Ideas and suggestions please :)

GemGem · May 9, 2009

Hi everyone!

I want to learn different composition techniques. It seems I am running out of ideas! On this photo shoot, after reviewing the pics, These are the ones I think were ok, I look at them and there is something missing, but don't know what it is! I had tons of ideas in my head, but when I got to my customer's house, they all disappeared! The baby was not in the mood at all

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Thanks for looking!
GG

GemGem · May 10, 2009

Should I post somewhere else?
Hi!
61 views and no comments

Should I post some where else?

Thanks!
GG

VayCayMom · May 10, 2009

Hi, I know what you mean about ideas fleeing once you get ready to shoot. Don't really have much to offer as I have not worked much on composition myself, ( been kinda winging it since I am still very new) or with babies. I see you followed the rule of having heads at different levels, and you got nice close ups, you captured the expressions which is really important here.

I have ideas from other people's blogs and websites, but when my grandson was just born he didn't give me much time to do any of them !!

One idea I liked was to have the dad hold him up to his shoulder with baby facing backwards and capture baby and part of dad's profile, and there was just skin, no clothing. And of course all the cool things in black and white where the parents wear black and the baby is naked, against a black background so you just see the hands holding the baby.

Although this isn't your question, I think they could benefit with a bit of PP. Maybe a bit of softness, skin smoothing, a bit of blurring on some of the backgrounds.

You have true emotion there and that is the most important.

momwac · May 10, 2009

Looks like you were in a tough situation. What was the purpose of the photo shoot? Were the pics intended as snapshots to stick in the album to document a certain time, or portraits to frame and display? Were the parents happy with the resulting photos?

I think you were going for a sense of intimacy; hence the super-tight crops and what looks like the use of a wide-angle lens. I find the crops a bit distracting, though, especially where Dad is reduced to kind of a floating face in the corner.

I think what you find missing (and I do too) is at least partly a sense of connection. Dad looking at the camera, Mom looking at Baby, Baby looking off into space somewhere -- kind of defeats the purpose of that intimate angle imho. I would try to show some connection between Mom and Dad. Some intentional touching (Mom's arm around Baby and other arm around Dad). Mom and Dad looking at each other, or both looking at the camera, or both looking at Baby who's a bit in front of them (which might let us see their eyes a bit too).

As implied above, I think I'd try to place Baby closest to the camera, with Mom and Dad more equidistant from it. Dad's head looks disproportionately large in 5, 11, 12, and 13 -- even where you've cut half of it out of the frame. Another way to remedy this (and possibly make everyone more comfortable) might be to use a longer lens and back off a bit.

No question that grumpy babies are hard to work with, and hard on the parents too. You had tough odds to overcome, and I think you did end up with a few keepers. I think the best one of the bunch is #9 -- Baby's expression directed at Dad is priceless. #16 is nice-looking too.

Hope this helps.

GemGem · May 10, 2009

Thank you both for your comments.

The purpose of the photo shoot was a family picture and picture of baby to send the birth announcement. Yes, the parents were happy with the pictures and mentioned hiring me again. I also got tons of hits on my site from their photo shoot. I just want to have more ideas when shooting newborns, I found it to be pretty challenging.

I agree with you momwac, I was like, why in the world was I cutting off dad's head so much for!?
I used my 50mm most of the shoot. I think I used wide angle for the crib pictures only, which I did not post here.

VayCayMom, I will try your suggestion and work on PP on these.

Thank you!
GG

DeuceFour · May 10, 2009

I think #16 is great!! That one would go perfect for a birth announcement!

Scott_Quier · May 11, 2009

Watch your backgrounds - you have some distractions.

Missing - I don't see a connectedness or tenderness.

#5 - Aside from the baby's expression, mom's expression is lacking.

#6 - The shadow on baby's face - not a goodness.

#9 - If shot a bit more over dad's shoulder you would have been able to avoid so much of his shirt in the shot. This would have then been a shot of dad's cheek (OOF, of course) and baby.

#14 - I'm really not digging the selective colorization here. Color should draw the viewer to that which is important and the baby blanket is NOT important here.

That's as much as I can offer - I'm not much of a baby photographer.

As for PP - experimentation is the key. Your B&W conversions seem pretty good.

rhondavid · May 11, 2009

I like #9. The child and Dad looking at each other is priceless. Great capture. I have similar reactions to the other that have previously been stated.

GemGem · May 11, 2009

Thanks everyone!!

I think the lesson learned from this shoot is Take charge. I didn't want to offer suggestions on how to settle down the baby, but I think if I would have done that, maybe baby would have settled down a bit more I would have put my full attention and energy in getting nice shots for them. Good thing is they are happy with their pictures. Mom said, "I was hoping for a good one and I got lots to choose from"

Ok! on to the next one. I know I will do better! Thanks everyone!!

GG

Ideas and suggestions please :)

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