First newborn shoot. Let me know your thoughts.

It's been a while since I posted in the critique section but these are outside my comfort realm so they're perfect for this section.

I did my first newborn shots last Friday....if you still consider 3 weeks old "newborn". 3 hours shooting, 49 shots, and 10 finished photos later I was done. Phew! I don't know how some photogs do newborn sessions in 1 hour. Anyway, here are some of the shots...let me know what you guys think and any pointers. What works, what doesn't? I wish I had had a darker background but all I had available was a white-ish blanket so I made do.

1.

I love them all... very soft and feminine and great for a little girl shoot!

Only critique is that I wish the eyes were in focus in #1. Well done

Thanks! I wish her eyes were more in focus too. I'm just glad I was able to get that one. She was starting to get fussy and wanted to eat. Thanks again!

Even if the eyes were in focus in #1 they look weird with the huge catchlight from an overhead light. You should try to soften that or try for an angle that eliminates it.

Thanks Qbx. Would you suggest I burn the catch light a bit, or apply some softening blur to it?

I will start off by saying, my CC is always harsh. We all start somewhere, and the harshest CC has always stuck with me more than the nice CC.

She is too hot (red/pink) in all of them.

1. The crop is too tight, there is no definition in the rug/blanket. It seems soft. Quick Fix: Play with your WB in ACR then do selective coloring and tone the red. If you need to add a warming filter.

2. Again, no definition in the rug/blanket. She looks like she is floating which is unnatural. It looks entirely too soft & it looks like it was added post process. Her face is buries in the blanket. Quick fix: Play with ACR, don't soften it - sharpen if need be in ACR. Next shoot place the newborns arm under head to prop her head up.

3. She is again, soft. There is no contrast in this image. Incorrect exposure. There is no definition in whatever the basket is on. Quick fix: Sharpen, add contrast, correct WB and exposure. Next shoot place the light source to the side not directly above the baby.

Keep shooting! You'll get better

I appreciate the harsh critique. I've got tough skin.

She is a little hot, I kept them a bit warm on purpose though. Her complextion isn't all that great, I mean let's face it she's 3 weeks old, so I thought warming her skin tones a bit might be in order. Maybe I kept it too warm. It is possible.

Totally agree that #1 is soft! I shot it at 2.8 and as she was starting to get fussy and move around I managed to get this one. Apparently she moved enough that I got her nose sharp instead of her eyes. Ooops.

I did add some blur over her in #2. Her back is so hairy that without the blur it just looks freaky...like werewolf freaky. I could probably drop the opacity on that layer unless you have a tip for dealing with it other than shaving it (mom, who's my niece by the way, wasn't keen on that idea ). I'm all ears....well eyes in this case since it's an online forum.

I didn't like the pink blanket in #3 but grandma (my sister in law) wanted it because it was her new blanket. I wanted to use a grayish microplush that I have but they didn't. Since it was family I didn't push the issue.

In all of them I did up the exposure by about .10 if I remember correctly...I don't know they just didn't look right to me. They looked dark. I'm actually going to revisit these photos tonight and compare the 2 exposure settings side-by-side.

Thanks for harsh critque Katie!

rivas8409 wrote in post #16064386
I appreciate the harsh critique. I've got tough skin.

She is a little hot, I kept them a bit warm on purpose though. Her complextion isn't all that great, I mean let's face it she's 3 weeks old, so I thought warming her skin tones a bit might be in order. Maybe I kept it too warm. It is possible.

Totally agree that #1 is soft! I shot it at 2.8 and as she was starting to get fussy and move around I managed to get this one. Apparently she moved enough that I got her nose sharp instead of her eyes. Ooops.

I did add some blur over her in #2. Her back is so hairy that without the blur it just looks freaky...like werewolf freaky. I could probably drop the opacity on that layer unless you have a tip for dealing with it other than shaving it (mom, who's my niece by the way, wasn't keen on that idea ). I'm all ears....well eyes in this case since it's an online forum.

I didn't like the pink blanket in #3 but grandma (my sister in law) wanted it because it was her new blanket. I wanted to use a grayish microplush that I have but they didn't. Since it was family I didn't push the issue.

In all of them I did up the exposure by about .10 if I remember correctly...I don't know they just didn't look right to me. They looked dark. I'm actually going to revisit these photos tonight and compare the 2 exposure settings side-by-side.

Thanks for harsh critque Katie!

Did you do these in RAW?

Would you mind if I played with the SOOC shots? If so, can you email them to me? BestDallasPhotographer​@gmail.com.

Yes, my email address is slightly pompous. HEHE oh well :P

I did shoot them in RAW. I'll send them over to you when I get a chance later on this evening. I'd love to see whatyou can do with them. About your email...it's not slight pompous...it's confident.

Nope, I lied. I upped the exposure .5.