shots of my nephew over chirstmas

i'd love some feedback for these shots, since i don't take photos of people outside a live music setting very often. i took them for my mother who complained that the backgrounds were 'all blurry'.

1

I think they are great, especially the first and last.

Just goes to show Mothers don't really know everything.

I agree with Ramon... First and last.

You also did a great job of getting down to kid level. Especially on #4. In that one, you're actually shooting UP to capture him. Very nice!

If Mum reallllllly wants backgrounds in focus, move the nephew out and take pictures of the tree and piano. I think she'll find they aren't nearly as interesting as she thinks.

And, be sure to tell her (assuming you're not already a pro)
(1) professional photographers charge "extra" for making backgrounds blurry with the people in focus;
(2) blurry backgrounds are very difficult to do;
(3) and you've worked a long time to get good enough to blur the backgrounds in your photos.

Oh my, ... these are all great shots! I don't know what your mom was expecting but these are just right to provide wonderful memories. The first shot is a killer image!

cpam.pix wrote in post #13703839
You also did a great job of getting down to kid level.

thanks for the comments, folks! this is the one piece of advice i give to anyone holding even a point and shoot up to their eye level pointing down at a toddler or baby - if the kid is crawling around on the floor, you should be too!

i'm not a pro, although i have done a couple of paid music gigs for cbc radio who generally hires amateurs. that might be a bit of a contradiction, i guess.

moms--and grandmas in this case--often don't care about the photographic qualities of images at all. i used my nephew as a subject to essentially learn how to use my camera and my mother would always make prints of my least favourite images, claiming that he 'looks cuter' in those ones.

a lot of these 'poses' with the blue hat were just total luck. i shot him for about five minutes, during which it didn't seem like he lit and/or smiled for more than ten seconds total. i was just trying to get one decent shot to fill a frame for my mother but ended up with seven or eight decent, unique shots.

also, how's the processing? the inconsistency between shots 2 and 5 is bothering me. would you consider 2 to be over-processed, or is 5 a little flat? perhaps a bit of both?

Love them. Your mom's comment made me laugh out loud!

#2 Looks a bit harsh with the lighting. Was that one a straight on camera flash? The others have more depth and a softer feel to the lighting.

I like #3 and 4. The others are too posed.

Terrific set of images. It all seems to come together in them. And you have a great model.

#5 is a bit cooler than the rest - a simple issue to correct.

cpam.pix wrote in post #13704989
#2 Looks a bit harsh with the lighting. Was that one a straight on camera flash? The others have more depth and a softer feel to the lighting.

agree.

Great photos.

Mothers

cpam.pix wrote in post #13704989
#2 Looks a bit harsh with the lighting. Was that one a straight on camera flash? The others have more depth and a softer feel to the lighting.

all were bounced flash.. some ceiling..some off walls/windows.

Great set!

thanks for the kind words, folks!

how are they, composition-wise? all were cropped to some extent.