[Dutchie]

Since the youtube tutorials of Rob Barron, I'm getting in the swing of making nice photo's. Well I hope

Just give me some critique or what could i've done better. Or just what you think.

[Dave]

What a cutie .... you must be pleased with this shot Dutchie

[VikingPhotography]

The shot is lit perfectly but there are three (minor) things that I personally find distracting

1. The background; the colour of the wood doesn't do it for me, and there's flash shadowing on the bevelling that is distracting. Aim for either a neutral background or one that's quite colourful... but be sure that your daughter is clothed in the reverse i.e. colourful clothes for neutral background and vice versa

2. Whatever rug or sheet you pose her on, follow the same rules - they should be either plain and without patterns or warmly coloured. Multicolour works well and can add that charm to an infant portrait.

3. Final point: always have someone around who can do a quick wipe of your daughter's face before you take the shot... babies drool, dribble and more - we all know it. It takes two seconds with a wet wipe to fix it before you take the shot... the same thing done in Photoshop can take a lot longer

One other suggestion: I'd recommend that you try shooting at f/2 or f/2.2 instead of wide open at f/1.8... you'll still get the same shallow depth of field but your daughter's eyes will be a fair bit sharper in focus. If you have to bump up the ISO speed then that's fine - your D80 should still give great results at ISO 400 or 500.

[Dutchie]

Yeh the background is the anoying thing on the photo. But I can do something with the comments. Thanks. I'm fiddling a bit with that shutterspeed. Not sure what to set it on in different lights.

And this photo was by coincidence just a nice photo. But ok, i'll keep all the comments in mind and try again. One will learn one day

[stepheno]

VP is right....but it's still belter

[Charlotte]

The main thing which I find distracting is the dribble, although there are also a couple of veins which look very blue + could maybe be toned down, together with what looks like a rash on her forehead. You can fix all this in Photoshop (or whatever you use) with a bit of cloning.

Dutchie don't worry too much about the shutter speed, the only thing you need to watch is that it is faster than the inverse of the focal length of the lens you are using, e.g. for your nifty fifty (I think you've got one, but it's not in your 'Camera Gear' list) make sure your shutter speed doesn't fall below 1/60, and if it does then bump up the ISO. Actually a nifty fifty is just the right lens for this type of shot, very good in low light + indoor shots. Just set your camera to Aperture Priority, and let the camera set the shutter speed.

It's when your daughter reaches toddler age that you need to start thinking more about shutter speed but at this age, she ain't moving too fast so shutter speed isn't an issue so much as which aperture you use.

HTH.

PS Don't get disheartened, the rate of learning goes hand in hand with how much you do, so just do as much as you can + when you can

[Dave]

Remember if colours distract in a shot you can always remove em



Converted using Channel mixer at 40% Red, 30% Green, 30% Blue (best for natural skin tones), then a slight sharpen of eyes.

[VikingPhotography]

Dave, the "King of Mono", makes a valid point... there's almost nothing that a monotone treatment can't make look better with respect to portraiture

[Dutchie]

Dave that is a very nice transformation. Would you mind sending me that one please

And yes Charlotte, this shot has been done with my nifty fifty. I will update my camera gear as well

[AQ]

Nice picture - Don't they look sweet and innocent at that age. Just wait 14 years or so

[Willow5075]

Good tips there, I'm making notes! Love the mono treatment!

PS Cute bubby!