Wife Prego Shots

First time using my new flash and wireless triggers.
Wife is due July and wanted to get some shots of her belly tonight as a practice run so I know what to do for a better set tomorrow night.

CC will really help! Thanks!

Link To Set ~11 Photos

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/valadez/5609274​192/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/valadez/5609275​016/

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Great start, she looks beautiful. It's always fun to test out the new toys huh? I think #1 is my favorite. I like the composition of #3 as well but would have her looking at the camera. Here are my tips...
A)I'm not a huge fan of the looking at the belly shots because (as a woman) I don't feel that these are flattering.
B) Next time try to get her further away from the background so that the wrinkles are blurred. What kind of fabric are you using for your background? It looks like a shiny material, you really want something matte in the long run.
c) I would say that #3 is underexposed. On 1 and 2 your shadows are very dark, try using a reflector, window light or another speed light to get a little light in the shadows.


Great work! Keep shooting!

~Megan

LizzieJ wrote in post #12198875
Great start, she looks beautiful. It's always fun to test out the new toys huh? I think #1 is my favorite. I like the composition of #3 as well but would have her looking at the camera. Here are my tips...
A)I'm not a huge fan of the looking at the belly shots because (as a woman) I don't feel that these are flattering.
B) Next time try to get her further away from the background so that the wrinkles are blurred. What kind of fabric are you using for your background? It looks like a shiny material, you really want something matte in the long run.
c) I would say that #3 is underexposed. On 1 and 2 your shadows are very dark, try using a reflector, window light or another speed light to get a little light in the shadows.

Great work! Keep shooting!

~Megan

+1... I would also try and get some more animated expression or nurturing expression on your wife's face. She appears almost bored in these shots and the expression on her face can make or break the shot. Thanks for sharing

LizzieJ wrote in post #12198875
Great start, she looks beautiful. It's always fun to test out the new toys huh? I think #1 is my favorite. I like the composition of #3 as well but would have her looking at the camera. Here are my tips...
A)I'm not a huge fan of the looking at the belly shots because (as a woman) I don't feel that these are flattering.
B) Next time try to get her further away from the background so that the wrinkles are blurred. What kind of fabric are you using for your background? It looks like a shiny material, you really want something matte in the long run.
c) I would say that #3 is underexposed. On 1 and 2 your shadows are very dark, try using a reflector, window light or another speed light to get a little light in the shadows.


Great work! Keep shooting!

~Megan

This was a practice run so I can get a feeling for it. I know I probably should of started off doing Portraiture before jumping to marternity shooting full body but I couldn't really get the wife to want to set time aside to do so but since she wants maternity shots she had time for that!

What i did learn:
The XTi LCD is cranked up 100% in brightness and so when i CHIMPED it looked like it was exposing how I wanted it.
Then I read a post last night after posting these from a POTN member who claims to shoot RAW+JPG in B&W then PP in color. That was when he CHIMPED it gave him a better feel for what kind of exposure he really was getting. I am going to try this technique next to see how that fares.

Michael Bottoms wrote in post #12199753
+1... I would also try and get some more animated expression or nurturing expression on your wife's face. She appears almost bored in these shots and the expression on her face can make or break the shot. Thanks for sharing

I tried to have her smile in some of them and I didn't know what to think of it. I forgot to add those to Flickr but Ill work on those tonight and get them up.
The problem with the smiling though is my wife doesn't like them. When she smiles she pulls her head back and causes her neck to look like it has a roll or wrinkle in it so she instantly hates the photos taken with her smiles because of her neck. Ill try to have different poses where she can smile and that won't happen.

Thanks!

BTW:
we did the shoot in out garage... I should get a reflector!

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Bleufire wrote in post #12200016
I know I probably should of started off doing Portraiture before jumping to marternity ...

IMO, it doesn't matter where you start that much. Each genre of photography has it's own nuances. Posing for maternity is it's own animal. (Not to say that there aren't carry-overs)

Bleufire wrote in post #12200016
The problem with the smiling though is my wife doesn't like them. When she smiles she pulls her head back and causes her neck to look like it has a roll or wrinkle in it so she instantly hates the photos taken with her smiles because of her neck.

Yep, I hate pics of myself that look like that too! Try a few with a slightly higher camera angle. You could have her sitting on the floor while you're kneeling. If you what her to be standing, you should get up a little higher. This will make her have to tilt her head up to look at the camera and will hopefully help with that problem.

Make it fun for her too! Involve her in the creative process. Try some other lighting setups as well (e.g. natural light). You could do a few with her wearing her favorite form fitting tops as well.

Drew, contrary to the others, I like the lighting in #1. Sure, you could bring up the shadows just a tad, but it's a nice image as it is.

#2 could use a kicker behind her to give a little more edge lighting to her.
#3- similar thing, but this time as a hair light.

Keep trying- you have until the baby is here to practice this style, then it' a whole new genre

hawk911 wrote in post #12200804
Drew, contrary to the others, I like the lighting in #1. Sure, you could bring up the shadows just a tad, but it's a nice image as it is.

#2 could use a kicker behind her to give a little more edge lighting to her.
#3- similar thing, but this time as a hair light.

Keep trying- you have until the baby is here to practice this style, then it' a whole new genre

Since this is my first time with OCF, I am realizing where i need more light. I was trying to take the advice i saw on the flash/small studio where they said learn one light first.

With that I have learned:
I need a reflector. I am about to order one in the next hour.

Question is:
If i have a light shining on her hair, will the strobe kill the ambient light i would have placed on her hair? Or would my ordering another YN-460 w/ wireless setup aimed at her hair be the way to go?

Thanks!

most ambient isn't strong enough unless you have 500watt halogen on her. What did you use for ambient? And yes, one light first isn't bad advice but realize that one light won't always get you the look you 're after.

Another flash, with a homemade snoot would be fine for a hair light aimed at her head.

hawk911 wrote in post #12200945
most ambient isn't strong enough unless you have 500watt halogen on her. What did you use for ambient? And yes, one light first isn't bad advice but realize that one light won't always get you the look you 're after.

Another flash, with a homemade snoot would be fine for a hair light aimed at her head.

There wasn't an ambient light available.

Is there (Now don't laugh at me) a 500W halogen light i can pick up from a home depot to give me the back lighting i am looking for? (at least till my chinese flash makes it over here)

no........ run from those. They will do nothing but create a fire hazard for you and your wife. you could always check craigslist too for something in the area.

Bleufire wrote in post #12200910
Question is:
If i have a light shining on her hair, will the strobe kill the ambient light i would have placed on her hair? Or would my ordering another YN-460 w/ wireless setup aimed at her hair be the way to go?

Thanks!

what did you mean then?

relocate her into like the living room where there are windows and try to arrange for her to have ambient light. that light source itself will be drowned by the strobe. right?

Just for clarification:
An ambient light source like normal house lighting or a window, couldn't i create ambient light myself light from some CFL from a lamp then? (assuming to stay away from the home depot halogen worklights)

Thank you for the input! we are planning on retrying the shoot again tonight but more portraiture for my practice! cause i am lacking subjects to practice on.
I even roped my dog into practice! (I know i missed focus)

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/valadez/5608723​917/

i'd set up a second flash like you were interested in...

also as far as pics go, I liked them other than the black background... you'll need to do a few things so it is less distracting. First, pull them away a little more. Then, pull your lights in a little closer to the subject when shooting. Lastly,in post production you may have to darken the background. Once and a while I just bump the "black" 2 more or 3 sometimes.

Hope it helps

Ambient light will depend on the shutter speed you choose, as well as ISO. If you have a nice north window, without a lot of elements to take away from the focus of the image, then use it. You can then use the other flash for fill. Generally, table lamps aren't strong enough for most photography work with standard bulbs. Try an experiment: turn the table lamp on the highest setting, pick a decent aperture to give you some latitude for focus (f5.6 or 6.3) and then let's just say 1/160 of a second so as not to introduce camera shake. ISO 100 is where most people like to shoot portrait so there's no grain and you get the highest pixel quality. Put your wife close to the light; this will more more of a snap shot for now. snap a few images. Check them either on the camera LCD or download and check on the computer monitor.

How much light did you get from the table lamp?