Baby Pics

[mercuryblue]

hi

here are some shots i took of my son. pics are all taken in ambient light without flash with my A70, mostly in Sports mode with EV bumped up or with higher ISO. somehow many pics turn out 'noisy' at times, could the higher Ev be the cause, or ISO or the low 3.2 megapix of my cam?

also tried using TV but hadn't any success in finding the right speed, cos of the poor lighting at home and baby's quick movements.

appreciate your sharing of tips/comments on taking baby photos. thx.

 

[tmc17479]

lots of handshake and motion blur. try using a tripod. cute kid :bsmilie:

 

[mercuryblue]

lots of handshake and motion blur. try using a tripod. cute kid :bsmilie:

thx for the compliment. chip of the old block. :bsmilie: just kidding

shooting him is tough work cos his actions/emotions change so fast. by the time i realise that he's in a gd mood and whip out my cam, he may switch to his 'crying for milk' mood. i think by the time i setup the tripod he'll be fast asleep.

:bsmilie:

 

[Asterix]

I find it difficult to photograph my little infant as well. I think their features are not mature enough to show up nicely in photos. Somebody tell me if I am wrong or if there is anything I could do in particular to show them better.

I also have a 2 year old who is really, really good at having his photos taken. He understands what is happening and even poses when he is in the mood. It is a lot more fun photographing him. So I guess you may have to wait a while before you get good photos.

A camera with lesser shutter lag i.e. less time between pressing the shutter release and actually capturing the photograph also helps in photographing lively kids. Consider buying yourself a DSLR or you can teach yourself to anticipate the child's movement and press the shutter release a moment earlier than you normally would.

 

[wshooter]

Cute kiddo.

 

[Adam Goi]

No worries ... practice will make perfect ... he's a newborn I suppose? It'll be a matter of time you'll learn of his habits. How old is he?

 

[Spyer2]

thx for the compliment. chip of the old block. :bsmilie: just kidding

shooting him is tough work cos his actions/emotions change so fast. by the time i realise that he's in a gd mood and whip out my cam, he may switch to his 'crying for milk' mood. i think by the time i setup the tripod he'll be fast asleep.

:bsmilie:

Cute baby... ;p
From my opinion, using compact digicam is very difficult to capture nice photos with baby. Speed is important, as you know they actions/emotions change every seconds.
I tried both my SLR and G3. My SLR gave me great photos of my son. with my G3, most of the image captured were blur..
The only suggestion I can give you is use a mini tripod.

 

[jovedaddy]

how about photographing him near a window or balcony? that should help increase the shutter speed to eliminate some blur from hand-shake the noise probably from a high ISO, which i believe starts to show from ISO 400 onwards. try 200 or lower if light permits.

 

[Adiemus]

soo............ cute! congrats dude... welcome to fatherhood.

 

[yowch]

You should seriously consider using a flash to freeze the movement. Pre-emp (about 1 sec) the baby's movement to factor in shutter lag. Try using lower ISO. Small CCD's are really grainy in higher ISO, and (in my own observations) quite bad on Canon A- and G-series cams.

Also, it'll be best to keep the shots to 1. full face/head, 2. half body, 3 full body. Not too nice having the just the tips of the feet or hands cropped out.

I like the framing of the face between the toys.

 

[Virgo]

Using flash for a new-born/baby is a :nono: :nono: , as it may hurt their eyes, cos they're not fully developed yet to take such harsh lighting.

Unless they're sleeping, please do not use flash on their eyes. Try the following:

1. Set up a tripod and use a cable release. You need to sit there and wait. Need lots of patience to take nice baby photos, but all are worth it.

2. Place the baby near windows or anywhere with natural light, especially in the morning. Natural light is best for such photography. Take care of safety though.

3. Use higher ISO. Try black and white photos with high ISO. You'll be amazed by the effect.

4. Use a zoom, so that your camera will not be too close for their comfort, and also to protect your camera from being wiped away!

5. Don't just concentrate on the face. Try their hands and feet, etc. Take a variety of shots of them doing different things. Feeding, smiling, yawning, when they're exerting their strength during poos, etc.

Hope these helps.

 

[yowch]

Flash directly at the eyes will not only hurt baies, but adults too. When you use a flash, you use it the right way, ie reduced power, indirect or even from afar. But generally, if the flash hurts not an adult, it will not hurt the baby. The most the baby gets is a little shock. In any case, it is extremely rare for a baby to choose to stare straight into that boring thing that is a camera or flash.

There are many discussions about flash and babies. Remember to filter the contents as to what is personal concern/worry and what is scientific facts. I am concerned about my babies' eyes, but scinetific facts tells me that flash (used correctly) does not harm them.

I have two children of my own. They have been flashed at since 0 seconds (from birth). I have been flashed at since a baby. I am still having close to perfect eyesight and pretty good night vision.

 

[Virgo]

For good baby shots, we always like the subjects to look at the camera, and for being a father of 2 myself, I have never point a flash at babies, no matter how strong or weak the power of the flash. I always use natural lights. Place them outside a garden, near the windows, etc. Why should we risk using an artificial flash it when mother nature provides such luxury?

We won't know if they'll hurt their eyes, cos babies can't express themselves. We only know when they've grown up. So for safety sake, I wouldn't try that on babies. You know, accidents do happen. Who knows one may forget to adjust the FEC and direct on the babies eyes, or worse, FEC +2?

 

[Virgo]

Nice shots you have there. Congratulations of being a parent!

I'll post process my shots taken 2 weeks ago and post them here, so keep a lookout!

Gosh...never never point your flash gun at yourbaby for sure....if u know what i mean...

unless you bounce them...but still dont use flash...
anyway, just to share some pics i took for my daughter also..just got promoted too..hehehhehe
http://www.sg-community.com/gallery-matthewscl.html

congrates mecuryblue.... ;p very tiring right...

 

[yowch]

This is my last post here on technical issues, let's not spoil mercuryblue's baby pics thread!

Even when out in the garden, how to ensure that the baby don't try to look at the sun? As far as I know, babies will want to look at the sun! And the sun it a continuous flash 1000 times more powerful than the brightest flash we can own! Again, it is ok to worry about children. I happen to be an uncaring father.

Back to mercuryblue's thread: Shooting pics of hands and feet are great, too! And don't forget to include the mother and father in the shots. Even better if the grands are around, as you'll get the new and old skin textures!

 

[ed9119]

try using more window light and shooting with the flash turned off or -1 or -1.5 stops .... it should yeild more naturally lit results. cute one u have, congrats!

 

[snowspeeder]

thx for the compliment. chip of the old block. :bsmilie: just kidding

shooting him is tough work cos his actions/emotions change so fast. by the time i realise that he's in a gd mood and whip out my cam, he may switch to his 'crying for milk' mood. i think by the time i setup the tripod he'll be fast asleep.

:bsmilie:

I really enjoy shooting kids and babies alike. It's great to capture them in various moods, be it crying, yawning or sleeping. Here's to share my small collection of the little ones which I photographed recently:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v402/lundywong/

 

[Witness]

really really cute baby...normally what i will use is window light and reflectors....if its really dark i will use the reflectors to bounce light off lamps or wateva.... to try to get a respectable shutter speed ya...

the first photo definately got more impact then the first...esp for kids this young, i would suggest a simple background.... unless its something really specific, like his pram or bed in the backgrd (with slight DOF)....

try to play ard wif DOF if its possible, its also nice to get the baby to sit on a couch or something ....

too many things to state regarding shooting babies, once spent months researching on shooting them...haha

Cheers!

juz my 2 cts worth....

 

[mercuryblue]

No worries ... practice will make perfect ... he's a newborn I suppose? It'll be a matter of time you'll learn of his habits. How old is he?

he is turning 2 months next week.

 

[mercuryblue]

thx for all yr tips/suggestions, will definitely keep them in mind when i shoot.

also, thx mathewscl & snowspeeder for sharing yr pics & congrats to both of u for hvg such adorable kids & great pics too! gonna steal some ideas fr you guys.