First official paid gig, newborn shoot...how bad do they suck?

lilmomma

Ok well maybe i'm being hard on myself maybe i'm not, but I drove over to the clients house with a million ideas in my head of sleeping baby pictures. Not at all did I know he would be awake the entire time. Which is ok and great for some shots, except there was not much I could do with him because he was so wiggly!! And he's about 2 weeks...what do you do with 2 week olds? nothing, they just sit there. I tried to put him on his belly, he smashed his face down and wiggled...we tried to sit him up, he would fall forward. And mom didn't want to be in the shots at all. I sort of convinced her a little at the end but didn't get to use any of my ideas. Also, there is no nursery because they are staying with Grandma while dad is in iraq. We were crunched up in a tiny dining room. So here are a few, I super quick edited them and am not near done but wanted to pop a few up here in hopes of some sort of encouragement and maybe advice on what others do with babies. I see sleeping baby pics everywhere but not many awake baby pics.

OH and dammit I cut off limbs AAAAAHHH!!

Again these are NOT final edits, just some I threw together

1.


2.


3.


4.She wanted the bear in the shot...OH and he is not sleeping, just happened to blink...so I took advantage


5.


6. I really like this one but I cut off his head. And I need to work on pp


7.


8.


9.





I'll spend more time editing this week, and I think i'm going to buy a noiseware/noiseninja or something to run these through. Oh and I really maybe got about 20 shots that I'm somewhat satisfied with, but I know I could come up more that she'll love...how many should I put in the final gallery? Is 20 enough??

CC and advice is really appreciated!!!

InsuredDisaster

Did you cut out the background in the bear/baby shot, and the others? Looks a bit odd to me. There are a few specs in some of them though. Like coming off the baby's foot in the bear shot.


I think some are quite nice, and I'm pretty sure that the mother will love your shots. They look far beyond what anyone could do with a p&s camera, so I think she'll be happy with them and feel that your fee was worth it. I think you did well!

adbsgicom

Nice job. I like 1&6 best, and #7 has that "Oh, what I day I've had..." look to it. My personal taste is not having the black background, but that's personal taste. Nice use of the blink in #4 to give the illusion of sleep... Given he looks exhausted in 7&8, he probably conked out by the time you left the driveway...

Nice job, and I'm sure dad will expecially appreciate you getting mom in some of the pictures.

idiom

I am pretty inexperienced, but in my opinion I think #7 is clearly your winner. If I was going to put one up on my wall, it'd be 7.

Did you make some of them soft on purpose?

#9 is a nice mother shot, but it bugs me that the childs and the mothers eyes are both pretty soft. It looks to me like the focus point was definitely on the childs ear and hair instead of the eyes. Also, she has a stray hair that is on her cheek by her ear. I'd clone that out. (I know you aren't fully done your PP but meh. )

#2 might have been nicer if the aperture was a bit tighter creating a larger DOF, so that mother and baby would have been in focus.

I think she would generally be happy with what you have so far.

Hackbone

Your close ups are very nice. I don't care for that dark of a bkg for babies. I feel that it too dark and sinister for a child. I prefer light an juvenile bkgs for a child. Just my 2cents.

lilmomma

InsuredDisaster wrote:

Did you cut out the background in the bear/baby shot, and the others? Looks a bit odd to me. There are a few specs in some of them though. Like coming off the baby's foot in the bear shot.

No, it was just a black background. Thanks for the comments!

adbsgicom wrote:

Nice job. I like 1&6 best, and #7 has that "Oh, what I day I've had..." look to it. My personal taste is not having the black background, but that's personal taste. Nice use of the blink in #4 to give the illusion of sleep... Given he looks exhausted in 7&8, he probably conked out by the time you left the driveway...

Thanks! All I had was the black background and some small blankets of hers...and a cramped dining room! Yes by the end he was done...

idiom wrote:

I am pretty inexperienced, but in my opinion I think #7 is clearly your winner. If I was going to put one up on my wall, it'd be 7. Did you make some of them soft on purpose? #9 is a nice mother shot, but it bugs me that the childs and the mothers eyes are both pretty soft. It looks to me like the focus point was definitely on the childs ear and hair instead of the eyes. Also, she has a stray hair that is on her cheek by her ear. I'd clone that out. (I know you aren't fully done your PP but meh. ) #2 might have been nicer if the aperture was a bit tighter creating a larger DOF, so that mother and baby would have been in focus.

OHHH i know about the softness, and it wasn't intentional!!! :cry I HATE when pictures are soft, they are almost ruined but I don't know, i'll work on them some more and see what comes out of it. as long as the eyes on the baby are sharp in the ones where he's looking at the camera, that's all i'm really concerned about. Anyway though the ones that are soft were in between "setups"....I saw the moment and shot..man I was so nervous because I didn't feel things were working the way I wanted them to, and i've never been paid to do this (besides a wedding I second shot not too long ago)
thanks for the comments!

hackbone wrote:

Your close ups are very nice. I don't care for that dark of a bkg for babies. I feel that it too dark and sinister for a child. I prefer light an juvenile bkgs for a child. Just my 2cents.

thanks dude! I don't know, I kinda like the black..but also didn't have much of a choice (see response to adbsgicom)



Anyway everyones gotta start somewhere, I just hope i'm on the right track anyway. it was a pretty nerve-wrecking experience and I don't really know why. I guess because she was paying me for these and I really want to give her something good. Not my best work but i'll get there.

Anyone have tips for how to shoot newborns? like what to do with them when they are awake and just sitting there?

InsuredDisaster

Well, I think they are certainly good. I will say I feel that the black background didn't exactly please the crowd, but its nothing bad.


And as I pointed out, these are far above and beyond what one can do with a quick point and shoot. They look professional, so that's going to count for a lot. I woudln't worry about it. Let us know how the mother likes them! I bet she'll love them.

Flutist

Not being a pro baby photographer (a mom of 2 little ones) I think they are quite good for first paid job, and I'm sure a proud mama, will be ecstatic to receive them. Black background, not my fav, but it works.


Care your share your set-up?
What did you use for lighting?

lilmomma

Thanks Shannon!

sb600 on a lightstand with an umbrella (moved around variously) then some shots had another sb600 on a monopod (cuz i only have one lightstand and umbrella adapter) with my lightsphere pointed toward him powered down for a little more fill. I just experimented and it did what I needed it to do

Photosbychuck

I think you did a great job for your first paid newborn shoot.
I think 20 good photos in the gallery will be enough.


Take Care,
Charles,

WingsOfLovePhoto

Not bad at all lilmomma....2 week olds are hard. The best advice I can give to help with posing is to contain them. They startle easily, especially when naked so they have limbs all over the place as you have seen. I put them in baskets, buckets,planters, knitted cocoons, snuggled in a "boppy" on their bellies with their arms tucked under them. If parents don't want to be in the picture just use their hands holding them. There are lots of poses for this. I also don't use black with babies too often. I like my babies soft and fuzzy. I will use black though if a parent is is them. That takes on a different feel for me. These all are kind of soft. Don't know what your exif was but in a studio setting F8 might get more crisp shots and will depend on your lens. I used to get really soft shots when I used an extreme range zoom like the 18-200. I use my 24-70 or a prime lens now and it has worked much better. I like #7 the best.. Congrats on your first paid job

My3Sons

Newborn photoshoots are my favorite, and I definitely agree with a previous comment that they ARE hard. My longest one lasted almost 4 hours! An awake 2 week old is tough too. It will help in the future if you can convince the parents to keep baby awake as long as possible, and possibly bathe baby just before the photoshoot, so baby will be good and sleepy. They should also feed the baby as you are setting up.

Using baskets and knit cocoons helps a lot. I also use a large beanbag chair under my backdrop. This helps them feel comfortable and secure. A soft backdrop/material helps too. I recently purchased some Mongolian fur and can't wait to try it out.

In my opinion, naked baby pictures are the sweetest. They are very natural, just as they were in the womb. If mom or dad aren't comfortable with this, then use a diaper cover. You can find some great ones on Etsy. Also, you can wrap baby in a cute recieving blanket if baby is uncomfortable, which might be the case with an awake baby.

My favorites in your posted collection are 1 and 8. I like the crispness in the eyes. Great job.

-Melissa
www.naturalphotography.smugmug.com

GemGem

Hi lilmomma,
You did great. I really like #7. I agree with the rest, you did really well for your first time! I am not expert but to me, the lighting looks very natural. Congrats!
GG