More kids pics (4 img)

[Aussie Dave]

Took these on the weekend, playing in JPEG mode (which is rare for me).









C & C appreciated.

[terminator]

Number 3 is cool.
Like the blown white background.

[Alex]

2nd last is fantastic, David. I would just clone out some food residues on the LHS, near the shoulder.

Alex

[Geoff]

Dave - are these your kids?
I'm going to critique these fairly harshly, but it's all in the name of improvement right?

Firstly let me say that I'm sure the parents are really happy with them, but I think you as a photographer could have achieved better results.

#1 - probably one of the best here. I find the image a little too soft, a much sharpher head and shallower DOF would have helped nail this shot, I find the crop a little tight, but not too bad. Would love to seen the boy's head sharper though.

#2 - I don't like much about this one. I find the chair legs a little distracting, there is no eye contact and it's a 'looking down' view. I have found that when photographing kids (generally) it's MUCH better to get down to their level and shoot away..I mean photograph away Sure, it's a pensive shot but I find it a little dull, perhaps playing with the contrast a little may help this one + a nice conversion to B&W??

#3 - Kids will be kids, but the grubby face (left of her lips) and her top are discracting. Again, this image is soft, too soft and the kid looks somewhat stunned..

#4 - This is definatel the sharpest of the bunch, but I think a tighter crop (with less of the red thing in her hand) would do this image wonders. On my monitor (which admitedly hasn't been calibrated in a while) looks a TAD under saturated - her beautiful blue eyes could really enhance this shot with some more saturation.

Anyway, some nice shots but I know u can do better

As a self analysis, what did *you* think of these shots and which lens did u use?

[Aussie Dave]

Dave - are these your kids?
I'm going to critique these fairly harshly, but it's all in the name of improvement right?

Firstly let me say that I'm sure the parents are really happy with them, but I think you as a photographer could have achieved better results.

#1 - probably one of the best here. I find the image a little too soft, a much sharpher head and shallower DOF would have helped nail this shot, I find the crop a little tight, but not too bad. Would love to seen the boy's head sharper though.

#2 - I don't like much about this one. I find the chair legs a little distracting, there is no eye contact and it's a 'looking down' view. I have found that when photographing kids (generally) it's MUCH better to get down to their level and shoot away..I mean photograph away Sure, it's a pensive shot but I find it a little dull, perhaps playing with the contrast a little may help this one + a nice conversion to B&W??

#3 - Kids will be kids, but the grubby face (left of her lips) and her top are discracting. Again, this image is soft, too soft and the kid looks somewhat stunned..

#4 - This is definatel the sharpest of the bunch, but I think a tighter crop (with less of the red thing in her hand) would do this image wonders. On my monitor (which admitedly hasn't been calibrated in a while) looks a TAD under saturated - her beautiful blue eyes could really enhance this shot with some more saturation.

Anyway, some nice shots but I know u can do better

As a self analysis, what did *you* think of these shots and which lens did u use?

Thanks for your honest and considered critique Geoff, it is very much appreciated. A harsh critique is a good critique & is exactly what I want to hear...

To begin, these are my children (they're 14 month old twins). All these were taken Sunday morning, just after they'd had breaky (as is evident).
The lens I used was the 18-70 kit lens. I have very recently been experimenting with in-camera settings in JPEG mode and the resulting photos was just playful shooting (certainly not a portraiture shoot - though I guess that shouldn't make any difference, really).

#1 - I agree that the head is not sharp enough. From memory, I was trying to focus on the eye and was also shooting towards a very brightly lit window (which faces north). Not long after I moved to the other side, so the window was behind me.

#2 - I liked the "consideration" that seemed to be showing on his face & the hand emphasized that (for me), although the chair legs do take away from the image, I agree.

#3 - Next time I think I will wipe their faces before taking photos. I wasn't overly concerned with their appearance as I was mainly focussed on playing with the camera settings. I think I could have exposed this image less than I did. I metered the window, then her face and guessed what I needed to expose her correctly, knowing the background would blow out. I also think the image is a tad too soft.

#4 - At the moment, she is going through the "ta" stage, where she tries to give everything to you and say "ta". This was the main reason why I included the red toy in the shot, to indicate what she was trying to do. I didn't find the saturation to be lacking, however my monitor at home is also uncalibrated so I certainly wouldn't rule this suggestion out.

Next time, I think even though I am only playing around I will treat every situation as if I was shooting, intending to print.

Cheers Geoff