happy @ 7 months

[lucianc]

Hi All, this is a shot using natural light only. I used a Canon 300D, ISO 100, 1/125, F2.8, 24 mm.
On the RAW format I added some sharpness, reduced saturation and leveling in Capture One . I am looking for some good critique on composition and post processing and anything else you can think of.
Thanks...

[vjhoward]

Great expression and happy baby! Kids make great photo subjects if you can get them to slow down...

A few thoughts to improve the shot:
1. A little fill light or a relfector to get some additional light on the face.
2. Face does not seem really sharp. It looks like focus may have been more on the top of the v-neck sweater. Side note: I get focus in the wrong spot all the time and kick myself in post processing quite a bit. I read another photographer comments who said to "focus on eyes". Good thing to remember (when I can). Also the f/2.8 may have caused this. That is a pretty big aperature with shallow depth of field. You will get more in focus if you decrease your aperature.
3. The photo seems a little flat. Adjust histogram to get some darker darks and lighter lights.
4. Potentialy tighten the crop to eliminate adult fingers and flailing arm.

Keep in mind, I am just an amatuer and learning myself. The comments above would have been my critique of myself.

Hope this is helpful.

[Wifey]

What a cutie!

I have that same problem sometimes too. . .like vjhoward mentioned with the focus. The photo looks great on the camera but when you blow it up you see that it's fuzzy. Always disheartening

Definitely focus on the eyes for the next shot! I think vjhoward also nailed it with cropping out the adult fingers there on the left, and I would also play with the color/saturation/curves to bring the photo some life.

Nice work!

[lucianc]

Thanks guys, these are useful comments. Yeah, I knew about the focusing on eyes, and I try that most of the times; I guess here I was trying to snap the photo quickly before the face expression was gone and the focus was somewhere else....