Anyone else done this

Now I am certainly no 'PRO' when it comes to photography, but we recently had some shots done of the little baby (4.5 months old) and he is being entered into the local paper Baby competition

I wasnt there for the photoshoot, but it was essentially turn up with said baby, pose them and the Tog does his shots in 3 different poses

The other half told me he used a Canon 30D and a 50mm f1.4 USM, 1 x softbox and 1 x bounce umbrella a beanbag for the child to sit on, and a mottled backdrop made of paper

I have a 30D and 50mm (although the f1.8 nifty fifty) and a Sigma Flash, and have been looking into getting a softbox and umbrella for a 2 light setup

We went to pick the shots for the competition yesterday and we actually bought the pack on offer as we got all 3 poses and it wasnt too badly priced 89 quid for 3 Large, 3 medium, 6 small and 5 cameo for an extra 20 quid we got a 18" framed print too

Now looking at the other shots that they took, and the shots they took of our little one, I would put the quality of the shots at medium, not good or excellent, but only fair to medium, I have seen far far better from pwhittle & chefdude even if only posted on here

I think it probably be the last time we pay for any photoshoots, and will attempt the rest myself once I get my lights and backdrops sorted

I guess price wise it wasnt too bad, considering the time and number of photos we got in the package, what did suprise me was that they had printed and framed every childs pictures in advance, and not that many people were buying them, and they recycle them after 28 days too, seems such a waste of cost/time and effort involved in printing all the images for them to be destroyed

I actually expected their to only be the 3 pose shots in small form us to choose which pose we wanted and then if we decided to order the pack, they would then do it and post it on to us

You've found the difference between a 'pro' photographer, and someone that charges money for pictures.

I've seen many 'pro' photographers working in this line of business, and most of the ones I've spoken to have no professional experience. They are taught how to set up the lights, set the camera and press the button. End of.

The fact they're using a 50mm says it all - no disrespect to 50mm lens users - but there are better options for this type of work.

It the same as calling a fast food joint a restaurant.

Gareth

Thanks Gareth, its one of the reasons why I asked about decent portrait Lenses a bit back, I know I can use the 50mm but I do have other Lenses that can be used

A 50mm is a very versatile lens, and can be used very effectively for portraiture - but, I wouldn't expect a pro portrait photographer to use one, especially with babies due to the fact of their physical size (the babies size that is, not the lens :D)

I rarely use anything less than 100/135 mm for a portrait shot, unless I need to show background or the environment that the subject is in.

Having said that, what I was getting at, and was probably a bit sharp with the lens comment, is that the fact that the 'pro' was using 50mm means that they either do not have any other kit (or been given any other kit), or they're not confident enough to use longer lenses.

I don't mean to appear curt or snobbish with the comments above, but its something I see fairly regularly, and its an unfortunately accurate observation.

Gareth

Not a problem at all, I would understand if he had a bagful of other Lenses, but it appeared he didnt

Bearing in mind the 30D is a crop body, so is effectively the equivalent of an 80-85mm lens

I will be experimenting anyway with my different Lenses and will be seeing which focal length works best for the type of shots I want to achieve

"...I think it probably be the last time we pay for any photoshoots, and will attempt the rest myself once I get my lights and backdrops sorted..."


That's the problem, and the solution :)

You need some studio kit - lights/s, background, a bit of space if it's more than just one person. But it's surprising what you can get with just one light, a simple reflector and some ingenuity. In fact, less is more in my opinion. Basic portrait lighting skills are relatively easy and with digital, a few dummy shots will get your exposure right.

The real trick is having a good rapport with the subject for the right pose and expression. I have found this quite hard with my own family and kids, simply because I'm their dad. Cooperation can be difficult, but when you get it right, the satisfaction is quadrupled.

One new trick is to take the head off one shot and put it on another, in Photoshop. This is a great asset with group pics when you'll never get everybody looking right at the same time. Good enough for Royal weddings :D
Peak Imaging offer this service, as do many other labs.

Good luck. Well worth the effort :)

Richard.

Richards hit it there with the comment about keeping it simple.

I've done a few photoshoots for friends of their children, and the most effective shots were done with a white sheet drapped over the sofa and letting the kids play on it - obviously it depends on the age of the children you're working with - and the type of portrait you're after.

The main tactics I use when photographing children are -
1 make it fun
2 dont go in with an agenda of "must get" shots, just see what happens
3 don't be too instructive - let them do what they want to do - the shots will be far more natural that way
4 and involve them in choosing the pics as you take them - easy with digital, they love seeing themselves on the screen, you can easily say "lets try that one again, it looks fun" if it hasn't quite worked.

Keep the atmosphere fun and they will work with you - although as Richard said, perhaps its easier for me (or any other photographer) if you're not dad/mum.

If you try to turn the shoot it into a Victorian photo parlour traditional portrait session, they will soon get bored.

Paul could well be the best to ask for advice on the technical/equipment side, and I'm sure there's plenty of input from other S/N photo crew with experience of photographing their children.

We've been thinking of having some shots done of our 6 month old, but last week I had an hour to spare and threw a sheet over some piled up cushions on the bed and shot 20 or so on my 350D. I was well chuffed with what came out, and the missuse was fair moved to tears. I'll post a couple up when I get chance (at w*rk now). The only downside was when I was transferring them onto the laptop I noticed the file size was smaller than I expected and discovered the camera had been switched to 'M' :wonder: so I'll have to take them again :rolleyes:

Yep I know what you mean

At xmas I got a black sheet and covered a bean bag, stuck the toddler in his santa suit put my flash on the bedside cabinet and took a load of shots, wasnt 'that' easy as he was only 12-14 days old

I know what you mean about them wanting to see the pics, I get that from the kids now after every single shot :lol1: and there is nothing they love more than to see all the shots on the laptop screen afterwards

I intend to start with just a plain white drape of sorts, once my sister sorts me out with the material (its what she does :) ) going to either use the back living room or the conservatory (its not a traditional style conservatory) and just get some practise in with the 4 kids here, and the missus' friends kids too

I was playing around with my sisters camera last week, and noticed it was set to 'S' (I previously set it to L & RAW) and she had not long come back from New York, although the shots do look good, they are only the small res files

As promised....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/corradoboy/Joel/_MG_0533.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/corradoboy/Joel/_MG_0537.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/corradoboy/Joel/_MG_0545.jpg

A bit of PS on the levels and maybe some blur to the background before I print off some good ones :wonder:

As the title of the thread states " Do you have professional photos done, and realise you can do better yours" I've never had pro photo's done of my little lad (now 2 and a half) and pretty sure pro photo's when be very nice but we're quite happy with what we have achieved in a spare room studio using mainly a couple of speedlights, softboxes and/or brolly's.

I've done a number of shoot's for mainly friends of the wife (cause I enjoy it rather than financial gain) which they have been very pleased with. Not sure whether this is because they love the shots or love the cheap price I charge though.....

http://www.dbphotographic.smugmug.com/photos/71634734_E2szm-L.jpg

http://www.dbphotographic.smugmug.com/photos/55512469_dQJTX-L.jpg

http://dbphotographic.smugmug.com/photos/20366442_bv5a4-L.jpg

it's not always easier with a studio. I did a family shoot at the weekend . The 2 year old wouldn't spend more than 1/2 second on the useable part of the studio, despite deploying my full armoury (giant teddy, baloons, bubbles).
Kept showing her the photos, as she was obviously used to seeing them on digital. Let her press the flash-remote button and take a couple of photos of her parents too, which worked well ("why don't you take a photo of mummy and daddy, then sit with them and I'll take one?")

As Gareth says, it's all about rapport. I struggle to get good shots of my daughter these days. Get good eye contact*, and hopefully you'll get some good expressions. It's very rewarding when you capture a kid's personality well - they change so fast epxressions come and go.

I use my 25-105 for all shots in the studio, as the range is spot on for most small group shots. For head shots though, I need to get in quite close, as I don't try and change lenses when doing an active kids shot.

*Many of the best outdoor 'lifestlye' shots I see don't unclude eye contact, and show really natural expressions - this is the best I've done recently Paul Whittle Photo (http://www.bestside.co.uk/photo934425.html) -but I try for eye contact in most studio shots.

Having said all that, no, you really should go to a prefessional, under no cicumstance try shooting your own kids, they'll hate you forever. I'm available from just £25! :thumb:

Edited to say, having said about eye-contact, I got this at the weekend IMG_1311_1341 (http://www.bestside.co.uk/photo1052596.html) I doubt anyone will ever capture just the expression again. That's what portraits are all about.

Just realised I got mentioned in the first post.

Sonic, maybe you should have a scoobynet photo shoot in your backyard ;) I'm sure we'd all work for tea, beer and cake :D

On a more serious note, I'm not sure who is going to pay for me to shoot their portrait - my style is more suited to a gallery wall rather than someone's home, ie; a little bit wierd.

sonic, I'm sure there are more than a few very capable photographers on here who could produce far better results than some of the so called 'pro' outfits especially the franchises.

I also think ChefDude's suggestion would be interesting, get everyone one around for a BBQ or sumat and get snapping :thumb:;)

ChefDude you have, IMHO, produced some of the finest documentary portraits I have seen:notworthy and the only limit is your subject and we can't all choose that. pwhittle has all the skills for that sort of photography and his post above encapsulates what I try for, and usually fail, to capture in family pics: is the moment as well as the person:thumb:

CW, considering you posted at 23:33, I bet you'd had a couple of Stellas before that post :D

A massive compliment. thanks.

CW, considering you posted at 23:33, I bet you'd had a couple of Stellas before that post :D


:thumb: Not bad spelling though for that time of night :D