My first maternity shoot

[ikandi]

First of this is my first post! So I'd like to say Hi and introduce myself. My name is Kandice and I'm working on a portfolio to eventually go into business with (3-5 year plan for me). I have A LOT of work to do but have been practicing by putting my name out there in the community and focusing on Maternity, Newborn, Family & Children portraits. I had my first shoot this past Sunday with complete strangers

went to their house to do it, which turned out to be a bit of a challenge. The lighting was pretty bad, they only had one window which was a nice big one but the weather was pretty grey and the way the house was positioned didn't get much light inside.

I tried so hard with different positions to try to keep my ISO low but I really couldn't because of such low light. I think most of my pictures were taken at 1600 ISO.

I'm a bit disappointed in how the shots turned out. Even with the high ISO and open ap. most of my shots were taken with a low shutter speed too! Grrr... So the end result was grainy and blurring pictures!

Being my first shoot with clients I was very nervous going in. I wanted to do my best even though I'm NOT charging I really want to take great photos. Once I got inside the house, introduced myself and we started shooting, I LOVED IT! I know now this is exactly what I want to do! I have A LOT of practice and definitely won't be charging clients for a while but it was SUCH a great experience for me.

The couple knew that I was just starting out and were super excited about the shoot! I have gone through some of the pictures and I'm not sure there's a whole lot in GREAT shots. The mother is only 33 weeks so I'm hoping that if there isn't anything they love I'll do another shoot with them.

Anyway, here is one I'm working on so far, what do you think about it? Do you think it would be something they'd appreciate? I know it's not emphasizing the belly, but I liked the look on their faces. The husband was quite difficult to work with, he really didn't want to look at the camera or be involved in the shoot at all. There's a lot of pictures of him looking the other way with his hand on her tummy! I'm really hoping there are at least a few that I can salvage for them!

Anyway, any and all CC are welcome! I'd really appreciate help with PP too, any comments or suggestions for that would be great!

Sorry it's so long winded!



Settings:
ISO 1000
f/4.5
SS 1/50

[digirebelva]

Okay, first question..external flash?
You say you want to go into business...have you thought about what equipment you will need to effectively handle most lighting situations (i.e. faster lense, flash etc...)...dont put the cart before the horse if you can help it...
A better option, you pick the location so you can better control the lighting conditions to work with what you currently have in the way of equipment..

[ikandi]

Originally Posted by digirebelva

Okay, first question..external flash?
You say you want to go into business...have you thought about what equipment you will need to effectively handle most lighting situations (i.e. faster lense, flash etc...)...dont put the cart before the horse if you can help it...
A better option, you pick the location so you can better control the lighting conditions to work with what you currently have in the way of equipment..

I didn't use a flash and very rarely do I use one. I do have a speed light but prefer natural light. I am certainly not saying I'm going into business tomorrow (in fact I think I mentioned more like 3-5 years) and know I have a lot to learn and better equipment to get but I'm making do with what I have for now. In fact I just bought a new lens (Nikon 85mm f/1.8) to help with my portrait work but wasn't able to use it because of room restrictions. I'm not charging anyone for the photo session so I'm looking at more CC on the actual composition, posing, post processing, etc. not necessarily on my equipment.

I knew the lighting was horrible when I got there and asked the couple many times to go outside that the lighting would be much better and we'd get some better shots but they refused. They didn't want outdoor shots taken. So there wasn't much that could be done.

Thanks though for your comments, it's appreciated.

[shiraq]

try to use ambiental light - light from a window, use a reflection panel, or work with the light from the house ( in this situation). Dont forget, in photography , light is thr most important character
If u wanna go into business, you need to use all kind of light, improvise. In this business ( I am into) quallity is very important. if you work with very high iso, and in result you have a low quallity image for large format. I have a couple of photos, make in the middle of the night, with low iso, using the lights from my car. so , improvise

[Benphall]

I like the shot from the sounds of things and the lighting id have to give you props on getting some decent shots. 1 idea for you mabey if they only had light comming in from 1 window what you could of tried doing since the father wasnt to into looking at the camera is see if they would be ok into turning the window into a softbox. Throw a white sheet over the window and have them pose infront of the sheet. Mabey them faceingtwords eachother her holding the belly and the father kissing the belly as well. haopefully you understand what i am trying to say here. and besides if you arent charging why not suggest something and just get a feel for if the clients would be into that or not. Keep it up.

Ben

[ikandi]

They had the big front window, which I used a lot.

I actually got the father to move the couch which was in front of the widow so that I could stand in front with the window behind me to get this picture. I also had them standing in front of the window (didn't think about the sheet idea though, that would have made a lot of sense) as well and have a few shots of this that I'll post later.

I tried very much to deal with the light that I had and think it was a great learning experience to get out there and try with what I had.

[Seltzer]

You might also acquire the 50mm 1.8 as it is a very good lens for the price. Especially if you don't like flash. However, eventually the only way to overcome bad lighting is to get good lighting and that means a flash (preferably external) or a lighting setup. Better to get it and get to know it well then to have to run out one day and buy one to use without any practice.

Did you have a tripod? If you are worried about blur, usually the subject can stay motionless longer than the camera will.

As far as the father not wanting to look at the camera, that is just another obstical. He can always be looking at his wife, at the belly, etc.. better than just looking off in the distance.