Newborn Photography HELP!!!

Ok I am getting an idea of the mistake you have made lighting wise. The problem we have is the lighting is flat, it has no depth or shadow which is what creates visual interest. If you position the subject in the middle of a room with say 2 windows allowing in the same amount of light you then have a light ratio of light ratio of 1:1 which simply means the light is even across the image. This sort of lighting has its place but for newborns really does not work. By using a single light at a 45 degree angle or allowing more light into one window than the other you can add shadow making it more visually interesting.

The other thing you can do is move closer to the light. This will of course give you more light to work with making exposer easier and creating more shadow but also moving closer makes the window area bigger relative to the subject and in turn making the light softer.

Why not ask the friend to reshoot and try again. While some improvements may be made in photoshop on the depth I am afraid to say the lack of sharpness is past the point of any real repair.
 
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This was shot using 45 degree lighting using a Speedlite with a small softbox. Again not a great shot but I think you can see some of the shadows. It was just shot quicly as she was asleep and I thought she looked cute.

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The lighting is my biggest thing to sort out there are so many rules and theories it really can be confusing as hell! haha i will get there and the information on this thread is so helpful and i will keep referring back to it. I'll get there and all i can do now is get better, i think lol. I really need to get a grip of angles etc, end of the month ill be ordering the stands for the flash thingies so hopefully that will make a difference!
 
You need to remember that photography is a difucult mixture of science and art. Some of us are more incluned one way or the other but you do need some knowledge of both sides. The fact is photography is all about lighting, it could be said that light is the single most important thing and im reailty the most difucult to learn. It takes many of us years and years to get to grips off and most of us will never fully master it.

This is where my previous advice comes in. Before dealing with difucult subjects such as children and even more so babies it would be a good idea to learn the basics of lighting, camera control and composition. Use an adult, youself or even a dummy. Test different lighting types , angles, distances, intesities. Play around with camera settings and most of all take on some basic photography training. Busted record? Maybe.
 
No not at all and im listening to everything you are saying. Someone sent a link to one im going to take a look into for abit more info and training and when something close to me comes up then i will take it but until then ill just be practising.

Ive been practising with my mum (not that shes having much fun haha!) and with a doll etc to work out what is right but its good experience try different things and whilst there is babies in my family i may aswel put it into practise what ive been learning and have a go. They know im not a pro or anything near the sort but they do know im determined and they are willing to help me and im willing to learn in every possible way.

This thread is 7 pages long and ive just realized maybe i should stop posting on it now lol
 
No not at all and im listening to everything you are saying. Someone sent a link to one im going to take a look into for abit more info and training and when something close to me comes up then i will take it but until then ill just be practising.

Ive been practising with my mum (not that shes having much fun haha!) and with a doll etc to work out what is right but its good experience try different things and whilst there is babies in my family i may aswel put it into practise what ive been learning and have a go. They know im not a pro or anything near the sort but they do know im determined and they are willing to help me and im willing to learn in every possible way.

This thread is 7 pages long and ive just realized maybe i should stop posting on it now lol
 
We dont have a page limit and it is better to keep to one thread rather than starting a new, that way we can keep track of what has already been said and people are not repeating themselves.

Did you ask to reshoot this?
 
Yes i've asked but they are going away to see family for a few weeks so she will be older when i get the chance to re shoot but yes i will be re doing it but im using them to play around on photoshop and experiment with things lol
 
They may not be perfect but I bet mum will still love them
 
The one thing Photoshop may help with here is skin tones. They look a little grey and to put it blunt , dead. Add some colour to the cheeks and aim for a peachy, creamy tone.
 
ooo ok thankyou, ive been reading up on how to get the creamy skin, its all a learning experiance i guess! lol
 
Ive just had a message off a friend who wants her newborn photographing on the 14th of march I NEED TO GET A HANG OF THIS LIGHTING AND FOCOUSING LOL!! I'm scared to death ill ruin the photos like the last lot lol i need to get on with reading up loads on natural lighting for newborn photos and get a hold on what im actually doing lol
 
Please make it really clear that you are not confident. For your own sake. Persoanlly I would send them to an experined new born photographer and ask if you can come along to the shoot to observe.
 
They don't have the money to do that i already told her im really not experienced and told her to check out venture photography near us and she said she just wants some nice photos and dosn't have the money to pay for a photoshoot
 
I want a nice sports car but don't have the money to pay for that.... Haha.

Venture wouldn't be my first choice for newborns. Intact they wouldn't be my last choice either.

Just be careful with the posing please.
 
caitlinjade95 said:
Ive just had a message off a friend who wants her newborn photographing on the 14th of march I NEED TO GET A HANG OF THIS LIGHTING AND FOCOUSING LOL!! I'm scared to death ill ruin the photos like the last lot lol i need to get on with reading up loads on natural lighting for newborn photos and get a hold on what im actually doing lol
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Get a stand and use the flash!

There's only one way to get over the fear... It seems at the moment you're holding yourself back because of all the 'complicated stuff'.
 
And if you haven't worked out how to get a sharp shot of a human being by the end of this weekend, you really are missing what the real issues are.
 
I am careful with the posing i havn't even attempted anything ive seen because i know its not safe i stick to on their back and side thats all. I'm just going to work my bum off making hundreds of notes on natural lighting! I have a large reflector its a 5 in 1 im not sure what they all do but is it the silver one that bounces the light?
 
Phil V said:
Get a stand and use the flash!

There's only one way to get over the fear... It seems at the moment you're holding yourself back because of all the 'complicated stuff'.
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i know i really need to dive into it and get a grip on it it's just so intimidating lol i dont even know where i start! I get paid on friday so i will sort stands and what not and i really do need to get to grips with the focousing, whats the best focus setting as mine just chooses where it focuses and focouses on 1 or 2 points on the grid ill reasearch!
 
Each bit of the 5 in 1 does different things. Diffuse light, bounce light, flag light. I dont think a relector is what you need right now really. I would be more inclined to use the diffusion panel in a 5 in 1 for a newborn shoot like this to start with.
 
Use a single point focus. You can even put it on centre focus and recompose or move the focus point to the one clostes to the place you want to focus. Again these really are the basics and i would get these things mastered before even involving a newborn.
 
yes i knew it was the frosts/transparent side that will diffuse the light, i know and i get that i need to practise and get the hang of it i really do so its what im trying to do so thats what i plan to do, like i said im determined to learn and do this and thats what im going to do ive also enquired at my college if there is going to be evening classes for photography so ill hopefully hear back at some point!! I'll also be taking on the advice of another poster and having a look into a creative live purchase so i can watch and get taught too. I've seen loads of distance learning newborn photography courses but im unsure if they are worth the money so im waiting to hear back from my college first!

Its my lighting that is by far my biggest issue and i know that and thanks for the focousing answer im having a play around with my camera now to tell the difference etc
 
Newborn Photography is hands on. Distance learning will not relaly give you what you want. And again i know i keep saying it but newborn training will not teach you photography basics such as focus, composition, lighting so on. The only real way to learn this is time and pratcice and this is best done well away from a newborn baby. Its not just posing that can effect the safty of a baby.
Also when asked to take photos for friends never be afraid to simply admit you are not ready to do that yet.

I bet almost every photographer on here has practised lighting with self portraits before. if its with natural light or flash makes no difference really. Sit by the light source. Change the angle, change the distance and have a look at the results. That way you can spend as much time as you want making changes and you dont have to worry about anything else but lighting.
 
I know i just feel bad knowing they want me to take some, they know i have the camera for it but cant afford to pay for it done professionally especailly when they just want simple photos of their baby. It feels mean to say no to them lol. Im free all weekend so this weekend im going to try and get a grips with the lighting and fathom it out. I know newborn training wont teach me that but itll teach me what i want to know plus me doing the extra bits on lighting. Like i said im waiting to hear from college :)
 
caitlinjade95 said:
I know i just feel bad knowing they want me to take some, they know i have the camera for it but cant afford to pay for it done professionally especailly when they just want simple photos of their baby. It feels mean to say no to them lol. Im free all weekend so this weekend im going to try and get a grips with the lighting and fathom it out. I know newborn training wont teach me that but itll teach me what i want to know plus me doing the extra bits on lighting. Like i said im waiting to hear from college :)
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Don't take this as a negative, step back a yard and have a think about these issues:

YOU need to understand what they don't. Having 'the camera' means nothing. I have a guitar, but I'm not mean to refuse to play ay my daughters birthday party. Simply because I can't play. A crap song isn't actually better than no song. The difference between my guitar playing and your photography isn't skill it's desire to be good.... (I can't be bothered to practice-you say you can be bothered)

So: this weekend (you need structure).

For Saturday just photograph everything in sight, forget lighting, concentrate on your body movements, muscle memory and make sure you can get a well focused shot 99% of the time. Your camera technique takes hundreds of hours of practice, and your images testify that you haven't put the hours in. On Saturday night, re-read this thread regarding lighting ready for...

On Sunday, you can practice your lighting, on yourself, your mum, the dog, dolls, anything! But move the angle between the light and object and watch how the shadows develop and change. Lighting is about the shadows not exposure.
 
What Phil says. Just to add, when people say they just want simple shots that means nothing, if they really just wanted simple shots they would take them on their phones. Having a camera does not mean anything unless you understand how to use it. In fact I personally think having a "good camera" will produce worse shots than a camera phone or point and shoot if you don't know what to do with it. You are a lot more things you can get wrong.

I feel the need to be a little harsher on you I am afraid as the softer aprouch is not really working but in my opinion at least you should not be going anywhere near a new born baby at this stage. I know you are keeping the posing simple but while you are concentrating very hard on working out the basics things can go wrong. The basics such as focusing need to be instinctive. As Phil says only putting in the hours can do this.
 
yup i understand what your both saying and i dont think your both being negative i knew from the start my lighting wasn't perfect at all. I need to get the structure of it sorted and thankyou for the tips on what i need to do. This weekend i plan on using my entire weekend focousing on getting things right. I know that my focusing has been rubbish and i know that now, i now know what focus i need it on so when i practice i will know. You don't need to be any harsher than your already being...I know what your saying about photographing newborns and i wont be until the 14th of march up until then all ill be doing is practising on my lighting and other things youve said im doing wrong.

Thanks both for your tips im going to be practising all weekend and ive been reading up loads on natural lighting
 
lol! I know what your saying and im willing to put in a damn hard amount of work to get to be where i want to be. I'm not expecting it to be easy and my first mission is lighting and work out the flash things! lol
 
20 years since picking up my first SLR i am still way off mastering lighting. I am not sure I ever will. I get by just about.
 
Im not expecting to master it or anything im expecting to get a firm grip of what i need to do
 
finally got my flash set up tonight with my brothers strength to get the rods in lol turns out the stand that came with my reflector first the flash on really securely ive managed to rig it up to sync with my camera hallelujah i did something right and ive had a go with my mum just fiddling about tonight...safe to say i probably blinded her a few times and its no where near as scary as i thought now that its all set up, its ready for the weekend now so i can practise natural lighting and with my flash so i can get the hang of them!!
 
Stick to the single flash with softbox for now, you'll need it close, that softbox isn't very big. That means just out of shot.
 
when i presh my shutter button it flashes a tonne of times is this okay? either way ill work it out this weekend and same with the dial on the back that things confusing lol but ill work it out!
 
It should just flash once. What sort of light is it. I am guessing you have it set to red eye reduction or something within the camera. Turn that off.
 
Okay ill double check and make sure thats off! So long as i know its just supposed to flash once i've got it now lol!
 
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