first infant photo shoot..

[yanarefik44]

i am sure that i did not post this right... and i am sorry about that ... but i would still like some input on them.... this was my very first infant shoot.... thank for looking.



Camera: Nikon D40X
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/3.8
Focal Length: 22 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 500

[LYSSA718]

I think they're adorable and creative! I love shots of hands and feet. I'm new myself to professional photographer, so as an amature, I give you an A+!

[yanarefik44]

thank you so much for that comment... it makes me feel a bit better about taking pixxxxx

[sarahgirl777]

The ones with the baby laying on the bed look a bit underexposed and don't really have any special lighting to them. Not trying to be mean, but they look more like snapshots with an on camera flash rather than a "photoshoot" where lighting was well thought out. With that said, you have to start somewhere and get critique so you can learn and improve, good luck.

[Katie_Belmont]

I like the first one the best. there are some things I would change in post. Do you do any postwork yet?



This is how I would edit the first one. If you're interested I'll tell you what I did.

[yanarefik44]

Originally Posted by Katie_Belmont

I like the first one the best. there are some things I would change in post. Do you do any postwork yet?



This is how I would edit the first one. If you're interested I'll tell you what I did.

omg i love it,,,, sure can tell me what u did, i do do post work i am using photoshop elements 6 for mac... i love B&W but mom liked it betted in color... thanks for the input looking forward to more..

[yanarefik44]

Originally Posted by sarahgirl777

The ones with the baby laying on the bed look a bit underexposed and don't really have any special lighting to them. Not trying to be mean, but they look more like snapshots with an on camera flash rather than a "photoshoot" where lighting was well thought out. With that said, you have to start somewhere and get critique so you can learn and improve, good luck.

thanks for the input,, thats why i put them in here. and u r not being mean.. i dont have any lighting yet.. so it was just my on camera flash. i need to get some lighting and some softboxs and stuff.. just way toooo much money right now so iam trying things out with a DIY. now i would i make the first one more exposed?? i use PSE 6. fro mac..thanks for looking.

[Katie_Belmont]

The reason I converted it to black and white is because I thought the blanket the baby is laying on makes he/she look very very pink and doesn't stand out much.
The first thing I did was adjust the levels to correct the underexposure. Image -> Adjustments -> Levels
Then I zeroed the saturation to make it black and white. If the contrast doesn't look right after the saturation adjustment go and ahead and adjust the levels again. ( I had to lighten the highlights a bit more.) I did a slight surface blur because there was a bit of noise. Then an unsharp mask to make sure the focus didn't look soft.
I don't know how much you use photoshop so the next part might be confusing.
I added a duplicate layer behind the first one and slightly gaussian blurred it. Then I used a layer mask and a large soft brush to paint away the area behind and in front of the baby to mimic a shallower depth of field. (Which also, of course, can be done in camera by using a wider aperture.)
Then I slightly burned the edges with a big soft brush.

[irishmuth]

Great focus on the eyes. Sometimes tough to get an infant to cooperate, but it would be nice if the hand wasn't blocking the face.

[2seta1year]

I too thought the levels could be adjusted. I too have elements and decided to take a look at it by downloading the full version from flickr. I did an adjustment layer and tightened up the level histogram. I then surfaced blurred the skin a bit and adjusted the red saturation. Since your friend liked the color perhaps one of these might pop a bit more?

I can remove these if you don't want them up. I wasn't sure on the rules for tweaking...

Color level and blurring..



For this one I did a dreamy action from here..CoffeeShop Free PS/PSE Actions!