1st attempt with lighting

Bassit

Bassit

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Name
John
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Hi, Some images of my niece and her little bundle of joy i took earlier on in the week, this was my 1st attempt at lighting and i would like some general comments please, what could i have done better and what mistakes have i made, i am asking so i might be able to avoid any mistakes at the weekend when i will be trying again.

These were shot using X2 300w flashes with shoot through umbrellas, but i also had to use a speedlight to get the flashes to flash as i didn't have a pc lead to connect my triggers to the flashes, got 1 now though, i will also have a 50x50 gridded softbox to play with next week.

EDIT: The original pics are not as soft as these, its something that has happened from uploading to flicker that has caused any softness.

1.

DSC_4177-3 by J.Garton, on Flickr

2.

DSC_4169-2 by J.Garton, on Flickr

3.

DSC_4147-3 by J.Garton, on Flickr

4.

DSC_4249-2 by J.Garton, on Flickr

5.

DSC_4199-2 by J.Garton, on Flickr

6.

DSC_4194-2 by J.Garton, on Flickr.
 
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Anyone? Ill be trying again on sunday so any help would be appreciated. (y)
 
I think you did great (y)
The B&W I'm not so sure
 
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Thank you for your reply Helen (y)

Since posting these i have watched Garry's video of the Blackpool lencarta convention, terrible video but its worth watching and listening to what garry has to say in it, i now have an idea of where i went wrong with my pictures above at least.

I have removed the "critique" prefix as it seems to put people off from replying, either that or i smell or something. ;) :thinking:

167 Views and 1 reply. :shrug:
 
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I think part of the reason you don't get too many replies is a lot of people like myself look but aren't really qualified to comment and are on a learning curve themselves. I've just posted a similar post in the talk lighting and studio section and if you haven't read it then its with a look.
As I'm sure you know by now there is a lot to learn when it comes to studio lighting and all I can suggest doing is what I did which is watch tutorial vids on YouTube and try and take on board as much as you can then experiment.
If you are doing this at home with all the associated compromises with space and time then you will struggle but stick with it because great results are possible.
 
Thanks for your replies Richard & Matthew.

Richard i think you are right about peoples comments, i did see your thread and found the comments off Gary very helpful, that's where i found the convention video with Gary's talk.
 
Looks like you had 2 lights at 45 degrees? Not the best way to place your lights

1. The skin tone looks off. For a first try this is a pretty decent effort though imo.

2. Not keen on the conversion method?

3. The light looks quite hard in this and the pose isn't good. Image is just too busy

4. Why is the blanket on the floor? It's just a distraction. The other images loooked cleaner although could be lightened on the others a bit.

5 & 6 just the pose - Hands under the arms are like big claws.....

But I know how hard it is and for a first time you have done a lot better than many I've seen.
 
Hi Jim, Thank you for the critique. (y)

I'll try to take on board the points you have made.

The lights were at 45 degrees mainly because of limited space, a lot more practice needed & the blanket was to make it a bit more comfortable for the 6 month old, i know its a distraction and spoils the look but the floor was hard underneath the vinyl and you are correct about the poses, this is actually the part i am finding the most difficult, how to pose someone for the photos. :thinking: :help:

Lots more practice & experimentation (and youtube video watching) needed.
 
get some training if you want to shoot babies :) You can purchase sets that are perfect for placing babies down (look at Mank on here) - Rob's images are superb
 
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