Quick Critique - Toddler Photos

Any thoughts on these? how is the exposure/color balance? Also, please note that the baby is very tan from swimming daily and the first was shot at f/1.4 so may be abit soft.

<edit> updated with more contrast and adjusted crop/color per spike edit:

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Love these shots!
Even with the tan, for the 1st - I think you have to increase (levels) the whites and could use some cooling (not much).
I would process as below....cropped/strai​ghtened a bit also.

Thanks spike. This may have abit more pop than I was looking for but I really like the color and white balance. made a few edits to my original based on your edit

I don't particularly care for wide-aperture portraits. Maybe it's just me. In the bath tub shot, the left eye is in focus, but the right is not, making it look lifeless. In the other one, the tip of the nose got the focus and everything else is soft. You didn't include the efix data in the file, but I'll bet you shot these wide open with a 50mm f/1.4 or some such. Oh, I just noticed that you did. It was off the page in my browser.

I think both images are a bit over saturated and the first one looks like there's too much clarity applied.

Here's my try at your first image where I reduced clarity and vibrance then added back a little contrast. I finished by sharpening a bit too.

I decided to adjust skin tones too.

@joe Thanks for the feedback.
@navydoc Not sure why but your edits always look blown out on my monitor(s). Has a really interesting look though and I appreciate the comments.

here is my attempt on the bath tub shot. Please note that downloaded file was 670k but limited in attachment to 150k so had to save at low quality.

that being said, I sharpened the right iris alone and pretty heavily, then rest of right eye area separately and to lesser degree. then selected face, inverted, and sharpened the bubble and added contrast and a little brightness, then inverted again to localize the face and decreased contrast minor amount.

hope this turns out ok being saved at "5" out of "12" image quality in PS

now for the first shot: I took whole image and drastically lowered contrast to even out facial colors differences and smooth things out some. then adjusted levels slightly. then selected skin tone and reduced the "tan" look and added "blush" look.
then selected both eyes and went to "shadows and highlights" and really brought the highlights down hard and increased mid-tone contrast.
there is area in lower left corner that might need cropping out or further work.

Serious question; are you guys using calibrated and profiled monitors?

@Liquid Dark, skin tones in the last edit are rather blue.

Sorry guys, I like the OP's edits the most. Perhaps just SLIGHTLY decrease saturation.
Spike's looks like he's been eating too much carrot.
Navydoc's looks like he's fallen on his face into baby powder.
Liquid's is very bluish.

(no offense to anyone, just trying to be funny )

PixelMagic wrote in post #14926272
Serious question; are you guys using calibrated and profiled monitors?

@Liquid Dark, skin tones in the last edit are rather blue.

I am seeing a hint of blue as well...although my monitor is not calibrated.

joedlh wrote in post #14921995
I don't particularly care for wide-aperture portraits. Maybe it's just me. In the bath tub shot, the left eye is in focus, but the right is not, making it look lifeless. In the other one, the tip of the nose got the focus and everything else is soft. You didn't include the efix data in the file, but I'll bet you shot these wide open with a 50mm f/1.4 or some such. Oh, I just noticed that you did. It was off the page in my browser.

Agree with Joe

Yes, monitor calibrated weekly and agree with RobinH. I really like that first edit liquid - thanks.
Re: wide apature portraits, I prefer the soft look if I'm able to get the eyes in focus. This gives a more soft/painted look that I was after.

PixelMagic wrote in post #14926272
Serious question; are you guys using calibrated and profiled monitors?

@Liquid Dark, skin tones in the last edit are rather blue.

yep, got tunnel vision on the first photo edit, was locked into face and didn't see the forest for the trees It is rather blueish !! lol

what about the bath tub photo edit I did? on my monitor it still looks good after a second look, no excessive blue in it is there?

Bath edit looks good to me. Thanks for the edit.

Liquid Dark wrote in post #14926513
yep, got tunnel vision on the first photo edit, was locked into face and didn't see the forest for the trees It is rather blueish !! lol

what about the bath tub photo edit I did? on my monitor it still looks good after a second look, no excessive blue in it is there?