes for nice soft even lighting ... no harsh shadows.

LizardKing · May 27, 2012

dxqcanada said:
Try building a cheap lightbox: Strobist: How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
Makes for nice soft even lighting ... no harsh shadows.

I'm definitely gonna try this! Thanks!

BlackSheep · May 27, 2012

Oh man those little guys are cute!! I really like the first photo!

I looked up what your camera can do, what mode were you using for these shots? Depending on what you've tried already, give either the "portrait" or the "kids & pets" mode a go, and see how your results compare.

The lightbox suggestion is a good one, and if you aren't already doing so - put the camera on a tripod for better stability. Also play around with GIMP, you can use it for corrections like sharpening, etc that could be helpful.