Uncharted waters (baby pictures) for me.

Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
edited August 23, 2006 in People
I’m venturing into un-chartered waters for me. D50, Color Mode = IIIa, Saturation = Enhanced, Hue Adjustment = 0, Sharpening & Tone Comp. = Auto. I used a 50mm f/1.8 on a D50, with a SunPak Super 383 Auto flash, Manual mode, ISO 200, shot in RAW and converted with PSE-4. Pretty much used PSE-4 recommendations for Exposure and Shadows during the conversion process, set Black Point using Levels. After cropping, I applied a small (66%, 1.5, 1) of USM, and saved as JPEG.

Suggestions?

F/11 @ 1/500; Also posted in The Whipping Post
90177981-L.jpg

F/16 @ 1/500; PSE-4 auto Skin tone correction – too orange?
90177982-L.jpg

F/8 @ 1/500; PSE-4 auto skin tone correction
90177983-L.jpg

F/8 @ 1/500; PSE-4 auto skin tone correction
90177984-L.jpg


Comments

  • BlurmoreBlurmore Registered Users Posts: 992 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2006
    these are cute baby snapshots...snapshots which could be achieved with most film or digital point and shoots. Was this baby a superhero's child dictating the 1/500th sec shutter speed? They are cute snapshots of a kid. If they were tighter and the light was less flat, and less direct, and you cleared all the stuff off of the bed in the background they 'could' be something more than shapshots.
    http://blog.jasonknauer.com
  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2006
    Well yes, I guess they are supposed to be “snapshots” in that they are taken in the home in a natural setting as opposed to a studio setting. The stuff on the bed had been neatly folded laundry just moments before. The 1/500 shutter speed was chosen to negate the ambient lighting, which has a rose hue due to the window treatment.
  • ChrisJChrisJ Registered Users Posts: 2,164 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2006
    Speaking as a toddler-father... High shutter speeds are good! The suckers move fast. However, you could open up the aperature and eliminate the flash unless you really want all of the background in focus. There should be a lot of flexibility with an f/1.8 lens.

    I mostly agree, though. These are good pictures to share with family. She's almost exactly centered in all the shots, and there's definitely a yellow/orange color cast for the last three.

    As a dad, I really like the dirty feet in #3. And the expression in #4 is deadly. Great smile and happy eyes in the first, but I think the flash shadows detract from the picture.

    One other thing to try is to get down to her level. You'll be more interactive (sometimes too much so!), and the shots more dynamic.
    Chris
  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2006
    ChrisJ wrote:
    Speaking as a toddler-father... High shutter speeds are good! The suckers move fast. However, you could open up the aperature and eliminate the flash unless you really want all of the background in focus. There should be a lot of flexibility with an f/1.8 lens.

    I mostly agree, though. These are good pictures to share with family. She's almost exactly centered in all the shots, and there's definitely a yellow/orange color cast for the last three.

    As a dad, I really like the dirty feet in #3. And the expression in #4 is deadly. Great smile and happy eyes in the first, but I think the flash shadows detract from the picture.

    One other thing to try is to get down to her level. You'll be more interactive (sometimes too much so!), and the shots more dynamic.
    The yellow/orange cast is what I thought too. I also thought they look a little soft.
    I know about getting down to the same level, just didn't think about doing it - will have to make a mental note for the next time.
    I think I have another day to practice my toddler skills.

    Thanks for the input.
  • John DesjarlaisJohn Desjarlais Registered Users Posts: 48 Big grins
    edited August 23, 2006
    Brooks,

    Nice photos, and I agree with the above, they really look like good snapshots for the family. To get more artistic shots, I'd recommend exploring some closer cropped compositions, use of a much wider aperture to soften the background, and if you're lucky you can use natural light. If you have to use flash (which is overly apparent in your shots), either bounce it off the ceiling if you've got an external flash, or buy yourself a lumiquest softscreen (fits right over your onboard flash unit). And lately I've been finding that some amount of desaturation (from -20 to -60 in PSE) can have a dramatic effect on the pleasingness of people color photos (particularly with toddlers).

    Good luck chasing the little one around for more photos. My little ones are so non-cooperative that I take hundreds to get a few keepers.

    My own toddlers gallery:
    http://macrophile.smugmug.com/gallery/1022723

    John
    John Desjarlais
    macrophile.smugmug.com
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