Post on Outdoor Shots

kirbym2 · Oct 3, 2011

Hi All,

Well, managed to get through my first maternity session. I'd like to post a couple of pics tonight for some C&C, but thought I'd pick your brains while I'm at work.

I manage my workflow with Lightroom, make any small tweaks there, and finish with any bigger issues in Photoshop. For those that have shot maternity, are there any treatments that you have found particularly effective, or popular with the mom to be?

I notice Lightroom has a lot of presets, so I figure I'd try a couple of photos to provide some variety. There's a fine line sometimes between a great photograph, and something that ranks way too high on the cheese factor (IMO).

I've done two... yes two of the shots with selective colouring - I really try to avoid it like the plague. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

tirediron · Oct 3, 2011

Materinity shoots are very high on the cheese scale. The 'heart out of hands', babie's name in blocks on the mothers abdomen, selective colouring all make me shake my head, BUT, they're what the customers want, so that's what they get. I prefer monochrome conversions, but that's probably because I really like black & white portraits of all types. I wouldn't put too much stock in Lightroom presets, but they won't hurt as a starting point.

DiskoJoe · Oct 4, 2011

There is nothing wrong with selective desaturation but most use it in very ineffective ways. A maternity shoot has no need for such gimmicks. Simple color or BW photos would be good. The most important aspect is to get a good angle.

KmH · Oct 4, 2011

9726 maternity photographers all copy each other by using the same pre-sets, actions, poses, lighting, Moo!

The main problem is there is a severely limited number of ways to photograph a pregnant woman's belly. So eveyone resorts to cheesy editing crap to try and make their photos not look just like the other 9726 maternity photographers.
But while most paying customers may say they want original, unique photos, they really want exactly the same thing all their girl friends got.

Make technically good, well lit images, and leave the cheezy editing crapola to the other 9725 maternity photographers.

Derrel · Oct 4, 2011

tirediron said:
Materinity shoots are very high on the cheese scale. The 'heart out of hands', babie's name in blocks on the mothers abdomen, selective colouring all make me shake my head, BUT, they're what the customers want, so that's what they get. >SNIP>

Heretic!!! How dare you diss the Heart Out of Hands shot! And to speak ill of the baby's name in blocks on mother's big,swollen,pregnant belly, and by implication, the "boy" or "girl" spelled out in blocks on the mother's big,swollen,pregnant belly...and to diss on selective colouring (as you Canucks spell coloring! grrr!)------Well, you sir,you shall burn, burn in H-e-double-toothpicks I say!!! I'm surprised you did not attack the baby-daddy grasping baby-mama's belly from behind...or the silhouetted preggo belly against an over-exposed window! You sir, are an elitist!!!

pgriz · Oct 4, 2011

Sarcasm duly noted Sir Derrel. But we do need more elitists. Or at least people who understand enough to be elitists. Granted, the buying public has ideas about what they want to see, but as you already noted, certain wines, restaurants and music must represent the epitome of good taste and value as they are the most popular, and by the same token, their ideas of what constitutes great images are similarly "gifted". However, perhaps a bit of customer education won't hurt - slip in some good images along with the expected tacky ones, and see if there is a glimmer of hope. If there is no sparkle at the "new" approach, well, that field is not particularly fertile - so move on. Perhaps those who supply the baby pictures can "go beyond the expectations" since that bar is set rather low. And in the process, jump on top of the heap of 9726 photographers that Keith refers to.

Oh, and lay off the "U". Color or colour - green is still green and red is still red. Next we'll need to argue po-TAY-to or po-TAH-to .... and whether PEI spuds are better than Idaho tubers...

Derrel · Oct 4, 2011

How do the, "baby-daddy grasping baby-mama's belly from behind" and "the silhouetted preggo belly against an over-exposed window" factor into this discussion? Just wondering how those 9,726 maternity shooters view those two shot ideas...as far as popular Lightroom or Photoshop "treatments" that are popular with Mom's To Be...I would suggest that that OP look into one of the many TTC web sites, and seek out URLs to galleries of piccies that Moms-That-Are have actually found to their liking.

There are quite a few web sites dedicated to maternity and child photography, and a number of the best sites offer packages of pre-sets and effects and actions that can be simply slapped onto decent work to make it new, of-the-moment, and trendy, which seems to be what the majority of people in this category are looking for. Note, I said "the majority of people in this category"--and by that I mean 20-something women having babies...younger people...web-savvy mamas to be...people buying stuff from Etsy stores on-line...

ghache · Oct 4, 2011

Derrel said:
How do the, "baby-daddy grasping baby-mama's belly from behind" and "the silhouetted preggo belly against an over-exposed window" factor into this discussion? Just wondering how those 9,726 maternity shooters view those two shot ideas...as far as popular Lightroom or Photoshop "treatments" that are popular with Mom's To Be...I would suggest that that OP look into one of the many TTC web sites, and seek out URLs to galleries of piccies that Moms-That-Are have actually found to their liking.

There are quite a few web sites dedicated to maternity and child photography, and a number of the best sites offer packages of pre-sets and effects and actions that can be simply slapped onto decent work to make it new, of-the-moment, and trendy, which seems to be what the majority of people in this category are looking for. Note, I said "the majority of people in this category"--and by that I mean 20-something women having babies...younger people...web-savvy mamas to be...people buying stuff from Etsy stores on-line...