Close-up Baby-Daughter

[Denki]

I recently made this picture of my sleeping Daughter. Could you please advise me about:
- Light, maybe the left side is a little too dark compared to the right side?
- Did I apply the rule of thirds correctly?
- I it good to only make the centre of the picture sharp and the edges a little unsharp?
- I like the picture because it shows my daughter, what is your opinion about the technical side of photografing? What is to be improved?

EXIF:
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Shot at 55 mm
Exposure: Auto exposure, Program AE, 0.5 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800
Flash: Off, Did not fire

[irishmuth]

I think it's great technically. The only thing that detracts from the shot is that so much focus is on the pacifier - but not a lot you can do to remove it when you have a peacefully sleeping baby. Some may say it's cropped a little too tight for their personal comfort, but I think it works well here.

[ncbcymtechie]

Yeah, I'm one of the people who thinks it's cropped a little tight. It just feels like with so much white in the sweater, it's hard to keep my attention on her eyes. It's fine in the thumbnail but not as much when I view it at size.

Also I'm not sure if it's just softness but I'm not sure focus was on her eyes. Or perhaps I'm just crazy right now. Could be the crazy. Lastly, it feels a tad dark or underexposed. What would happen if you tried bumping the brightness and contrast or curves a bit in post processing?

I love how you've captured her peaceful expression, and I hope you enjoyed taking this photo of a beautiful girl. Well done!

[irishmuth]

Originally Posted by ncbcymtechie

Yeah, I'm one of the people who thinks it's cropped a little tight. It just feels like with so much white in the sweater, it's hard to keep my attention on her eyes. It's fine in the thumbnail but not as much when I view it at size.

Also I'm not sure if it's just softness but I'm not sure focus was on her eyes. Or perhaps I'm just crazy right now. Could be the crazy. Lastly, it feels a tad dark or underexposed. What would happen if you tried bumping the brightness and contrast or curves a bit in post processing?

I love how you've captured her peaceful expression, and I hope you enjoyed taking this photo of a beautiful girl. Well done!

I agree it could stand to be a little brighter