First Post for Critique

[skilgore]

I am posting this SOOC so that I can get some critique to help me improve the raw image.



Thanks in advance for your guidance!

1/200
75 mm
f/5.3
ISO 1000

[lputman]

It looks a tad underexposed. Was the shutter speed really 1/4000? She's a cutie and with a few tweaks, you'd had a very nice photograph.

[skilgore]

oops, no, so sry, shutter speed was 1/200, Ill go back and fix that.

[Benji]

One problem with available light is it usually is not portrait friendly available light. :-) This type of image is known in the business as a "raccoon eyes image" so named because of the dark shadows in the eyesockets. When the light source is overhead you will get this. Portrait lighting comes from the side rather than overhead.

Benji

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by Benji

One problem with available light is it usually is not portrait friendly available light. :-) This type of image is known in the business as a "raccoon eyes image" so named because of the dark shadows in the eyesockets. When the light source is overhead you will get this. Portrait lighting comes from the side rather than overhead.

Benji

Agreed. Looks like you used overhead room lighting.

Obviously, most people starting out don't have lighting equipment. Use natural light to your advantage (and there are loads of professionals that only use natural light, I might add). Try placing that adorable child near a window during the day, when no direct, harsh sunlight is coming through, at about a 45 degree angle; perhaps on a tabletop, well supervised, if you don't have floor-to ceiling windows or sliding glass doors for baby to be on the floor. If you can use something for reflection (even a $2 piece of white posterboard from Walmart or the local drugstore would help a lot if you do not have an actual reflector) on the opposite side to fill in shadows. Don't face the baby directly toward the light source - you'll get flat lighting then. Look for light in the eyes and subtle shadowing for depth.

[skilgore]

Thank you for the feedback!
I appreciate the detailed suggestions, will implement them asap!

[Gina9942]

I agree with the other posters. I would also take a quick note of backgrounds, I know sometimes you can't help it if you want a certain photo but I find the bg to be distracting, one side is cream colored and the other is dark, that throws me off.

[Pichead]

This may sound weird, but it works. In addition to the background issues, you should buy a reflector (5 in 1) set. When you have your camera out, place your daughter on the reflector with the majority of it out in front of her. This will bounce any light from above back up onto her face, helping to eliminate some of those shadows.

Really cheap, really easy, pretty nice results...

[djmoonlight]

Anyways, Don't face the baby directly toward the light source.