My Daughter

[wonderasap]

Camera: D60
Exposure: 1/25
Aperture: f/5.3
ISO: 800
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, did not fire

I really like this photo of my daughter but feel it is lacking "depth and emotion". I see this as a good candid but no more. I am also hopelessly unable to be objective regarding photos of her.

[SandeeWig]

Welcome to DPS! What a sweet baby girl! You are gonna have some fun taking pictures of her!

In terms of critique...I'll just give you my initial thoughts since you didn't ask a specific question...

I realize it was probably dark, hence your settings, but when I look at the large version, the first thing I notice is the noise and the softness (lack of sharp focus). This can be caused by high ISO (800), slow shutter speed (1/25), or a combination of both.

It also looks slightly underexposed to me, but brightening it is only going to make it grainier.

The conversion is alright, but might be improved if there was more contrast. I love her sweet squishy lips, and focusing on those would also make an adorable shot! In this position, she looks uncomfortable, so maybe next time she's in a deep sleep, try propping her head up on her hands, instead of them being tucked underneath her.

Hope this help!

[wulf]

All tucked in like that is not a great pose; it shows she is flexible but isn't otherwise particularly flattering. As Aimee suggests, getting in closer might have been a good idea in this situation. Do the letters on the blanket / quilt have any significance or are they just accidental?

Wulf

[wonderasap]

Aimee,
Thank you for the info regarding the ISO and shutter speed. I shot this on the children pre-set. Looks like I'll have to play with more manual settings.

Wulf,
I was wondering if it would be better to take photos of her in the positions she falls asleep in or should I pose her? Any good tips to posing her without waking her? The quilt is a hand made gift from a friend but; no, the letters do not have any significant meaning. I just liked the contrast they provided.

[wulf]

Take lots of photos using lots of approaches (and commit yourself to throwing most of them away). Also, do some homework looking at other people's baby shots (for example, here are some of the most "interesting" sleeping baby images from Flickr).

You aren't out to copy them directly but to seek inspiration. For example, I think "babies are a gift from God" is a great example. I would pick out the key elements of that shot as:

1. a prop (in this case the hat)

2. a colour scheme (in this case a range of pinks and white)

3. narrow depth of field (it's all about the face and hands - the rest is covered and blurry).

Wulf