# My very first newborn photos.  What I learned and what I need to learn!



## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Wow, first of all, I have great respect for all you newborn photographers!  This was much harder than I ever expected.

What I learned:
1.  Newborns seem to know the very NANOSECOND when a stranger enters the room.  And they don't like it one bit.

2.  You can heat up the room and feed the baby all you want, but they still know when a stranger is in the room.

3.  Turn off the "beep" on your Elinchrome Battery.

4.  They will poop on you if you try to move their butt into a different position.

5.  They shed skin like nuts a few days after being born.

6.  They don't fit into cute little themed Easter Baskets.

7.  They have little patience for new newborn wedding photographers!

My questions to newborn photographers is:  HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT?  How do you bend them into the perfect little photo?


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## mwcfarms (Mar 23, 2011)

I love your wedding work and these are great but I honestly think in some the babys skin is overdone. She almost looks plastic in a couple, I would ease up just a tad on the smoothing. Again just my humble opinion.


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## AmazingGrace0385 (Mar 23, 2011)

No pro here, but I agree the skin is overdone and they look a tad purple/red in tone to me. Overall, I think they look wonderful!


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

No problem mrcfarms.  I'm kinda known for super processed stuff and so that is why people come to me, and back to me.  I know it's weird to most photographers, but it's what I do.

But actually, I was gonna try to do this clean.  The problem was that the baby was shedding like nobodies business.  I mean flakes everywhere.  Mommy and Daddy tried to make it right but it was some crazy skin flaking. I mean like 80 percent of the body or more.  I was like......AKKKKK!  I had no choice but to fix it.  I can post up a before shot if that will help.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Hi Amazing Grace.  Are you on a laptop?


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

post it.  You can process it but you can keep it look natural.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

No problem. I'm always looking for a way to grow. I also put my photos up as ok to edit, so have at it.

Here is an SOOC original. Can't wait to see the results. Thanks for the responses in advance!


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Schwettylens said:


> post it. You can process it but you can keep it look natural.


 

Have at it!


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

thats not bad.  I cant because i am at work.  I am sure someone will give it a try.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

You should give it a try. Would you rather a RAW file? I can wait until you are at home.  I'd really like to see what can be done with it.


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## e.rose (Mar 23, 2011)

mwcfarms said:


> I love your wedding work and these are great but I honestly think in some the babys skin is overdone. She almost looks plastic in a couple, I would ease up just a tad on the smoothing. Again just my humble opinion.


 


AmazingGrace0385 said:


> No pro here, but I agree the skin is overdone and* they look a tad purple/red in tone to me*. Overall, I think they look wonderful!


 
I agree with both of these statements.

I'm on a Macbook Pro, but it's been calibrated with an X-Rite Eye-One calibrator.  So... do with that knowledge what you will.


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

sure.  robinATusaganiDOTcom


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## e.rose (Mar 23, 2011)

In some of them, the baby's skin looks more purple/red than others.... and I just realized that it's the one where she's on that blanket... so you're probably getting a color cast from that?


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

The reason I asked if you were on a laptop is because you can't really calibrate a laptop correctly.  I have to calibrate weekly to make sure all my prints turn out ok.
I'm not doubting you are seeing the images in a certain way.  And if you looked at a calibrated monitor you might see them just the same.  That's why I asked.


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## AmazingGrace0385 (Mar 23, 2011)

No I am not. This monitor is very accurate with color. It's my work  computer, and was brand new when I got here. I check my photos on this  computer b/c I edit on a laptop at home.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Could be.  I was using Elinchrome lights, and natural lights.  I might be picking up cast, but I'm not seeing it.  I do acknowledge that I have some differnt skin tones.  Ugg.  What to do?


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Thanks AG. That's an important question to ask. Could you tell me which photos are off?  I just recallibrated and they all look golden to me.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

AmazingGrace0385 said:


> No I am not. This monitor is very accurate with color. It's my work computer, and was brand new when I got here. I check my photos on this computer b/c I edit on a laptop at home.


 
Ok, no offense, but I have to ask how often you have calibrated in the last however long? I need to know because I need to know if my weekly calibration is off.

I saw your last engagement shoot and the white balance was all kinds of off on my monitor.  I just need to know.


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## AmazingGrace0385 (Mar 23, 2011)

The ones with the pink blankets under her are the ones that look purple, and the one with the animal print & big red bow is a little red.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

I uploaded a SOOC file.  Feel free to work on it if you want to.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Thanks AG.  I'll run Spider again.


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## mwcfarms (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm on a calibrated monitor too and I don't see what AG is mentioning. I do know your known for your superprocessed work Cindy and the majority of them are your usual but there are two that look like a doll. Could be the combination of processing and position of her but I had to mention it lol. I'll let you know the numbers I mean.

8 & 9 seem very doll like and I do see a bit of reflection on the pink blanket/checker background on her legs but minimal. Anyways they are still lovely images and I am sure the parents will love them.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Thank you very much Dee! I was starting to get confused there because I'm a big calibration freak! Yes, let me know the numbers. I don't want to make them crazy!

Also thanks for the kind words about the wedding stuff.

Many Many Many Hugs!


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

send it.. ill be home in 2 hours .


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

It's been sent. Go for it.   It's right here on this thread.  Anyone can take a whack at it.


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## e.rose (Mar 23, 2011)

bennielou said:


> The reason I asked if you were on a laptop is because you can't really calibrate a laptop correctly.  I have to calibrate weekly to make sure all my prints turn out ok.
> I'm not doubting you are seeing the images in a certain way.  And if you looked at a calibrated monitor you might see them just the same.  That's why I asked.


 
Well the laptop I was on, was calibrated just a week ago. :sillysmi:  And now I'm on my desktop, which is also calibrated, and I still see it.  Like I said... they're your images, you can do with them what you will... I just noticed the purplish cast to some of the skin as well.  I really do think it's just light bouncing back from the blanket though... you can see it on the leg in #6.


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

how many MB?  still not here.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Thanks for your input e.Rose.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

look 2 posts above.


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)

that will work.. i thought you wanted to send me raw.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Great.   I'd love to see your take on it.  I really want to know more.


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## bennielou (Mar 23, 2011)

Raw is 21 metapixals.  You can have it if you want it, but it shouldn't be much different.


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 23, 2011)




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## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

Sorry it took me so long to respond Schwettylens.  (Last night was Survivor night and I'm a freak for that show!)  
You did an AMAZING job!  Could you explain what you did?  I really love it.


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## Robin Usagani (Mar 24, 2011)

Portraiture and lots of cloning.


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## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

I was using Portraiture too. I used it on a selection and "Normal" mode. Which mode did you use? I'm guessing I should have used something lower   Also I was patching and not cloning.  Maybe my selections were too large.  (Patch fatigue:LOL)  Do you prefer the clone over the patch and if so why?  Just curious.

Thanks again for working on it.  It's beautiful.


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## AmazingGrace0385 (Mar 24, 2011)

None taken.  I used vintage actions on a couple of those last photos, so the color would look kind of off.  That being said I am still new to a lot of this, but I just checked my monitor colors here: Calibrate Your Monitor, For Free, Via the Web | UNEASYsilence - And they are dead on. My brightness was a tad off though.  I don't have a fancy calibration software, yet. So take this info as you'd like.


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## bennielou (Mar 24, 2011)

No problem AG.  The reason I'm a freak about being exact on calibration is because I upload to the lab, and after years of paying double shipping (once to my house, and then to the client) I stopped having them shipped here first to check on them.  I had calibrated to lab specs and they all looked fine, so I just started to trust in the calibration-thus saving myself 10 bucks for repackaging and reshipping.  That's why I'm so nutty about it.  If I'm off, that means my reprints are off, and I put in orders almost every day.  I wouldn't want someone getting a greenish purple photo!

I occassionally use some funky actions too.  One of my weirder ones I use is Cross prossessing.  Clients don't get it most of the times but every once in a while they love it.  Can't help but throw it out there.  I give them the normal file, and then the funky one and let them decide.  Anyhoo, I'd get bored doing the same thing all the time.  

And being newish to the business is not a crime.   I was just asking for the reason above.

But back to calibration:  Laptops are notoriously bad about being too bright.  I process my photos on the brightside already and this has been hard for my clients who view their proofs that way. I've had to bring them to my home to show them the real photo, and just how it will be printed by the lab.  

Also lab calibration is a bit different than web calibration.  If you only show via web, you are probably ok calibrating to web specs.  In other words, you Calibration Via Web might work well for you.  I have to be super specific because I've tweaked out my Photoshop profiles, and they have to work primarily for lab work.  They may be off via web, but my prints have to be as perfect as I can make them.  I want my print to come to the client EXACTLY as I'm seeing it on my NEC High Def.  My photos will work a bit off on the web, but that's ok, because they are fairly close.

Does that make any sense?  I just wanted you to know I wasn't ripping on you, it was just really important to me to know if I was truly off on calibration.


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## Dajuan (Mar 25, 2011)

Schwettylens, I like what you did in post.  No doubt that clone work takes more time, but the result is beautiful.  Bennielou, thanks for sharing.


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## adarlingshot (Mar 29, 2011)

Flakes and jaundice and mottly colours are all wonderful parts ov being a newborn photographer.   The temptation to just run smoothing really high is there, but baby looks like a plastic doll when you go overboard.  What type of processing tools do you have at your disposal?


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## twocolor (Mar 30, 2011)

Hey!  Just barely saw these!  I would add a titch of yellow to these.  I downloaded the image and checked your color.  Your values are Cyan 7%, Magenta 44%, Yellow 37%, and black 0.  In general, african american skin tones need to have equal portions of magenta to yellow OR yellow can be 2-3% higher than magenta.  On caucasian skin tones, you want you want your yellow approx. 10% higher than your magenta tones.  

As far as posing goes, those really awesome poses are done USUALLY while baby is asleep . . . super milk drunk asleep lol!!!  Babies under 2 weeks are still very used to being all squished up in mom's belly, and actually sleep really well once you squish them, and wrap them warmly.  My first set of pics of a newborn are done with baby asleep and wrapped up.  Gradually through the session I ever so slowly start to unwrap the baby!

These are really good, crisp, exposure is nailed.  The rest will come with practice!!!!!!  Go youtube search videos on how to pose babies . . . pretty fun to watch!


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## bennielou (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi Adarlingshot,
I have pretty much everything.  Lightroom 3, CS5, and a few thousand actions and scripts.  (I'm a action/script junkie.)


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## bennielou (Apr 5, 2011)

twocolor said:


> Hey! Just barely saw these! I would add a titch of yellow to these. I downloaded the image and checked your color. Your values are Cyan 7%, Magenta 44%, Yellow 37%, and black 0. In general, african american skin tones need to have equal portions of magenta to yellow OR yellow can be 2-3% higher than magenta. On caucasian skin tones, you want you want your yellow approx. 10% higher than your magenta tones.
> 
> As far as posing goes, those really awesome poses are done USUALLY while baby is asleep . . . super milk drunk asleep lol!!! Babies under 2 weeks are still very used to being all squished up in mom's belly, and actually sleep really well once you squish them, and wrap them warmly. My first set of pics of a newborn are done with baby asleep and wrapped up. Gradually through the session I ever so slowly start to unwrap the baby!
> 
> These are really good, crisp, exposure is nailed. The rest will come with practice!!!!!! Go youtube search videos on how to pose babies . . . pretty fun to watch!




TwoColor!  Thanks for the great reply.  That's exactly the info I needed.  More yellow, eh?  Wow, I never thought of that.  The father is very light skinned and the mother medium skinned if that makes a difference.  Wow, it was soooooo hard!  I have the utmost respect for you guys who do this all the time.  It was so freaking difficult!


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## noomen (Apr 9, 2011)

awesome...what camera n lens u used?what technique u use?i will deliver coming early may 2011..i wish to learn some technique for my newborn pictures..i wish to learn from u


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## Lyncca (Apr 9, 2011)

Cindy, I took a whack at it.  I didn't completely touch up the flakes on her arm, but the spot healing brush would clean that up and I think it would have been a little better on a full res. file, but here I did portraiture and boutwell, but on portraiture, I did it on several layers with varying strengths on different parts of the baby.  I think you can see a little more skin detail this way and I warmed it up. I tend to like my pics more on the warm side.


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## PhotoWrangler (Apr 10, 2011)

WHHAAAAAAT! Lyncca is HERE too! YAY!!! I'm finding all these familiar people! 


I can't offer any critique that hasn't already been given, but I did want to say that - I absolutely love Love LOVE this thread! Take note all you beginners who think that pros are big mean monsters. Cindy is a well known, ok *WELL *known photographer in our area, and she took took 3 pages of critique without threatening to leave the forum, calling someone names, or playing the part of the victim in a violent photography bashing. This should show you that even the 'old pros' are open to learning new things!

And Cindy, I completely and t-totally know what you mean! LOL I once thought I wanted to try newborns - I mean how hard could it be right? You just put them on a soft, warm blanket, play a few lullabies, and once they are sleeping you shoot, shoot, shoot, with a shallow DOF right? HAHA! Yeah right! That thinking goes right out the window the first time you get pee'd on, or dookie squishes out the side of the diaper. Shooting babies ain't all fun and games! (Which is why I'm still doing dogs!)


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## Lyncca (Apr 10, 2011)

ChristopherCoy said:


> WHHAAAAAAT! Lyncca is HERE too! YAY!!! I'm finding all these familiar people!



This was my first forum to join back in early 2008.  I drift in and out now, been too busy to be on a lot of forums and I do like our local one just because of the local advice you can get.



> ... Cindy is a well known, ok *WELL *known photographer in our area....


 Just a little bit 



> And Cindy, I completely and t-totally know what you mean! LOL I once thought I wanted to try newborns - I mean how hard could it be right? You just put them on a soft, warm blanket, play a few lullabies, and once they are sleeping you shoot, shoot, shoot, with a shallow DOF right? HAHA! Yeah right! That thinking goes right out the window the first time you get pee'd on, or dookie squishes out the side of the diaper. Shooting babies ain't all fun and games! (Which is why I'm still doing dogs!)



I've almost stopped offering newborns as a service.  It takes me FOREVER in the session and I almost dread it at this point when I book one.  I do end up getting good shots in the end, but they aren't near the caliber of what I have seen from those that major in the newborn industry.


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## bennielou (Apr 12, 2011)

Wow Christopher! You have me blushing! Lyncca and I have a little joke about that. LOL.... I give YOU total props because pets to me are even harder than kiddos.

Lynccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaa! Hey girlfriend! So glad to see you over here! And I totally understand about the newborn thing. I just finished up my second one, with a NEW predicament: The germaphobe parent. Holy cow, if I touched my camera, or ANYTHING, I had to wash my hands AGAIN AND AGAIN before I could touch the baby. 

So it went like this. Prop the baby up.........run and wash my hands.........grab the camera.........get it to my eye...........damn! the baby just moved his head away.........Prop the baby up........run and wash my hands.........................
It took FOREVER to get a shot! LOL.

I loved your post work. Thank you!


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## Lyncca (Apr 12, 2011)

bennielou said:


> Wow Christopher! You have me blushing! Lyncca and I have a little joke about that. LOL.... I give YOU total props because pets to me are even harder than kiddos.
> 
> Lynccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaa! Hey girlfriend! So glad to see you over here! And I totally understand about the newborn thing. I just finished up my second one, with a NEW predicament: The germaphobe parent. Holy cow, if I touched my camera, or ANYTHING, I had to wash my hands AGAIN AND AGAIN before I could touch the baby.
> 
> ...



Ok, I'll pop in more   Lord, I haven't had a germa-phob mom yet thank goodness out of about 20 babies, but I do get the grandma that wants to pick them up every time they fuss and then we have to start all over again after we put them back down.  I'm all for feeding them and making them sleepy, but if you pick them up constantly, they won't ever settle down for the pics.  I just recently booked 2 more newborn sessions.  LOL  I just can't bare to turn down money, but oh how I want to! LOL


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## bennielou (Apr 12, 2011)

Amen with the not turning down money thing.  Mike laughs how I ***** about having too much work to do, and then I keep taking on jobs.  You are truly a sister!


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