[Raymo]

Hi Everyone, need a bit of enlightenment Im doing a bit of an indoor shoot for my niece and her new born girl and I'd like to be able to link my camera up to my laptop so I can see exactly what results I'm getting in real time, what hardware/software will I need to do this??. Also any advice for the actual shoot would be greatly appreciated, Any real do's or don'ts??, It will take place in her house mid afternoon time, Many thanks.

[sgotwr]

If you are using a Canon, download the 15 day trial version of Dslr Remote Pro, from Breeze Systems.
Easy to use and not to expensive @ $90 if you do decide to buy.

DSLR Remote Pro - Remote Capture Software for Canon EOS-1D, EOS-1DS, EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS 10D, 300D, 350D, 20D, 5D, Rebel XT, DIGITAL REBEL, Kiss Digital cameras via a PC Using FireWire or USB cables

Alwyn

[Boofers]

Just took some shots of my new grandson, crew member Dave gave me some pointer's which I ended up useing, I went after the hands and fingers of the 3 week old and managed to get a little bit of a smile with it. I sat under a high lamp with my nifty fifty and shot from the side as my daughter held him up with her hands, he could hardly hold his head up, but once the hands were in front of him with her hand holding his elbows he looked real natural, I shot raw and did some white balance, but over all those were the best shots, and that is right after his dinner.

[Raymo]

Thanks for the info Sgotwr, this is just what I'm looking for but Ive got a Nikon, at least I now know that if Canon have something then Nikon must have something.

[Les Meehan]

If you want a good close-up of the face, ask your niece to place the baby on her shoulder (the Burp position) and shoot from behind your niece looking at baby's face. By arranging the baby you can obtain a really natural 'tilted head' view. Since this is a position babies learn quickly and the Mum has total support of baby the baby is usually very relaxed. Little pinkie hands can be placed on shoulder as desired.

Make sure Mum is wearing something conducive as a base, i.e. plain pink woolly jumper looks good as it is soft and delicate or fabric draped over shoulder (expect vomit!).

Natural window light is good (if direct Sun use as back-light and bounce fill from white card onto baby).

Use at least a medium telephoto (100mm or over) for natural features.

Variation of this pose is for Mum to look at/kiss baby (awkward for Mum but can produce lovely combo of interaction between the two). Hide Mum neck creases with Mum's hair. This pose of both works great with back-lighting creating halo on baby and good modeling on side-face pose of Mum.

For more control using the 'burp' position, place baby on one persons shoulder and have Mum interact with baby. Gives more freedom for poses.

Again, make sure you dress the people in sympathetic clothing for the shots.

Post the result for us to see.

Good luck

Les Meehan

[Raymo]

Thanks Les, very informative, I will post some shots when done

[Dave]

Try Nikon Imaging | Nikon Capture 4 (Version 4.4.0 for Trial)

"Remote camera control, a function also incorporated in Nikon Capture 4 software to remotely control the popular D70 and other Nikon digital SLR models, has earned wide acclaim among professionals for its advanced and convenient remote control operation". Seems you can control Camera from PC, so expect to be able to see the shots there to ?? Anyone else able to advise ?

[Dave]

Or this sounds even better :- Camera Control Pro 1.0 Trial Version - Windows

[Boofers]

Here is the shot I ended up liking because he is by himself almost, he is held up with my daughters hand with her arm resting on the chair arm. The lamp is about4 feet away up above him and gives a gleam in his eyes. He wouldn't sleep and it was late, I grabbed my wifes 50mm f1.2. We have alot of him sleeping. I planned ahead, but now it seems like I missed a lot of different shots and he's in the southern states. Good luck.
[IMG][/IMG]

[Dabhand16]

That is a great shot.

[Raymo]

Thanks Dave for the heads up on Camera Control Pro its exactly what I'm looking for, I downloaded it and gave it a whirl, its a great program and easy to use as well. Thanks to everyone for their input

[Raymo]

Finally got round to doing the shoot, this is one of my favourites c & c welcome


[IMG][/IMG]

[Dabhand16]

That is a really nice shot Raymo

the compositon, pose, expression on mum's face and soft light I really like, but just a couple of things I'd consider.

1 The picture on the LHS is not straight.
2 The dark shape on the RHS behind them is a bit distracting.
3 I think although the soft lighting is good, maybe a tiny bit more contrast would lift the picture.

With a plain BG this would be a belter, but as it is it is still a great shot. Well done.

[Charlotte]

A lovely tender shot, I like it

The picture on the wall behind is a bit distracting for me, + I'd be tempted to clone it out, so there's nowhere for my eyes to fall except on the subject.

I love the baby's wink Pity her mouth is partly covered, but that's not a train smash.

I like the composition + processing. Would like to see colour version as well?

Focusing, DoF, lighting + exposure are all very good, + I like the overall softness of the image. All in all, very well done