How can I improve my kid photos?

Greetings,
It's been a while since I've been on this forum. I took a break from photography for a while and had two kids. Now I'm really getting back into it and wanting to take photos of them. I just feel like my photos are not sharp at all and I'm wondering how to improve. I use an XTi with either a Sigma 30 or a Canon 50 1.4.

I've been thinking of getting a new camera. Maybe a 60D or 70D. I wonder if this would help a lot. Maybe it's the lenses? Most likely it's probably me, not the equipment.

Most of the shots I've taken are inside. I've been using the highest ISO setting, which I realize I probably don't need to do. Here are some I like the best but are still not sharp. I think most are at f4 or so, with 1/100 or 1/200 shutter. I've done no PP on these at all.

Any critique and help would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Dan

The closer you are the shallower the depth of field. That accounts for some of it. Shot one the fabric of the shirt on the near arm is in focus. Shot 2 it appears the lashes are in focus. Shot 3 the far eye is in focus, but so is the stitching on shirt neck. It seems like an angled zone of focus. But looking closely on my own screen I see the near eye is closer than the neckline and the far eye. The two shots I adjust have what appears to be correct focus at the eyelashes, but the size makes it hard to tell. I adjusted the color temperature, but I prefer the original warmer tone. I also sharpened these two. Mainly you are too close and the 30 or 50 (I couldn't read the exif) DOF is too shallow at f4 or thereabouts. Back off a little, use f5.6 and stay steady. You're actually almost right on.

I use fill flash with a 580 EX pointed 75% upwards when I take kids pictures indoors in dim light. If possible, I place them in front of good window light & turn off the flash, crank up the ISO to 2000 or so, f/4 and shutter at least 1/200. I have very busy toddler grandsons so they don't stay very still for pictures so I have to make sure I have good shutter speed & ISO.

These are both wobbly babies taken with window light only, no flash, ISO 1600 & 2000.

Thank you both for the comments. iSO 1600 is the highest my camera goes. Its probably not as good as 1600 on a camera with 12800 as the highest. I feel for indoor shots I could use some more, so perhaps a new camera body would help. Unless I have some good natural light I do use a flash pointed straight up most of the time. I'll try 75% up and a faster shutter speed. I can see that perhaps f/4 has a DOF that's too shallow, but I wouldn't have thought that, but I usually do shoot close to get the framing I want. Perhaps I'll shoot wider and crop it. I worry trying a higher f/ stop that the photos will be darker especially with a faster shutter.

Thanks again!

Maureen Souza wrote in post #16502540
These are both wobbly babies taken with window light only, no flash, ISO 1600 & 2000.

I know baby #2 (little franks)

But yea faster shutter speed (250+) don't be afraid to crank of the iso.

timrocks311 wrote in post #16505062
Thank you both for the comments. iSO 1600 is the highest my camera goes. Its probably not as good as 1600 on a camera with 12800 as the highest. I feel for indoor shots I could use some more, so perhaps a new camera body would help. Unless I have some good natural light I do use a flash pointed straight up most of the time. I'll try 75% up and a faster shutter speed. I can see that perhaps f/4 has a DOF that's too shallow, but I wouldn't have thought that, but I usually do shoot close to get the framing I want. Perhaps I'll shoot wider and crop it. I worry trying a higher f/ stop that the photos will be darker especially with a faster shutter.

Thanks again!

Iso is the big limiter with your camera, so I'd suggest getting a flash and learning how to work with bounced flash. Something like a 580exII or a Yongnuo 565 coupled with a copy of Neil Van Neikerks "On Camera Flash Techniques". White walls become huge, soft light sources if you can bounce the light right.

Sometimes I bounce the flash right off the window behind me & it works really well. You might give that a try.

robbyh, baby Franks is my sister's grandson

Maureen, yeah his dad is one of my partners at work.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16505329
Iso is the big limiter with your camera, so I'd suggest getting a flash and learning how to work with bounced flash. Something like a 580exII or a Yongnuo 565 coupled with a copy of Neil Van Neikerks "On Camera Flash Techniques". White walls become huge, soft light sources if you can bounce the light right.

Yeah I do have a 430. I bounce off the ceiling or walls a lot. All those photos I've attached used flash off the ceiling. I've been wondering if a more powerful flash would help a lot more and allow me faster shutter and higher f/ stop.

You could also consider getting some triggers and getting the flash off camera. Then you could work work the light in any way you need to in order to get the light you need. As much as the ISO is not helping, it really looks like you are missing focus in addition to the ISO being high.
A flash will help you get your ISO down as well as helping to get your F stop up as well for more depth of field.

timrocks311 wrote in post #16507517
Yeah I do have a 430. I bounce off the ceiling or walls a lot. All those photos I've attached used flash off the ceiling. I've been wondering if a more powerful flash would help a lot more and allow me faster shutter and higher f/ stop.

Those shots don't look like any flash was used? If so, it clearly wasn't the primary source of light.
You don't need a super narrow aperture. You need to learn how to use the flash, which is why I recommended Van Neikerk's book. One thing I like to do is meter for the background light, about one stop down. Then I let the flash take care of exposing the subject. In this shot the primary light on the subject is from bounced flash with an aperture of f/4, iso 400, 1/100th.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/tltichy/8311646​176/

Great example Scatterbrained.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16507574
Those shots don't look like any flash was used? If so, it clearly wasn't the primary source of light.
You don't need a super narrow aperture. You need to learn how to use the flash, which is why I recommended Van Neikerk's book. One thing I like to do is meter for the background light, about one stop down. Then I let the flash take care of exposing the subject. In this shot the primary light on the subject is from bounced flash with an aperture of f/4, iso 400, 1/100th.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/tltichy/8311646​176/
_MG_4115-Edit.jpg by tltichy, on Flickr

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16507574
Those shots don't look like any flash was used? If so, it clearly wasn't the primary source of light.
You don't need a super narrow aperture. You need to learn how to use the flash, which is why I recommended Van Neikerk's book. One thing I like to do is meter for the background light, about one stop down. Then I let the flash take care of exposing the subject. In this shot the primary light on the subject is from bounced flash with an aperture of f/4, iso 400, 1/100th.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/tltichy/8311646​176/
_MG_4115-Edit.jpg by tltichy, on Flickr

This photo is much better than anything I can do with a flash. I suppose I do have a lot to learn about using it. I'll check out this book. Thanks.

Maureen Souza wrote in post #16502540
I use fill flash with a 580 EX pointed 75% upwards when I take kids pictures indoors in dim light. If possible, I place them in front of good window light & turn off the flash, crank up the ISO to 2000 or so, f/4 and shutter at least 1/200. I have very busy toddler grandsons so they don't stay very still for pictures so I have to make sure I have good shutter speed & ISO.

These are both wobbly babies taken with window light only, no flash, ISO 1600 & 2000.

Now thats an old man!

Just checking the basics... what AF method did you use? All points? Single point?