About as newborn as you can get!

BooBear

BooBear

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391
Name
Becky
Edit My Images
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Last week I photographed Arthur's birth. It was an amazing experience (though it wasn't easy photographically - no flash and terrible light, and no second chances for any of the shots!). Here is the baby taking his very first breath. Rest of the set is here: http://animoto.com/play/ejMsALTJ3MpvgcPK6Epwdg (still a work in progress as I realise there are some editing issues).


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[/url] First breath by Tummy to Toddler Photography, Oxford, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
There seems to be a leg in the way? Compositionally, it's not for me. The leg doesn't frame the baby, it chops a bit of it's face off. Understandably, there's alot going on at these things, but it doesn't work for me.

Is it yours? If so, congrats.
 
Princess said:
There seems to be a leg in the way? Compositionally, it's not for me. The leg doesn't frame the baby, it chops a bit of it's face off. Understandably, there's alot going on at these things, but it doesn't work for me.

Is it yours? If so, congrats.
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yes, there is a leg in the way - unsurprisingly the mother didn't want her woo-wah photographed and shown on the internet! This was the only angle I could get without annoying medical staff in the room.

With birth photography, there's not much chance to pose people, and sometimes not much room to move around for a different angle.
 
Mark Anthony said:
Well i looked at the set in the slideshow and i've got to say any minor editing issues aside i think they're amazing, a great documentary record for the parents of a magical time.
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Thank you - the parents are over the moon with the version they've seen so far. Now that we've sorted out which images are staying, I'm going to re-edit for their final version.
 
BooBear said:
yes, there is a leg in the way - unsurprisingly the mother didn't want her woo-wah photographed and shown on the internet! This was the only angle I could get without annoying medical staff in the room.

With birth photography, there's not much chance to pose people, and sometimes not much room to move around for a different angle.
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Understandable, you don't want to get in the way.
Woo wahs on show are never good :D
 
I think its a beautiful image. Yes it would have been nice if babys face hadn't been clipped, but given the circumstances, I think totally understandable and acceptable. I also like the mono conversion, simply because it removes the 'blood & gore' stuff, as it were, and concentrates on the simple beauty of a child being born. Hope that makes sense. :D

Only thing I would recommend is maybe toning down the 'glare' on the protective sheets bottom left so that the 'highlight' of the shot is the baby.

Congrats to the parents too (y)
 
I agree with Mod Yv ^ The glare does also draw the eye a bit.
 
Thanks. Those highlights were well and truly blown and I have done a bit of cloning to bring some detail back. Will see if I can darken it. There was a really bright lamp just out of shot, aimed just at that area of white bedding. but that's birth photography for you! I'm sure the more of these shoots I do the more I will work my way around these problems.
 
By the way, I do have some photos with the whole face in but not suitable for sharing with anyone other than the mum...!
 
I'm not going to get into technical issues, its a difficult subject to take and I think you have handled it tastefully and tenderly, a wonderful record for the family. I congratulate the family on their new born and on you for an excellent presentation (y).
 
I think you have done beautifully, mum and dad must be delighted, well done on a great job
 
Thank you for the lovely comments. It was a very special shoot (and photo) for both me and the baby's family.
 
That is one amazing shot. Absolutely stunning.

(I think you should completely ignore comments about the composition!)
 
Old Timer said:
That is one amazing shot. Absolutely stunning.

(I think you should completely ignore comments about the composition!)
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Whys that then? I'm sure the op knows he could of done it differently ( and better) given a different situation.
Telling people to ignore valid points is not helpful.

It's just my opinion. Lots will disagree I'm sure, but lots will agree too. Id be taking it all onboard if it were my photo.
 
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Princess said:
Whys that then?
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Because it's not some controlled portrait session, it's a picture of a baby being born! The composition is of such tiny, tiny importance when faced with the huge reality and value of what this picture is all about.
 
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Congratulations Boo to you and your wife (y) A good natural shot and one you will cherish. You may be looking at the clipped head and feeling a little frustrated :shrug: but hey if you were as excited and as emotional as I was at the birth of my kids then that cancels that out straight away. With no flash and what looks like a very strong beam of sunlight in the room you have held the exposure well. My only other advise would be get him on the Jaffa`s ASAP :rules:
 
Thanks - but it's not my wife, I am a female photographer! But it was very emotional regardless!

This was taken in a windowless room in the hospital, with a very strong lamp directed at centre-stage! So, yes, tricky to meter and no flash allowed. But black and white + grain can be a god-send at times!!
 
It's a stunning photo, in photography it's not often these day's that I look at a photo and don't start thinking about what I would change what I would do differently but in this instance the photo is of such powerful and intimate nature that even with minor and I do really mean minor faults I still just love the photo, I think that this is an instance where the subject, and emotions of the photo/event totally eclipse the technical aspects of the photo...

Matt
MWHCVT
 
Sentiments shouldn't eclipse quality. It's a good photo, a nice keepsake. Could of been improved.
 
I totally agree with the people who say this a wonderful moment captured. Yes, there might be some issues on what we believe should be 'correct' in a photo, but I don't think they belong here. How often do we see moments like this captured? As you rightly say, there is no reshoot here and things are happening very quickly. I think it's very good.
 
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BooBear said:
Thanks - but it's not my wife, I am a female photographer! But it was very emotional regardless!

This was taken in a windowless room in the hospital, with a very strong lamp directed at centre-stage! So, yes, tricky to meter and no flash allowed. But black and white + grain can be a god-send at times!!
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Do we have an embarrassing smiley on TP :LOL: Any birth is thought provoking and brings those memories flooding back of our own if we have them, or just the fact it is a new life coming into the world. Interesting that you do this though. Is there a decent demand for it regards to work or were you asked to do it for a family member or friend? If it is part of what you do, is it advertised at the maternity wing?
 
I don't advertise - yet - as I am still in the portfolio-building stage. I've had a lot of enquiries since posting this slideshow online though. When I start offering these shoots to paying clients, they will mostly be for home births until I can work out the hospital's policy on birth photography. a lot of hospitals have a contract with Bounty, and even though they don't offer birth photography, they still prevent other photographers from offering it. So it's all a bit of a minefield.
 
Princess said:
Sentiments shouldn't eclipse quality. It's a good photo, a nice keepsake. Could of been improved.
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Of course it can and in some cases should, some of my of my favourite photo's are far from perfect, and I'm sure if you ask nearly all the photographers on here their favourite photo I'd most of them are not technically perfect and have flaws

Let's not forget also the OP has said that there are photo's where the head is not clipped but that these are of a much more intimate nature, I can guess what they look like, I've no desire to see them though that is for the couple and there eye's only and if it's a little girl maybe there will show her when she is around 16 put here off having sex for a few years :LOL: :LOL:

Matt
 
MWHCVT said:
Of course it can and in some cases should, some of my of my favourite photo's are far from perfect, and I'm sure if you ask nearly all the photographers on here their favourite photo I'd most of them are not technically perfect and have flaws

Let's not forget also the OP has said that there are photo's where the head is not clipped but that these are of a much more intimate nature, I can guess what they look like, I've no desire to see them though that is for the couple and there eye's only and if it's a little girl maybe there will show her when she is around 16 put here off having sex for a few years :LOL: :LOL:

Matt
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Arthur would be a funny name for a girl!!

And yes, there are plenty of shots of the baby coming out where you can see the whole head but I had to change the angle in order to take them and so I cannot show them on here - they are very private!
 
Wow what an amazing piece of photography. I agree with the comment to ignore composition, this is a birth shot, you can hardly say left a bit right a bit! Very well done.
 
BooBear said:
Arthur would be a funny name for a girl!!

And yes, there are plenty of shots of the baby coming out where you can see the whole head but I had to change the angle in order to take them and so I cannot show them on here - they are very private!
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:confused: I have a bad habit of not reading OP's as I want to make my own interpretation of the photo how I see it not how the photographer see's it if that makes sense

Matt
 
Princess said:
Whys that then? I'm sure the op knows he could of done it differently ( and better) given a different situation.
Telling people to ignore valid points is not helpful.

It's just my opinion. Lots will disagree I'm sure, but lots will agree too. Id be taking it all onboard if it were my photo.
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A different situation? It's a birth!!! What sort of situation is similar where you have time to work on the composition?
 
Cris_L said:
Wow what an amazing piece of photography. I agree with the comment to ignore composition, this is a birth shot, you can hardly say left a bit right a bit! Very well done.
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Exactly Cris, and when did you move to the dark side?
 
Of course it makes sense - anyway, I think Arthur is a lovely name for a girl!
 
Going to say this now, so it is very clear - this thread is exactly the kind of discussion and debate photography should induce, an exchange of opinions, that may vary wildly person to person but are not personal attacks. Lets keep it that way peeps (y)
 
Princess said:
Sentiments shouldn't eclipse quality. It's a good photo, a nice keepsake. Could of been improved.
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That's just the whole point. I very much doubt that it could have been improved or done better.

And I would suggest that it's on a whole different plane altogether than just a "nice keepsake".
 
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Old Timer said:
That's just the whole point. I very much doubt that it could have been improved.

And I would suggest that it's on a whole different plane altogether than just a "nice keepsake".
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Absolutely. (y)
 
Thanks for all the comments. Honestly, I don't think I would do anything differently next time. This is one photo of a set, and I moved around when I realised I needed to. The mum far prefers the composition in this image to the one that shows her lady bits but also shows the baby's whole head. At moments like this, you don't get much time to react to the situation or much room to move. I was ducking down, moving around and going on tip-toes to get the shots I needed. But I couldn't move the drip to get a better angle, ask the mum to move her leg or the midwife to move out of the way...!
 
All I can do is echo the praise. Such a cracking set of truly personal moments.

Mike
 
Agreed, it's a hard situation. It's just my opinion. I don't expect everyone to agree. I also don't expect other posters say 'ignore'. That's just plain rude. Everyone's opinion counts....In my opinion :)
 
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