Critique my first studio session ever my 1 month old

My daughter turned 1 month today but she is still a preemie. Her due date was 7/3. I borrowed my cousins umbrellas and stands and setup on my bed took some photos. The umbrellas are too small. I used a 600EX to fire two 430EXIIs. Only thing I have and I just bought a cheap white sheet from walmart didn't really get the wrinkles out of it either oh well. I really tried this out to see if I would even like doing studio stuff. As it turns out my wife and I had a blast so I will be saving up for my dual B800 setup and some soft boxes.

Let me know what you think. Didn't really get creative as she was fussy but here's my keepers:

1.

Here was my setup. Yes my ceiling is under construction. I added the can lights and in the process of building a drop down around room with double crown.

Marvelous expression and body language in #5.

I love #4, but great job overall.

You did better than I did with my first newborn

My honest critique...they could have been a whole lot better. The lighting is really flat on #1-6. You probably could have exposed about a stop higher. But,you have plenty of time to get it right.

Of this set though,I like #7 best.

I think they're pretty darn good - especially for a first time - and from an under-slept parent, too!

On the exposure: I see RGB values of 235-ish in the diaper and the pokadots on the hat. Maybe could go up a little, but I think not too bad. I think this group expects a "white" background to go "pure white" which is just not going to happen with your setup. Doesn't bother me too much.

One thing I might suggest is to put a board or something under the sweep so the legs of the baby bed didn't sink into the surface of the adult bed.

All-in-all, a good effort, I'd say... and congratulations on the new baby!

#7 is probably the most cutest shot of a baby i've seen
I wish I was into photography when I had my two girls. They are now 14 & 12 now and shy away from my camera lol

Good job

Lighting looks flat and harsh. Don't be afraid to move the lights in really close.

Looks like you had equal power on each light. Try using one as key and one as fill. Remember, shadows create depth in an image.

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #16023286
Lighting looks flat and harsh. Don't be afraid to move the lights in really close.

Looks like you had equal power on each light. Try using one as key and one as fill. Remember, shadows create depth in an image.

I did. And I already knew. Hard to get lights in closer with the stands I had but when my wife was done the last two shots I did the lighting it turned one flash off and obviously its better.

I appreciate the comments. It looks like my critique I did on my own is spot on as I felt the same. This is why the last shot I changed it up some.

I do have more time so I will post up more for her 2 month and see if I improved

8. Great image. Spend some time cleaning it up in Photoshop or Lightroom.

As for lighting, put the fill right over the camera lens, not too far above and the main about 30* off axis. With a baby I'd keep the ratio close to 1:2.

those are very cute pics! Congrats on the new family member buddy.

In terms of the lighting, I assume both flashes were in equal power?maybe that explains the flat-look images. Anyway, like the previous poster mentioned, try using ratios..or perhaps, one light. You can google new-born photography and may get the sense of how the lighting was setup, based on the highlights and shadows.

Anyway, good job!!Hoping to see more!

Get those umbrellas closer! If convertible, remove the black, shoot through instead of bounce and get them as close as possible! You'll see a huge improvement in the softness of the light.