End of the Ride
by neophyte

Comment by Nyck:
i love this shot!

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by modgethanc:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Hi, Dexter! A fellow Olympus user here :) (although not the same model)

A lot of my thoughts have already been covered in previous comments, but here are my opinions anyway.

You managed to get a nice pose/expression out of him regardless of his (im)patience, it seems. It's that very 'huh what's going on?' look that babies have, infinitely curious and confused.

When you mentioned that you cropped the image, did you accidentally crop out the tips of his toes, or were those not in the original picture, either? I understand infants can be tough to work with as models, but maybe if you had positioned yourself further away you would have been able to get a complete shot of him without slicing off any digits. I don't quite agree with such a tight crop, either...because his pose isn't the most ideal for a tight crop (it's rather unbalanced), if you had left more negative space around him it would be more effective.

Also, it looks like you used your camera's built-in flash...for portrait-type shots like this it's a better idea to nix the flash and use external lighting instead. My suggestion (and my own personal technique) is to get a desk lamp, cover it with a sheet of paper, and use that for lighting instead. That way the lighting won't come out as flat or harsh. It might also help with some of the noise issues because the lighting will be more even.

A lighter background would definitely help, especially if you smooth it out more. I bet he probably moved around and wrinkled up your backdrop anyway, but it would look less obvious with a lighter color. Also, the dark background matched with the tight crop kind of gives the impression that he's lying in a narrow, dark cave (not the greatest analogy, but I think you'll understand). It feels less like a fashion ad and more like an "I'm afraid of the dark" shot.

Anyway, good luck and I'm sure you'll have many more pictures of your son in the future :)

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by Tommy 2 Tone:
the lighting is boring

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by saracat:
This is a cute snapshot. I don't mean that in a derogatory way - it simply does not _look_ like a planned and set up shot, even though I can see that it was. I think that what causes the snapshot 'feel' is the fact that he looks like he's on a downhill slide (due to the angle) and the fact that the light is quite harsh (I'm guessing on-board flash). Also, the crop is quite tight - both at the top and on the right-hand side.
I know that taking set up pictures of infants is not the easiest form of photography, since sometimes just catching them in a cooperative mood is difficult, but I also think that with just a few changes, this could be re-shot and turn out looking less like a snapshot and more like a deliberate portrait. If you have access to a largish window with good light, try placing your background and subject so that they are lit with natural light. If it's too bright, a thin muslin or light and filmy white curtain will soften the light without diminishing it too much. The other major change that would really help to improve this shot would be to watch the angle at which you shoot. Like I said, he looks like he's tilted downhill. By moving the camera down just a little and further to the right, I'm pretty sure you'll see an improvement.
I hope some of this helps. This is a very cute little one, and having really nice pictures of him will be a treasure in the years to come.

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by Slipgate:
Um, no.

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by Melethia:
Cute - you got a good pose from your little model.

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by madison461:
If your lighting would have been more even, this would have been a really great shot. As is, it looks like a snapshot.

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by Tammer:
Cute photo of the little tyke.

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by Krisby:
i woulde have put more post pro.. maybe with shaddow and midtones.. a lovly child tho :)

Carter's Little Sleepers
by neophyte

Comment by MacDonald:
a most perfect model for this type of apparel (smile) good shot - lovely color and focus