New here. First Portrait C&C of my Daughter

[NorthbyNorthwest]

Shot with Canon T2i and 50mm 1.8, edited in Aperture.
Iso 100, f/3.2, 1/400, no flash or reflector. This is the full image as she was walking toward me, so I am aware/disappointed that the tip of her head got cut. Any other advice is much appreciated!!!! I am still a newb.

 

[janineh]

Her face looks a bit underexposed to me. Could use a bit of warmth. Don't take a photo from above, go down to her level. Get facial expressions!

 

[Ms.Nash]

What had been said - more light and expression

 

[MLeeK]

Be aware of the angle you are shooting at. This angle makes her look like she has a 3playoff foot forehead.

 

[paigew]

Cute baby! I agree with what has been said + that it is underexposed.

 

[Rick58]

Agree with a lower angle and maybe not so tight with the crop. Cute expression.

 

[NorthbyNorthwest]

Thanks everyone, the advice is great. She is tough to shoot because she is so quick, but it's a process. I will try to get down lower next time. I did try a few just holding the camera down low without even looking through the viewfinder, but missed her this time. Thanks again.

 

[Edgar_P]

In my opinion her skin could have been SLIGHTLY warmer. Would have been nice had there been a gold bouncer down beneath her. Love the way her hair shows off the large aperture. Good work

 

[michael9000000]

Thanks everyone, the advice is great. She is tough to shoot because she is so quick, but it's a process. I will try to get down lower next time. I did try a few just holding the camera down low without even looking through the viewfinder, but missed her this time. Thanks again.

Many photographers will tell you that you should shoot small children at their eye level, and that is a valid piece of advice. However, I feel that advice should not be considered a rule of thumb. Consider the idea that shooting a child from your level looking down at him/her can also be very effective IF the child is looking up at you. For parents like us, this often evokes strong emotions associated with the memories of a young child's unconditional love and admiration for mom or dad. These are the precious memories worth keeping, especially years down the line when the child has grown into a fiercely independent and complicated teenager.

In the photo you posted, the main composition problem (in my humble opinion) was not the camera angle or height, but rather the fact that you missed your daughter's eyes contact almost completely. In this case, you should've gotten to her level, or convinced/tricked her into looking up at you.

 

[The_Traveler]

She is tough to shoot because she is so quick, but it's a process. I will try to get down lower next time.

• Taking lots and lots of shots to get one doesn't cost money with digital - and you will get better also.
• Children will react to a pointed camera for a while. Persevere and eventually the camera will be less of an oddity and you will eventually capture shots where the pointed camera isn't determining the facial expression.
• Back off a bit. Full face portraits, while possibly attractive, really don't tell the whole story of a child. Backing off will also make it a bit easier to capture the shot.
• I believe in the getting down to eye level mantra because I want to see the child as a person in the environment and not mostly his/her forehead. A picture of a child looking adoringly up at you may be interesting once but save that shot until the camera is an expected part of your silhouette, so the child is looking at you and not mugging for the camera.
• take lots and lots of pictures.
• take lots and lots of pictures

and most important

• Try to get objective about your pictures. You took the picture, so you have pride of ownership. It is your child so you have parental love. Other people, except for being nice to you, couldn't care less.
• Post your pictures as an example of your work not as 'the best picture I ever took of my child who is the dearest thing in the world to me - and my dying Mother loves this picture.'

 

[michael9000000]

[*]Taking lots and lots of shots to get one doesn't cost money with digital - and you will get better also.
[*]Children will react to a pointed camera for a while. Persevere and eventually the camera will be less of an oddity and you will eventually capture shots where the pointed camera isn't determining the facial expression.
[*]Back off a bit. Full face portraits, while possibly attractive, really don't tell the whole story of a child. Backing off will also make it a bit easier to capture the shot.
[*]I believe in the getting down to eye level mantra because I want to see the child as a person in the environment and not mostly his/her forehead. A picture of a child looking adoringly up at you may be interesting once but save that shot until the camera is an expected part of your silhouette, so the child is looking at you and not mugging for the camera.
[*]take lots and lots of pictures.
[*]take lots and lots of pictures


and most important

[*]Try to get objective about your pictures. You took the picture, so you have pride of ownership. It is your child so you have parental love. Other people, except for being nice to you, couldn't care less.
[*]Post your pictures as an example of your work not as 'the best picture I ever took of my child who is the dearest thing in the world to me - and my dying Mother loves this picture.'

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, but it's all just a matter of opinion. Even if I'm taking photos of other people's children, I still try to shoot from above AND from the child's eye level. It doesn't matter to me if I love the child. Someone does, and that someone is usually the person paying for the photos.

 

[NorthbyNorthwest]

Thanks. I have been taking more and more pictures of her and getting used to catching good moments. I find it is quite challenging when I am by myself as she just tends to just run at me when I kneel or lie down. I agree that eye contact would have made this a great picture. But mostly, I appreciate the constructive criticism on this thread. I never intended it to be a "look at my beautiful daughter in this perfect picture" image, as I know I need work with composition, post production, and generally capturing great moments when they are happening with good photographic technique. Anyway, more to come from me as I appreciate the expertise of the membership here. Great resource for a newbie such as myself. Does anyone know how to approach "planning your shot" with a 1 year old?

 

[BluePhotoFrog]

Does anyone know how to approach "planning your shot" with a 1 year old?

Just to always have you camera ready and don't be afraid of filling your card up. You know what catches her attention and what emotes expressions from her...doing that is about the most you can do as far as planning.