C's Maternity Shoot

JBHotShots

This is the first time I tried anything like this as I usually stick to stock car racing photography.

I did this shoot as a gift for the parents and from their feedback they love these three that I have shown them. Stock car photography isn't the most reliable for sales so I've been looking to expand what I shoot. I know they aren't the most technically sound but that is why I am posting them here. I also know most, if not all, of you won't care for the watermark but my site is geared for racers and fans and not portrait photography. Any and all C/C is highly sought after please.

1.


2.


3. I know that selective color picutres are played out for the most part but they asked for a couple and I'm all about giving what the customer wants.

reyvee61

I'm really liking #1
Did you use fill light via flash or a reflector?
#2 is a bit blown in areas and truthfully I'm not a fan of selective color as in #3
Nice work!

JBHotShots

reyvee61 wrote: »

I'm really liking #1
Did you use fill light via flash or a reflector?
#2 is a bit blown in areas and truthfully I'm not a fan of selective color as in #3
Nice work!

I used an on camera fill light with a 580EX II.

Thank you!

JBHotShots

Not a lot of comments; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. If it's bad, where can I improve?

JSPhotography

OK, I'll jump in but I'm a sports and action guy also and cannot produce as good of stuff as you have here myself. #1 - I think there is too much light in her face and she looks like she is squinting. It also appears that she slid down or repositioned herself so it hiked her skirt up underneath her. #2 - I think I would have her thumbs come down more covering her belly button and better forming the heart. #3 - By itself, not in the set, I'm not sure if there is enough "evidence" that what we are looking at is a tummy with child. Maybe if she was a month further alsong? My daughter tried to get me to do this stuff a couple months ago and I had no clue what to do. That is partialy why your post caught my eye. I have a new grandaughter though, Yippee, tried those shots last night - that didn't work either. Maybe I can ge her to run????

VayCayMom

#3 would benefit from some skin smoothing, maybe a lot of smoothing.Like in #2.

zoomer

Since you asked.
1 would have been better with no flash, bring up the exposure for her face and let the background go....or use a light fill flash, this one looks flash blasted.
On camera flash is best used as a little fill, not so much that it removes all the shadows from the face. Try not to have lines going through your subjects head. She is very pretty and you caught a good natural look.
Look across the pond, see those steps with the shaded area, might be great for a portrait. Shooting portraits out in the midday sun is a tough way to go.

2 would be better as a vertical, wide makes her look bigger than she is. The whites appear to be majorly blown, because again she is in the sun. Shot in the shade with just a smidge of fill flash, or just natural light, as a vertical would be better. The soft focus does not work here because the whites are so blown it makes them look even worse.
The idea is good, just the execution needs some work.

The bottom shot is a tosser, no saving that one.

Suggest a reshoot, late in the evening where you have some good light.
Shooting good portraits can be tough, shooting them midday in the sun makes it REALLY tough.

Hope this comes off as constructive....my intent is to help you out for the next ones.

JBHotShots

All comments are taken with the hopes that the intent is for my improvement. I'm more than appreciative for those that have said something.