Baby Pictures with flash - here's How


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eblim

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Aug 4, 2008
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Hi All,

I have often seen members having a fear about taking baby pictures with flash. I take pictures of my grand children with flash and here is how I do it.

First of all DO NOT take the picture standing too near to the child and NEVER flash straight in it's face.

Assuming you are in an average or small room use at least a 85mm and be about 10 feet from the child. I usually use a short zoom like 24-120. Use an external flash and shoot at an angle from the child's face. Using a longer lens also has the advantage of blurring the background and makes for a better image of the child.

If you have to shoot directly at the child's face (and not at an angle) then use a Lumiquest Untra Soft bounce, if you don't have that then bounce your flash off the ceiling or wall.
You can also use the built in flash bounce card attachment on the SB 800 and bounce off the attachment at an angle.

If your external flash has no bounce card attachment and cannot be turned to bounce at an angle then put a white handkerchief or cloth over your flash and shoot. This is the last resort. It is also possible to use this kind of flash with a long flash cord (Nikon SC 19) and then you can hand hold the flash and bounce off the ceiling, or angle it or do what ever suits or works in your situation

If possible I try to shoot in available light, but even with that it is nice to have some fill flash and any of the bounce methods above works for me.

I do not know how to attach sample pictures but if some one can tell me how I shall be glad to post some samples.

Eb
 

thanks for sharing. nice tips.
 

Great tips.... when I shot my baby, I used wireless flash to direct all lights from the eyes .... =)
 

Hi Ortega,
Yes that's the one how or why did it dissapear?
This was the first time I started a new thread.

Eb
 

Hi Ortega,
Yes that's the one how or why did it dissapear?
This was the first time I started a new thread.

Eb

it was always here

did you post it in the nikon forum? if you did then maybe it was moved here as it is a general topic and not solely related to nikon
 

Hi Ortega,

Yes I put it in the Nikon forum, but you are right it is a general topic. But I only look at the Nikon forum myself.

I tried to upload some pictures and altho the pictures were said to hhave been sucessfully uploaded I did not see them and could not proceed. I shall try again tomorrow.

eb
 

url=http://gallery.clubsnap.com/showphoto.php/photo/130061]
Lily2LoRes.jpg
[/url]ttp://gallery.clubsnap.com/data/505/thumbs/Lily3LoRes.jpg[/img][/url]
 

url=http://gallery.clubsnap.com/showphoto.php/photo/130061]
Lily3LoRes.jpg
[/url]




HI All

This is my first attempt at putting photos in the forum so I hope I did something right
This is my Grand daughter 17 weeks. She was born on 08.08.08.

eb
 




Here's another one.

Comments and critiques welcomed

Eb
 

For posting images from ClubSNAP gallery,
clink on the icon at the right of on Linked Thumbnail:
cut and paste the image URL into the Insert Image of your post
posting_image.gif


hope this help.
 

HI Ortega

I know, I did not know how what formed that shadow but what did you think of the other 2 pics?

HI Catchlights

Thanks for re-inserting my pics

Eb
 

shooting kids are a piece of cake.

if using on cam flash like sb900, i bounce from ceiling.
if ceiling diff color, i swivel the sb900 and bounce the flash off a white wall behind me.

else, up the ISO and switch to correct WB to match the lighting indoors.
or shoot in raw and correct wb laer.

studio setting even easier.
2 soft box does the trick.

if worried about flash into eyes, just use the constant modelling light from the softbox, and fire away.

the way u i see the pics attached, either the flash is too weak, too direct or the one without flash (?) is underexposed and of wrong wb.

when shooting kids, their EYES are the KEY to the portrait.
usually you need HUGE catchlights in their eyes.
and there are countless of ways to do it.
 

shooting kids are a piece of cake.

if using on cam flash like sb900, i bounce from ceiling.
if ceiling diff color, i swivel the sb900 and bounce the flash off a white wall behind me.

else, up the ISO and switch to correct WB to match the lighting indoors.
or shoot in raw and correct wb laer.

studio setting even easier.
2 soft box does the trick.

if worried about flash into eyes, just use the constant modelling light from the softbox, and fire away.

the way u i see the pics attached, either the flash is too weak, too direct or the one without flash (?) is underexposed and of wrong wb.

when shooting kids, their EYES are the KEY to the portrait.
usually you need HUGE catchlights in their eyes.
and there are countless of ways to do it.



Those are just the technical part of shooting kids. You need to spend some time playing with them and make sure they are comfortable :)
 

Natural light is much better. Why go through all the trouble to get that unnatural looking flash on the baby's face? :dunno:
 

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