Critique First go at newborn photography

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danpug

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Dan
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I quite like them, but you should really take your time with the skin tones. Look very magenta/purple here, especially the second colour one.
 
The black and whites look a little too gritty for this kind of shoot IMO.
 
They're good, but agree about the tones though. The first ones a cracker. I like the idea with the feet, but the dark part of background is a wee bit distracting for me. I notice they're all at ISO 160, but look quite grainy.
 
For the black and whites you need to open up the shadows, boost the exposure a tad and smooth the skin ever so slightly.

The colour version you need to look at the red channel. The first, warmer shot is much better than the second.
 
danpug said:
Yes i did wonder myself if they should be a bit softer. Any tips to get better skin tones?
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The only advice I'll give is universal, always ensure the colour and everything else is right before doing the B&W conversion.

And use an appropriate B&W conversion for your subject. If doing it universally you shouldn't go either soft or hard.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
They're good, but agree about the tones though. The first ones a cracker. I like the idea with the feet, but the dark part of background is a wee bit distracting for me. I notice they're all at ISO 160, but look quite grainy.
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At that ISO, what could have caused grain? I can't see it on my monitor (that could just be me though!). Could it be my editing?
 
danpug said:
At that ISO, what could have caused grain? I can't see it on my monitor (that could just be me though!). Could it be my editing?
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FWIW I don't think they're grainy. There's a lot of harsh textures in there, deep shadows in the rug, blotchy baby skin tones.... Basically like I said before I think they've been edited too harshly for the subject - but I don't think it's because of grain (and at that ISO it won't be)... Unless like you say, you've added it while you were editing.
 
Hi Dan, I think the actual photos are great and I'm not surprised your sister loved them! There are already a lot of useful comments here. When I'm doing a quick edit, if you have lightroom mobile, once you're happy with the skin tones, I tend to soften (reduce clarity a fraction) any newborn shots ever so slightly given the subject matter, then I would probably pick the "portrait b&w" or "film 4" as I think they give nice gentle contrast but that's a personal choice.
 
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