The Kids

eoren1

A bit of intro first...
Though I've been an active member of dgrin for a few years, I ended up 'stuck' in the Challenges threads for the longest time. This was a great thing because it pushed me in ways I hadn't expected and I ended up with some of my favorite photos from the various exercises.
When browsing the rest of the site today, I happened upon a familiar name in the People section and realized that, even though the vast majority of my time is spent taking photos of my kids, I have rarely posted or visited this section of dgrin. So, as a New Year's resolution, I decided to begin posting here with the hope and expectation of growing as a portrait photographer.
The reason I bought a dSLR in the first place was the anticipation of the birth of my son. He and his sister are the subject of most of my photos which I have only really shared with family so far. Their ages lend themselves well to my preferred style - PJ - and thus I don't try to pose them but rather try to capture their lives and personalities in each shot. I'm looking forward to learning from each of you and, with that too-long intro, here are a few shots :wink

The 1 year old:

This was from earlier today after reading Jeff's tips on portrait shots. I have to admit not remembering to put my flash on except in the harshest light. After reading his advice, I threw the 420ex on my 350D with the 50/1.8 attached. I kept the ISO at 200 and managed an aperture of 2.5 to keep shutter speeds in the 100 range. I tend to use the center spot and focus/recompose as that seems the most reliable focus method on this cam.

The boy.

I love the expression on his and my wife's faces. He is very much the 3-year-old boy with all that that entails :rolleyes

And an accidental-ish shot:

I had ended up on my back and he was trying to climb over my knees. With the 50 on, I was only able to lock focus when he was balanced precariously on my knees. Managed this shot as he was about to fall forward. The diagonal crop was accidental but I kind of like it.

Anyway, that's a long enough 'first' post. I look forward to comments and critiques that will push me forward toward becoming a better photographer; especially as the subject matter is so dear to my heart and, as mentioned elsewhere, they DO grow up FAST!
E

Tango

ahh, got the trigger finger working again i see! and the speedlight too...

Jeff really struck a cord with us eh?

divamum

eoren1 wrote:

Though I've been an active member of dgrin for a few years, I ended up 'stuck' in the Challenges threads for the longest time. This was a great thing because it pushed me in ways I hadn't expected and I ended up with some of my favorite photos from the various exercises.
When browsing the rest of the site today, I happened upon a familiar name in the People section and realized that, even though the vast majority of my time is spent taking photos of my kids, I have rarely posted or visited this section of dgrin. So, as a New Year's resolution, I decided to begin posting here with the hope and expectation of growing as a portrait photographer.

AaronNelson wrote:

ahh, got the trigger finger working again i see! and the speedlight too...

Jeff really struck a cord with us eh?

Heeeheee... clearly Emily's "Evil Plot" to get us into different forums is working!!! :D:D

Eoren, I really like #1 - the perspective and catchlights sparkle are both lovely!

eoren1

AaronNelson wrote:

ahh, got the trigger finger working again i see! and the speedlight too...

Jeff really struck a cord with us eh?

Definitely hit a bit of a 'dry' patch for the past month or so. Even took fewer ones of the kids. Saw your post, then Jeffs and, within minutes, I was firing off rounds again. Nothing like a little kick in the butt to get the creative juices flowing again.

jeffreaux2

Thanks for sharing these E,

I shot a Pentax 35mm for years, but film is film, and as my kids came along and things got busy the SLR gave way to point and shoots and a drop in quality. A few years ago I finally was convinced that digital was preferable to film and bought a DSLR...as you did...to produce better quality shots of my kids. A digital point and shoot(though I had a good one) is all but useless in a middle school gym, and at the time both my girls(also have a son) were cheering and playing volleyball. I have well documented their high school years. We only have one left in HS, one in college, and my son graduated college last May. To make an even longer story short, I have taken a LOT of photographs in the last several years!

...and all that has led me much deeper into photographing people than I had ever imagined possible...and I REALLY enjoy it!

I think you'll find the 'people" people to be a pretty decent bunch. There is certainly plenty of info to go around, and folks are usually nice about doling it out.

Now, how about your shots......

Of the 3, The first is my favorite. Her big blue eyes are wide open, bright, and tack sharp. They are also located roughly a third of the frame from the top (yes portraits can use the rule of thirds too!), and she is also not centered in the composition. It would be nice if we could see her hands rather than having them amputated at the edge of the frame, but for this type of shot...informal candid...that is only a minor nit. Print it!

In general, from your comments, you might consider using a faster shutter speed. Even if that means upping that ISO. Sharpness is key. I shoot at a wide variety of shutter speeds, but try my best to keep things up around 1/160 or faster even with static posed shots. It will up your keeper rate as kids move much faster than that!

eoren1

Thanks for the post Jeff and appreciate the comments.
In the first, the hands being cut off was a direct result of the focus-recompose technique. I'm not sure if it is just the 350D or the xxD models as well but I have found that single AF using the center point works much, much better than any other focus points and better than the AI servo modes. The trick is focusing and recomposing faster than they can move! In this case, I was moving the camera down and fired before the frame was set. The next shot had eyes closed but hand included
As for the iso/shutter speeds, I've been trying to stay at iso 200 when i can but really should 'let go' and allow myself back in the 400-800 range again. I used to be more liberal with my iso range but, the new local adjustment function in LR forced me to see my shots at 100% and showed me the noise that creeps in at iso400. I have to remember that no one sees that but me...
Thanks again - for the comments and the Tips sheet you referenced in Aaron's thread.
E

Swartzy

Yaaaaa! Hey E....how fun. Yes, take lots of pics while you can...trust me, they get older and don't even speak in complete sentences let alone being seen by a camera....

I make a yearly book for the grandson's (both). Generally use Blurb with black pages. They are always a hit and believe it or not, they too will appreciate dad taking all those shots.

Nice seeing you here. Nice pics too....keep em coming!

jeffreaux2

eoren1 wrote:

Thanks for the post Jeff and appreciate the comments.
In the first, the hands being cut off was a direct result of the focus-recompose technique. I'm not sure if it is just the 350D or the xxD models as well but I have found that single AF using the center point works much, much better than any other focus points and better than the AI servo modes. The trick is focusing and recomposing faster than they can move! In this case, I was moving the camera down and fired before the frame was set. The next shot had eyes closed but hand included
As for the iso/shutter speeds, I've been trying to stay at iso 200 when i can but really should 'let go' and allow myself back in the 400-800 range again. I used to be more liberal with my iso range but, the new local adjustment function in LR forced me to see my shots at 100% and showed me the noise that creeps in at iso400. I have to remember that no one sees that but me...
Thanks again - for the comments and the Tips sheet you referenced in Aaron's thread.
E

Hey....since you are already in the "people" area you could ease over to the "weddings" area and see what wedding photogs do about high ISO, as well as photojournalistic typed candid shooting. Often, I simply convert to black and white. The noise....looks right at home as grain in BW, and the distracting BG colors also all become complimentary in tone. In other words, it's a fix for what ails ya....and don't it just look so timeless!

For a time, I did zero sharpening in Lightroom, and instead dragged all of my shots into CS3 for some 0.9 to 1.2 pixel high pass sharpening. Lightrooms sharpening can REALLY make the noise look worse than it probaly really is. I now sharpen most anything below ISO 800 at around 18 in LR.....and dont sharpen at 800 and up at all. The noise reduction there works pretty good, but a little can go a long way.

..and THAT was with my XTi.....as for the 50D? I really have no idea

I just got it Friday, and it poured rain all day today. I have eveything programmed to my liking and am dying to get out and do more than just kick the tires.

dlplumer

Beautiful children E. I especially like the first one. I have my first grandchild coming in June, and so I too am newly motivated to learn portraits. I plan on adding the Canon 50 mm 1.4 very soon.

codiac2600

That first shot is definitely something that I would print, matte and frame!

eoren1

Thanks again for all the comments and the warm welcome to this part of the dgrin world!

Swartzy-I guess great minds think alike. I too use blurb.com and make a 'year in the life' book for the grandparents. Also on black paper. Tried the imagewrap option this year which I really liked. Figure that I'm all set on holiday presents for at least the next 17 years (both kids' birthdays are in early November which works out well for a Hannukah/Christmas book).

Jeff-as for high iso. I DO use levels of 400 and up. Just seem to try to get away with 200 whenever I can to minimize any of that dreaded noise. But you are right, going up can make all the difference!

ISO 400 with a hint of flash:


ISO 800 (last year) - didn't think to use flash that year


and even ISO 1600 can bring some cool shots:


I'll be looking forward to seeing what you and that 50D produce. I especially want to hear what you think of focus compared to the xxxD series!

Dan-That 50 will definitely do you well with the grandkids. I keep waffling between moving up to it from my trusty 50/1.8. I managed to find one of the older models with the metal mount which has kept me happy enough for now.

codiac2600 - thanks for the high praise!

E