newborn session

[orsiphoto]

Hi all,

Haven't been here for a while but I've been busy I've managed to have some portfolio sessions with friends recently and I'm just wondering if based on these I could take the plunge and go pro. It's not like our life depended on my starting to charge for photos, but would mean some extra cash we could use towards childcare.

I've just done these last Friday. So far the family is raving about them on facebook and they haven't even seen the whole thing :P

I'd like to get into the family portraiture/wedding kind of photography so we'll see if my images were strong enough to get paid customers...

Nr 1


Nr 2


Nr 3


Nr 4

[gregles]

Re: newborn session

Some lovely shots there orsiphoto

I have been trying to get a few ideas for similar shots and have been following our very own Olypaul http://paulsilk.zenfolio.com/ and a flickr contact called loobyd http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisedavis/page2/

Two great links that I hope you will find helpful

[KyleSmith]

Re: newborn session

Love the first one, but the second one is a weebit overexposed if you ask me.

Second one is nice shot but blury. Last one is really nice too apart from the bottom bluryness.

Though good attempt!

[Chevvyf1]

Re: newborn session

3rd is a real blinder ! WoW you have caught such a dramatic shot of pure passion and pride

As you asked in LfI ...

1. for me, is too much focus on the head - making it look big and unreal (children with um many special needs have a larger than average head - so I would not present a shot like this). However, each to their own taste the angle, for me makes the lower body much too small and insignificant.

Cropped between lowest corner of mouth and chin - makes a great shot - as the eyes are roving in RAM sleep and it is such a cute face

2. I LURVE the stark white of this shot ... its very "ad Venture Portraits" - IT IS WHAT SELLS AT THE MOMENT - no matter what technical critiques of overexposures any photographer can write - and if your a PRO YOU DO THINGS THAT SELL ON TREND ... saving perfection for yourself or the smaller audience of buyers .... nudge, nudge, iykwim ... and it would look terrific A3 or A1 on linen stretched over a box frame as wall art - I bet a furniture shop would put it in their window with that seat box, draped with a sheepie rug to sell, and with your ad & cards for FREE to you it is such an EYE catcher ...

3 = the REAL BLINDER

4. Superb portrait - like the Dof - Mums Parents; family and Husband would LURVE this one ... however I personally would prefer more raw emotion, vis mum with sleepy head almost above her, nearly and nose to nose - but thats me and one of my FAV poses for "new baby and family Wall Art" - THIS IS A great portrait !

Thanks for numbering them all, it makes it so much easier to comment and refer to shots ! These are a truly GREAT Portfolio with so much depth of feeling and raw emotion - Well Captured and Best of success to you going Pro

I studied Portraits and esp. baby & toddlers for a year and spent half my whole weekends exploring possibilities and making up a portfolio of shots - BEFORE I decided I did not like lots of people tramping through my home to the studio at the back of our home; using our loo and I was not going to pay premises rents, WINCHESTER is very Expensive .

However the Stables and Tack Room are shortly to become My Studio (with Loo/mirror & washbasin in Phonebox built in facility in the Tack Room) the stables when plaster clad, will have all my light fittings and over head back drop rolls, stage etc., will be moved there and that has a gate to it away from our home

So I shall try and dig out my favs to share ... maybe we need a Baby/Child poses thread ? ... one of my favs is with 2m x 1m of 3/4 inch wadding - folded in half or three and covered with a fab satin or silk draped fabric - with 'soft' ripples and freshly pressed no creases - lay nakie babie over (with cut down bit of nappie where it counts but hidden from shot (for emergencies iykwim) - I place this on my children/toddlers/babies posing stage (1m high) so that I can easily get face to face (without laying on the floor) and stimulate with Parents the "Big Eyes" and nakie baby "sunken" in oooh so soft cushion ....

now I am off to look at Gregs suggested Paul site and Louise Flkr Thanks for this Greg

[Chevvyf1]

Re: newborn session

3rd is a real blinder ! WoW you have caught such a dramatic shot of pure passion and pride

As you asked in LfI ...

1. for me, is too much focus on the head - making it look big and unreal (children with um many special needs have a larger than average head - so I would not present a shot like this). However, each to their own taste the angle, for me makes the lower body much too small and insignificant.

Cropped between lowest corner of mouth and chin - makes a great shot - as the eyes are roving in RAM sleep and it is such a cute face

2. I LURVE the stark white of this shot ... its very "ad Venture Portraits" - IT IS WHAT SELLS AT THE MOMENT - no matter what technical critiques of overexposures any photographer can write - and if your a PRO YOU DO THINGS THAT SELL ON TREND ... saving perfection for yourself or the smaller audience of buyers .... nudge, nudge, iykwim ... and it would look terrific A3 or A1 on linen stretched over a box frame as wall art - I bet a furniture shop would put it in their window with that seat box, draped with a sheepie rug to sell, and with your ad & cards for FREE to you it is such an EYE catcher ...

3 = the REAL BLINDER

4. Superb portrait - like the Dof - Mums Parents; family and Husband would LURVE this one ... however I personally would prefer more raw emotion, vis mum with sleepy head almost above here and nose to nose - but thats me and one of my FAV poses for "new baby and family Wall Art" - THIS IS A great portrait !

Thanks for numbering them all, it makes it so much easier to comment and refer to shots ! These are a truly GREAT Portfolio with so much depth of feeling and raw emotion - Well Captured and Best of success to you going Pro

I studied Portraits and esp. baby & toddlers for a year and spent half my whole weekends exploring possibilities and making up a portfolio of shots - BEFORE I decided I did not like lots of people tramping through my home to the studio at the back of our home; using our loo and was not going to pay premises rents.

However the stables and Tack Room are shortly to become My Studio (with Loo/mirror & washbasin in Phonebox built in facility in the Tack Room) the stables when plaster clad, will have all my light fittings and over head back drop rolls, stage etc., will be moved there

So I shall try and dig out my favs to share ... maybe we need a Baby/Child poses thread ? ... one of my favs is with 2m x 1m of 3/4 inch wadding - folded in half or three and covered with a fab satin or silk draped fabric - with 'soft' ripples and freshly pressed no creases - lay nakie babie over (with cut down bit of nappie where it counts but hidden from shot (for emergencies iykwim) - I place this on my children/toddlers/babies posing stage (1m high) so that I can easily get face to face (without laying on the floor) and stimulate with Parents the "Big Eyes" and nakie baby "sunken" in oooh so soft down like cushion/pad ....

now off to look at Gregs suggested Paul site and Louise Flkr Thansk for this Greg

[David Morison]

Re: newborn session

Orsi, I think #1 is superb and shows the peace that babies exude. Such a characterful face and I wonder if he/she is dreaming. Perhaps an absence of dreams is the reason for a baby's peace.

#3 brilliant also - fatherly contentment and pride!

David

[OlyPaul]

Re: newborn session

Ok here goes.

#1- A superb image, the angle of view,perspective and fall off of dof all work very well to create a great image.

#2 - I certainly like the high key effect and open airy effect of the image, but I would have liked a little more detail in the rug and child where it is burning out.

#3 - The weakest of the set in my opinion, it looks like the father was moving the child up and down which has resulted in his arm and the child suffering from subject movement. A faster shutter speed or asking the father to stop at the moment the image was taken would have helped.

#4 - A nice and much used idea (what we call a f/4 shot), I think having the fathers face in the image but further back would have worked better here as for me his shirt is the brightest part of the image and a little distracting and I would take it down a little has it is.you also have little bit of subject movement in the mothers hand.

Have you thought of adding the fathers face in post processing, something like this may go down well with clients. just substitute the subjects for mother and child with husband in the background.



This are just my opinions but they are in the looking for improvement and I know the family will be overjoyed with them as they should be. And I can just see no 1 hanging as a framed 30x20 print on the wall.

Well done.

[brianvickers]

Re: newborn session

These are all great, I think No 3 is spoilt by the movement and the inclusion of fathers torso in the background in 4 is not so good (just my opinion).
My favourite is No 2, like the exposure...a real quality feel to that one.
I disagree that the head in No1 looks too large...it is but it doesn't spoil it for me (just asked my wife's opinion and she doesn't like it)....so there you go.
Thanks for posting these, we have such an event in December...first grandchild to look forward to, so looking for ideas and inspiration.

[woof woof]

Re: newborn session

I really like number 2.

I assume that the slight overexposed look is what you were going for and if so... I think it really works. If not... I love it anyway

I'd be very very happy with that picture if I'd taken it. Well done.

[Mark]

Re: newborn session

Hi Orsi,

Some great shots there for me.

Love pic 1, my favourite, superb. Great composition and angle of the shot for me. Like the peaceful expression you captured too.

Love pic 4 as well, great capture of proud Mum. Notice a lot of blurring - did you use your tilt-shift lens ? For me could try a bit of cropping to reduce blurred parts in corners and Dad standing behind.

Had a go at a shoot with a friend recently and her baby and found it really hard work so well done !

[s4ean]

Re: newborn session

Is the blur in shots 3 & 4 not added post processing?

[Phill D]

Re: newborn session

I'm not qualified to comment on those excellent shots but as a proud father myself if someone had presented me with shots like that of our kids when they were small I'd definitely have bought them. Both as originals for others in the family and enlargements for us.

[timmypreston]

Re: newborn session

Is it not impossible to take a picture of a child whose parent will think it is a bad image?

Number 2 is the most "pro" looking to be honest and I would gladly have that mounted and hung if it was my child. I like the burnt out appearance.

Number 1, which has already been said, causes some issues over head and body proportions I think this is caused by the angle it is taken.

The other two are just grabbed snap shots with motion blur in the lower quarter.

[Benedict]

Re: newborn session

If I can come back tto the question you originally asked - Which was : following these images could you go pro.

Whilst the images have already been commented on by others whose opinions I agree with wholly or partially,the images imo are not of a sufficient reason to consider going pro. I am sure that family will be delighted with them as I might be if I were family - but they simply don't stand up to what a professional ( who earns income from their images ) would be expected to produce.

You obviously have the taleent to progress this further from the images I have looked at on your website,so for me you need to study the subject matter a bit more by having a good look at what other photographers have produced in this area - there are lots of the around. Also consider the back drops to your shot eg. no 1 the back drop conflicts with the skin tones of the baby.

I am trying to be constructive here,so I hope you do take the comments in the manner they are given - to be helpful

[Chevvyf1]

Re: newborn session

... I am sure that family will be delighted with them as I might be if I were family - but they simply don't stand up to what a professional ( who earns income from their images ) would be expected to produce.

You obviously have the taleent to progress this further from the images I have looked at on your website,so for me you need to study the subject matter a bit more by having a good look at what other photographers have produced in this area - there are lots of the around. Also consider the back drops to your shot eg. no 1 the back drop conflicts with the skin tones of the baby.

I am trying to be constructive here,so I hope you do take the comments in the manner they are given - to be helpful

Yes, your so right - they are good, but fall down on Pro points Your a great "Leveller" there can be nothing wrose than being told "Go Pro"! whyen there is so much, yet, to learn