Baby in Hat= Very edited...Thoughts?

kidzmom

Okay, just wanted to get a different look. Did some playing. Thoughts? Does it look VERY VERY novice?

CyberSteak

<---doesn't get the babies with hats toques thing

It looks good. What did you do to edit it?

adbsgicom

I like the serious pose. It is like a baby doing the family patriarch picture.
The focus is off, which loses it for me, though. [ps, if you use links instead of attachments, I can scroll back and see your image while writing, which I can't do if it is an attachment].

Mr. Quiet

Focus is not on the eyes, so.....nice baby though

kidzmom

Yes I was aware that it wasn't in focus. I tried to put a slight blur filter on it to mask everything a bit but it was really focused more on the hat and hands. I think it was because he was too shaded under the hat. Anyway, I TOTALLY agree that it is a baby patriarch pose. You nailed it! I just love the pose so much and wanted to salvage it as an image. How about going away from "picture" and more towards an abstract watercolor. I went extreme on this edit so beware. The short session wasn't a total failure. I got a few more focused shots.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/Kidzmom/Evanartrendition_Softphotoedited-1_.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/Kidzmom/Evan8mos.jpg

VayCayMom

I think if you blur the hat more it would help the issue with the eyes not being in focus, the hat seems less edited than the baby and the focus may be the reason. Cool shot!

rainbow

Baby looks very, very novice, but the photo does not...

I think this is excellent. I did not notice the point of focus at all as the eyes are focused enough to draw my eyes to them and fit overall with the "softness" of the entire picture (though VayCayMom's suggestion is a good one to try).

Thanks for sharing.

kidzmom

You are too funny! Thanks !

rainbow wrote:

Baby looks very, very novice, but the photo does not...

I think this is excellent. I did not notice the point of focus at all as the eyes are focused enough to draw my eyes to them and fit overall with the "softness" of the entire picture (though VayCayMom's suggestion is a good one to try).

Thanks for sharing.

ERue

What are you using to hold the little one up? He seems to be sitting so nicely in all those blankets.
Lovely eyes!

kidzmom

ERue wrote:

What are you using to hold the little one up? He seems to be sitting so nicely in all those blankets.
Lovely eyes!

Tricks of the baby picture taking trade...lol! He's actually not sitting at all (he's standing). Several things work...This was an infant Exersaucer covered in satin blankies. He can't crawl yet but he won't "sit still" either so I need to trap him. Also can use an infant bathtub seat or a bumbo seat (ages 4 months up)...less bulky

angevin1

I always think of soft when I think of Babies...I think you overdid the contrast on his face~

lilmomma

Cute baby and pose, but the eyes look overdone, fake almost. Actually the whole thing looks overcooked in a wierd way. I am curious to see the original? For me, if the eyes arent sharp in a portrait it goes in the trash bin...but that's me...

kidzmom

No way can I throw this one in the trash! ! I REALLY want to salvage this shot. I am in LOVE with his body posture in this picture...the look on his face, the SWEETEST way that his hands are crossed. Definately a rare moment...poorly captured, yes, but it still makes me happy. I am new to PSE (a few weeks) and I'm sure I over did things (thus the title of the post). If you have any suggestions I"d LOVE to hear what I could do to make this shot happen. What VayCayMom mentioned was good...blurring the hat a bit more and creating the entire thing in a soft glow. I think this might just print wonderfully on canvas...a work of art more than a picture. Thoughts? Okay, here is the image straight out of my camera. As you can see I have ZERO lighting in my possession. Just an overhead to the right skylight window. His hat is shading his face so that is why his eyes were so soft. I did overdo the eyes to compensate for the lack of focus. I would really like to buy some lighting one of these months. It looks like it would make the world of difference! I'd really appreciate anyone helping me with this.
Here's the shot out of the camera...

lilmomma wrote:

Cute baby and pose, but the eyes look overdone, fake almost. Actually the whole thing looks overcooked in a wierd way. I am curious to see the original? For me, if the eyes arent sharp in a portrait it goes in the trash bin...but that's me...

lilmomma

did you shoot this in raw by any chance? jpg is pretty hard to correct, but here's my quick shot in Lightroom.....hope you don't mind, i'll take it down if you want.

the colors were really strange, it was a little underexposed in the face and the eyes are really shadowed..so i thought it might look ok as a black and white. i don't think this edit necessarily looks great...i still think it looks a little overcooked..but this is just my view of it. and i'm really sorry, i didn't intend for the last comment to sound harsh, I didn't mean trash it, but i get so mad at myself when I have a great shot that they eyes are not lit right or focused on, I just meant for me it ruins it.

kidzmom

Oh gosh Melissa, I love it!
Thanks!
Kelly

lilmomma wrote:

did you shoot this in raw by any chance? jpg is pretty hard to correct, but here's my quick shot in Lightroom.....hope you don't mind, i'll take it down if you want.

the colors were really strange, it was a little underexposed in the face and the eyes are really shadowed..so i thought it might look ok as a black and white. i don't think this edit necessarily looks great...i still think it looks a little overcooked..but this is just my view of it. and i'm really sorry, i didn't intend for the last comment to sound harsh, I didn't mean trash it, but i get so mad at myself when I have a great shot that they eyes are not lit right or focused on, I just meant for me it ruins it.

angevin1

And here's my two cents worth too~



As per usual, having the RAW file should help quite a bit in fixing this one. off camera lighting will only help you. Reflectors can help too, but then you give the subject a squint.

lilmomma

oh...I'm glad you like it! i read the message before you edited...PM sent

bdcolen

kidzmom wrote:

Okay, just wanted to get a different look. Did some playing. Thoughts? Does it look VERY VERY novice?

Not at all. What it does look is somewhat 19th century. Wonderful.

bdcolen

bdcolen wrote:

Not at all. What it does look is somewhat 19th century. Wonderful.

By the way - stick with your treatment; the color and tonality are wonderful.

kidzmom

Thank you Tom and BD for the comments. Tom, what effect did you use for the edit? That is really surreal...angelic almost--very nice! BD you put your finger on when tagging this as having a 19th Century feel. I was using Rembrant lighting for this shot and it went wrong...baby moved away (=bad shadowing, loss of focus). I'm still so thrilled with this shot though. It just held such timeless apeal for me when I saw it. I loved the "form" of this picture if that makes any sense. When looking at it, I was just drawn to something deeper. When I started to edit it was almost magical--- I had the feeling that it was turning into a watercolor before my eyes. I'm going to definately print this one on a canvas--it is more art than a photo (but I'm still happy). Thanks for the comments

rainbow

I like your last post as you are asserting yourself that this is a special photo (versus trying to "salvage" it). When I first saw it, it just struck me as a beautiful shot of a beautiful baby. I did not think like a photographer, just as a viewer. So I had no nitpicks. Print your first posted shot, and people walking by would be captivated by it. I certainly am!

kidzmom

What a nice comment. Thank you. :

rainbow wrote:

I like your last post as you are asserting yourself that this is a special photo (versus trying to "salvage" it). When I first saw it, it just struck me as a beautiful shot of a beautiful baby. I did not think like a photographer, just as a viewer. So I had no nitpicks. Print your first posted shot, and people walking by would be captivated by it. I certainly am!