Baby eyes

[Liacs]

My son is my best object to take photos of. It is hard to get him in a good mood, and I have to be real fast to get his good moments (splitseconds!) so I have to retouch a lot.

This is my original photo:

http://ylania.yl.funpic.de/FTPYlania/Before.JPG

And this is what I made with Picasa out of it:

http://ylania.yl.funpic.de/FTPYlania/After.JPG

I cropped a lot as you can see. Used sepia, sharpened it a bit and used glow.

I think that was all. Say what you want: I made something out of a very baaad picture!

Please keep in mind that I am a real bloody beginner! :)

Thanks for some comments! I never posted any photo on the web. So this is a premiere!

Lia

[Bail]

Nice job.

Even though this is not the Critique section, my first thoughts when I saw the 2nd photo is "NOISE". Unless your going after that antique look by using the sepia then the photo has tons of noise. Not sure what camera your using but if you lower the ISO and use more light your end result could look similar to this

http://www.jeffreybail.com/dps/baby1.jpg

If you think I am being insulting, please don't. I am just giving you some pointers. From what I've learned on this site and from others, I take much better photos. Even with a point and shoot.

[Liacs]

the light is my problem... we don't have enough light in the house and I can't work with flash (don't want to blind the lil one) And also I have to be quite fast taking pictures of him. One moment he is fine, the next he is crying.. ( babies!!!).
But I will try to work with lower ISO. Thanks for the suggestion.
Of course I don't take this as an insult. These are my first babysteps in direction photo taking and manipulation ;). I am happy for every comment!
Lia

[googlit]

I think it works great with the old-timey look. His expression is the best for those kinds of pictures. People often had a far-off stare and no real expression (you try smiling without moving a muscle for 5 minutes!). I really like what you did with it. :)

[e500]

I loved the baby shot except for the edit, i can show here the way i like i though that the pic will look great ... if you want i can post it here

[Liacs]

@e500: go ahead, show me what you would do. I am here to learn!

:)

Lia

[e500]

Little more contrast and a diferent sepia tone...

http://www.viagenselazer.com/foto/AfterR.jpg

try to use adobe's light room to process jpg and raw files ....

what do you think

[Liacs]

I have to say I don't like the greenish look of it.
That destroys the feeling of the photo.
And I am missing the lightspot on his nose.
That is after the shine in his eyes the nicest thing in the picture.
But perhaps I am too emotional bound to the object.
What I do like though, is your cropping. I was not sure about how much to crop below and on the right side. That is better than mine.

What do the others say?

[Bail]

Once again I could think is holy noise!
That one makes the baby look like a alien, no offense.

[jiminyClickit]

Liacs, it was the eyes that got me, so I had to join this group and Flickr to send along this, yet another way of looking at (and changing) an image. It also affords me the chance to ask, "Am I the only person here using Adobe PhotoDeluxe?" Sure it's old and cheap, but so am I . . .
The question is, would I be wasting time describing steps (few and simpler) that won't make sense (as PhotoShop does not to me).
And Liacs, your first attempt was completely successful. Again the eyes and the tone ... wow. (Is your avatar the same son?)

OK, file too big. See next post

[adalove]

Liacs, you have a very handsome baby! You really improve that shot you did, and in sepia looks great.

I really like the retouches Bail did too, looks smoother. Bail, what did you do?

[Liacs]

@ jiminyClickit: hehe, thanks for the interest. Yes, the avatar pic is the same son (I just have one ;)) I think in your picture he looks like a vampire baby, but I like it :D (he sometimes already is a devil ;))

@ adalove: Thanks for the compliment. I am doing my best :)
I guess Bail used neatimage (www.neatimage.com) or a similar program to get rid of the noise...
I like that too, but there are these lines now. Can one make it go even smoother from one colour to the other?

[Learner]

You did great. You have a beautiful boy, lively, from your description and smart. Enjoy taking pics and please keep uploading. I too am a beginner, you have done a lot more than I have with this one shot. Great!

[dkchac]

This is a beautiful baby photo. I made some adjustments using Corel Paintshop Photo Pro XI. Baby has beautiful "catch light" in eyes. Good job!

Do you like these fixes???

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=122&stc=1&d=1168482699

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=123&stc=1&d=1168482699

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=124&stc=1&d=1168482699

Debbie

[Liacs]

@ dkchac: wow, they look great. I was also fiddling with b/w, but I couldn't manage to make it look that good. I like the one to the right the most.

I never thought there would be so much positive response to my post. Thank you all for your constructive comments, ideas and examples! This will keep me busy posting here! :D

Lia

[jiminyClickit]

Liacs, one other thing: if you have access to a more natural lightbulb (I use GE Reveal), you could set up a natural photo area with toys and games where your son would be comfortable and lit better for pics, no flash.
Experiment!

[Liacs]

Liacs, one other thing: if you have access to a more natural lightbulb (I use GE Reveal), you could set up a natural photo area with toys and games where your son would be comfortable and lit better for pics, no flash.
Experiment!
Where do I get those lightbulbs? I just found some in the local DIY-Store for the standard lamp-holder... But very good hint. I will look further. I guess that is the only way to make decent photographs of him!

[jiminyClickit]

Liacs,

Belgium? Maybe a local hardware dealer could be talked into ordering some if no one carries them. The light is easy on eyes so your subjects don't squint or turn away. I'm building a people-sized version of the 'Light Box" described here somewhere, with a set of ON/OFF switches close to my tripod so I can light according to how the person sits or turns, for a more natural look without making them uncomfortable or have to pose.

Wonderful shot of Father/Son on slide, by the way. Hope your albums grow with your enthusiasm. If you find ways to improve the lighting issues (there has to be a European version of natural-lightbulbs), I'm working mostly with the aged and/or handicapped. Any new ideas are welcome.

[Liacs]

Hehe, thanks for the slide picture: that is my fiancee, yes, but with my niece ;) Was done last year in May when she was a year old (and our son was still in my belly ;)). Hey, you should post a comment in flickr, not here on that one ;)
Interesting with the light box, hope you will be able to make a picture and post it. ;)
As for the light: I will keep you updated on where to get what. The daylightbulbs I found are blue and have a rather annoying light (philips), so I am not done searching yet.

[jiminyClickit]

Oops. Looking at angle and color and did not see the little PERSON!
I will go to Flickr, and I guess just shop for bulbs, especially in lighting shops where you can see the bulb lit before you buy. It's subjective, for sure. Luck!