# Newborn photo shoot



## Teresa (Dec 14, 2007)

This is a photo shoot I did about 5 months ago and it was my very first photo shoot ever. 
Just a reminder, these are all before I edited them 
CC welcome
1.





2.




3.




Those are only a few

And these are taken of the same baby 2 months ago
CC welcome
1. 




2.




3.




4.




5.




6.


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## wildmaven (Dec 14, 2007)

I really love #6, except for the face being slightly overexposed. What a sweet picture! Any mom would just love to have that on their wall! 

I see some clothing marks on the skin. How do other child photographers deal with those? Do you have the parents bring them in loose-fitting clothing? I've heard that some remove the child's clothing as soon as they arrive at the studio, so that the marks have time to disappear as you're setting up the lights. 

#3 makes me uncomfortable, seeing that rough bracelet next to that tender baby skin! (She's also gotten too big for that "baby in the hand" shot, ha ha!)


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 14, 2007)

I love that last one. 

I'm not digging the material you used, though I really like the colors. It's to shiny (but perhaps thats a taste thing). You can see all the creases and what not. It kinda detracts from how cute that lil baby is!


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## Ajay (Dec 14, 2007)

I agree with sweetsomedays about your backdrops.  Definitely try to find something softer like a velvet maybe that isn't going to reflect the light like that.  
I've just looked through the three threads you posted and honestly almost all of your shots look overexposed.  Can you tell us a bit about your lighting setup and what settings you used?  I think you are on the right track with your posing and ideas, but learning how to use your lighting better will make a huge difference.


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## .Serenity. (Dec 14, 2007)

The creases are very distracting to me. 
To correct the over exposure can be helped by changing your images to black and white and playing with the contrast. 
But you have some very beautiful shots, #3 and 6 really stand out to me.


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## Ajay (Dec 14, 2007)

Can you show us some of the edited versions?  You may very well have fixed some of the things that we are pointing out.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

I have a sony cybershot DSC-H5...my camera flash DOES NOT come off and I have 2 slave flashes. 
i was working in my living room, the backdrop was as far as it could go on the wall and we had a HUGE A$$ couch in the way so we didnt have a lot of room to manuever between the wall, the couch, the lights, the tripod and everyone in the room
these are all UNedited. i edited these for prints but these on here are UNedited. 
well i can post here in this forum to get advice from the professionals to see what i can do to better myself


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

EDITED VERSIONS


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

MORE EDITED VERSIONS

(by the way, I am letting you know that the mom picked out a lot of the edited and unedited....she felt they were "natural")


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## bellacat (Dec 15, 2007)

Why did you post unedited versions first? I think you should have shown us these edited versions to begin with.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

so you like the edited versions? or are they still trash and am i still not good enough?


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

If you got them more correct in camera you wouldn't have to do so much editing. 
I like the one of the baby and the necklace and the feet. I don't like the second edit of the baby and the necklace it doesn't make sense to me. The face and arms are a different color then the rest of the body.
I really do suggest you learn some more and play with whatever light you are using it is so strong, harsh and close it's ruining allot of what would other wise be perfectly good images.
If you aren't going to take the critique offered by people then why bother posting your photos?


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## jols (Dec 15, 2007)

she wanted c/c but people were just telling her they were no good.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

thanks jols

again...i know i am suppose to place the lights at least 6 ft from the subject but when you DO NOT have 6 feet to play with you have to use what you have


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

Fine
edit 1 - Lighten the baby. The pink is brighter then your subject and is distracting. It could also use a bit of warming up, the skin tones are very different then the second picture. It's soft for my taste, but thats me.
edit 2 - I like this one allot it's just soft. Again thats a taste thing.
edit 3 - Very creative pose but I think you need to work on your conversion it's muddy, more gray and black. I struggle with B&W conversions sorry I can't help more.
edit 4 - I dig the pose, again soft for me, dark and very noisy. 

Seriously if you knock this crit I am not commin back for more. I am learning to and editing is so up in the are cuz it's kind of a creative thing thats different for each person. I still stand by my other statement, if you learn to get these correct in camera you will find your workflow so much easier and less time consuming.


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

BTW...I had to do a shoot in someones home and had to have my lights 3 feet from them. They are on my flickr site. You CAN control your light more. I am just portfolio building right now not a full on pro so I am sure there are faults that can be found in my photos as well.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

edit #3 is supposed to look noisy...it was edited to look that way. 

i have slave lights and there arent any controls on them to turn them down or turn them up, etc. 
i have angeled them up, down, all around (ha ha), and I have lowered and highered them and still get the SAME look in all my photos. 
i have even had a PRO (www.genophotography) come out while she was here and help and she got the same look as they used to be her studio slave lights


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

Link doesn't work (even with a .com after it)

I don't know what slave lights are
Then I suggest getting new lights. I slave my SB800 and SB600 but I still have to adjust the settings for exposure.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

www.genophotography.com

there it works for me...maybe you typed it in wrong

slave lights are studio lights that flash when they are triggered by an on camera flash or any other flash near by


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## emogirl (Dec 15, 2007)

well, i guess i will reiterate what everyone else said....you need to use a 'flat' fabric, something without sheen, and something that doesnt wrinkle like that. 

-move your subject further away from the backgrund....even in the tight situation you were in, you could have moved further away.

-the pearls around the neck look like she's being strangled and the feathers thing would have worked had they been white..purple does not work and the black and white version, the baby looks dead, sorry.... 
 -watch your exposure, many are overexposed out of the camera

on the good side, there are a few good shots and you are on the right track, the shot with the feet, in b&w is fantastic, nice and crisp and will be cherished by the parents

-i think you are overusing the diffuse glow...try toning it down and using a gaussian blur with it

the 4th one of the edited shots, is beautiful....but really, get rid of the diffuse glow and it will be a winner! it would also be nice in b&w

keep working at it!


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

Oh k, like Alien Bee's.


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

the parents wanted a satin background. they had the fabric and wanted to use it so i used it for them. not my fault they didnt iron it or flip it to the other side where the sheen wasnt so shiny. 

there are 2 backdrops i have are only about 4 yards long (12 feet) and all the ones in these photos posted so far are only 6 ft long so the further i moved them from the backdrop the more floor i would've captured and not the backdrop...
i asked the parents what color they wanted and they said purple feathers so i got the purple feather boa...they didnt want pink as they think it is too girly
and thanks for the good comments and critiques


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## bellacat (Dec 15, 2007)

i know you are working with you had but considering you are in someone's home it would have made a huge difference to take the extra time and break out the iron. It will save you tons of time PP.


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## dpolston (Dec 15, 2007)

Teresa said:


> www.genophotography.com
> 
> there it works for me...maybe you typed it in wrong
> 
> slave lights are studio lights that flash when they are triggered by an on camera flash or any other flash near by



The absolute last thing I want to do here is jump on this negative bandwagon but I have to. I really think that buying a book or two on lighting will make all the difference in the world. 

Secondly (and the critique I hate to even type) is your friend (according to the photos on her site) is not all that good. The photos I saw on there are either over exposed, over processed or just not all that good at all. The posing on a lot of those photos is just plain not flattering and well thought out. Not that I am going to tear her apart (because I don't have the right to do that) but her work needs just as much research and practice. She might sell a bunch of product and that's great, but I'm not blown away by any of it.

PLEASE don't get me wrong. Shot, shoot, shoot that little camera until it falls apart then buy another one (try a DLSR for more versatile options). I would get a better handle on the basics before I tried anything else. Stay away from the studio stuff until you get a better handle on the exposer issues that are out there. If you do want to practice the studio stuff, have everyone in the shot walk 2 more feet away from the backdrop and by all means, don't use shiny cloth and iron it well. For babies, use more muted colors for the backdrops - not primary colors. There is a lot to it and I just don't have the time to talk about it.

If you want to learn this kind of photography, it's going to take some time to learn. Post your EDITED photos and post YOUR photos, not what the mom did. Just learn it, study it, love it. If you think folks are being unkind to you through their posts (I know it's hard to not take it personally and I know some of the posts were personal and I do not agree on the tone either... but that's another issue) read what they say and then put it out of your mind. Some of the people here are incredible photographers that make a lot of money doing it and frankly, most of them are holding back on their opinions! I sugar coat mine most of the time because I'm worried of hurting people's feelings. 

I don't think your work is bad on every level. I think you have potential but I think you really need to take a deep breath, relax and get back to the basics.

David


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

thanks david

as to you bellacat...i am not going to be rude to the parents and say "hey can i use your iron because your fabric sucks and is all wrinkly and will make the photo look like crap on a log"


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## Sweetsomedays (Dec 15, 2007)

You will do your clients a disservice by letting them dictate how the shoot goes. You could of said something like "Oh my goodness this material is beautiful, could we run an iron over it real quick just to smooth out the wrinkles? It will look wonderful in the photos"


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## dpolston (Dec 15, 2007)

Teresa said:


> thanks david
> 
> as to you bellacat...i am not going to be rude to the parents and say "hey can i use your iron because your fabric sucks and is all wrinkly and will make the photo look like crap on a log"



I need to comment here too... 

If it were me photographing the child (and I have) and the parents want something special (and they do... always!), I have the right and duty as the professional that they hired, to tell them that this [the shot or item that they have] might not look well on the page once it's printed. 

Why? I think that if I do not take the lead and absolute control (and I'll toot my own horn here, I have been told on many occasions that I am the most respectful, kind and professionally composed photographer that they have ever seen) over the situation, I would fail at my job. 

If a surgeon  were to do a consult with his patient for the removal of an  unnecessary organ and that patient said to him "Here, please use my exacto knife, I just had it sharpened" instead of the scalpel of the doctor would use, I think the doctor would fail his patient. 

It is our responsibility and ultimately our images out there for the public to see. I do not want my work tainted by someone that doesn't know what they're doing. I have gone as far as to tell someone before (when I was younger and took every job that came my way) that I would shoot something _BUT _do not tell anyone that's my work and if I'm ask, I'll deny ever shooting it in the first place.  

This is ultimately your product... your image... your portfolio. Don't settle for substandard work as the sake of pleasing "Momsey and Pop-cicle" (A Wicked reference - great musical by the way).

David


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## bellacat (Dec 15, 2007)

Teresa said:


> as to you bellacat...i am not going to be rude to the parents and say "hey can i use your iron because your fabric sucks and is all wrinkly and will make the photo look like crap on a log"


I completely agree with what both david and Sweetsomedays

You are not being rude in the least. If someone is hiring you and giving you money to take their photo then they deserve the best possible result you can give them. You are the photographer have every right to make suggestions and by all means tell them how the session will go. If you use the right tone and words they would not be offended in the least and will be glad that you take the extra effort to be sure the photos come out fabulous.


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## Allsmiles7282 (Dec 15, 2007)

Teresa said:


> thanks david
> 
> as to you bellacat...i am not going to be rude to the parents and say "hey can i use your iron because your fabric sucks and is all wrinkly and will make the photo look like crap on a log"



Take your own stuff.  problem solved.


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## dpolston (Dec 15, 2007)

Allsmiles7282 said:


> Take your own stuff.  problem solved.



Yeah... what she said.

(I have boxes of stuff all over the place of stuff! It's a sickness really carried over from my theater days - I'm an old set designer and builder)


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## emogirl (Dec 15, 2007)

you are the pro they hired....dont let them dictate the shoot..you need to let the shoot be yours!


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## Teresa (Dec 15, 2007)

again i was just beginning and still am but i had NOTHING...just sheets and a few FAKE rose petals from my wedding and a few bows here and there.


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## Ajay (Dec 16, 2007)

A lot of those edits are really nice!  I for one _love_ the soft look on baby portraits.

Try not to take the comments people leave here personally.  We might all be at different skill levels, but there is room for improvement in certain areas for just about everyone that posts here.  We all have plenty of ideas and advice to help each other out, so bear with us if sometimes it doesn't come across the right away.

And most importantly keep on shooting!  Take the advice and see what you can do with it.  Can't wait to see more from you in the future!


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## MACollum (Dec 16, 2007)

dpolston said:


> (I have boxes of stuff all over the place of stuff! It's a sickness really carried over from my theater days - I'm an old set designer and builder)


 
I bet you have loads of fabulous stuff to bring to a shoot. Ugh, I'm jealous


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## Ls3D (Dec 16, 2007)

Newborns are creepy! No wonder I'm not a breeder. The last one with the feathers is really nice, and nice post work also.

-Shea


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## dpolston (Dec 16, 2007)

MACollum said:


> I bet you have loads of fabulous stuff to bring to a shoot. Ugh, I'm jealous


 I just have friends who know people that have old stuff!   =o)

Networking is the key.


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## antoine (Dec 18, 2007)

What an adorable baby! I love the picture number 5 because there's a little "twinkle" in her eyes which is very nice to see. Keep taking lovely pictures and good luck!


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## JimmyJaceyMom (Dec 18, 2007)

Hello and welcome.  You have a bunch of potential here no doubt but I do agree with some of the comments the other have made.  You've defiately started out WAY better than what I had in the beginning - please don't look at my old posts it's too embarassing - lol and in keeping up with looking at all of your posts I see you are definately taking advice and using it to your advantage and that is a great thing.  
I know its tough to hear some cc but there's not too many people here that will give you rough cc without reason and they willl almost alwyas tell you anything they can to help you get it right.   Trust them and keep at it and you'll be golden, you've got an eye already and that is important. 

As for letting the parents dictate, I agree that these are your images and you've got to make them the way you want your work to be presented - I know all too well what you mean by not wanting to step in and take over because i struggled with these issues myself for a while and had some hard lessons in teaching me to stop doing that.  Compromise for sure but control your environment enough to make sure you get what you need.


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## Los Angeles (Dec 24, 2007)

Teresa said:


> so you like the edited versions? or are they still trash and am i still not good enough?



Im gonna go with still trash and not good enough.


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