First Baby Shoot - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

01/07/2007 04:23:59 PM · #1

Frenchell, a friend of mine from school, let me come over to their house for a practice shoot with their daughter, and these are some of the shots I came up with.

I only brought a shoot through umbrella... I'm wishing now that I had brought the reflector-one as well, but I was hoping for sunlight and thought the flash would scare the baby.... actually (thankfully), she really liked it

Babies are hard to focus on... they never stop moving and they move quick, lol -- anyone have any advice for that??

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

01/07/2007 04:29:59 PM · #2

Great pics!

Advice, well we had 4 kids and have 10 grandchildren. They do move quick, you can't nail them down too many leaky points! Blue Tack doesn't hold the really determined, they are real buggers to keep still, but gaffer tape works quite well!

Mick

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/07/2007 04:56:32 PM · #3

LOL! Yeah, I've heard that gaffer tape is some tuff stuff.

Amanda, I suggest you try distraction. Bright, shiny, sparkly things work great with babies... and women. :D

Oh yes, and shoot like the camera's a machine gun. Babies faces often go through several expressions per nanosecond.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

01/07/2007 05:07:38 PM · #4

I wish I had had sunlight.... to put camera in burst mode... but the strobe wouldn't have been able to do that...

gaffer tape, eh??

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

01/07/2007 05:13:14 PM · #5

Originally posted by amandalore:

I wish I had had sunlight.... to put camera in burst mode... but the strobe wouldn't have been able to do that...

gaffer tape, eh??

Yep! Keeps the little buggers still, tho the grey doesn't show up well on photos. There is a black tape that is similar. I would use strait jackets, but the PC brigade would be after me!

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Nikon

01/07/2007 05:18:24 PM · #6

hahah..... straight jackets would be hard to clone out, but might make for interesting photos (and expressions) nonetheless

Greetmir

Nikon D60

01/07/2007 06:31:05 PM · #7

1. DUCT tape is usually a silvery colour.

2. GAFF (or gaffer) tape is always BLACK. It is used by gaffers in live theatre and film to hold down wires or props that might shift during the performance (or shooting) and is black in case the audience (or camera) accidentally catches a glimpse of it and black is the least distracting colour.

3. TRUE Gaff Tape is usually MUCH better quality than your average duct tape as it needs to hold hard and well for up to a month of performances sometimes. It is sometimes almost impossible to pull up after a couple of days without solvent. It is usually about 2 to 4 times the price of regular grey duct tape.

4. (and most important to me) I cannot even comprehend that you people are actually advocating the use of duct OR gaffer tape to confine a child for a possibly better portrait photograph. I cannot BELIEVE I have to be the first one to say this!

Sorry ... but I am a bit of a claustrophobic and don't find this concept funny at ALL!

That is MY two cents.

Greetmir Goodeguard
(Retired High Budget Live Theatre Technical Director)

Message edited by author 2007-01-07 18:35:09.

lauraodom

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/07/2007 06:37:28 PM · #8

You have some nice captures & I think you're right that the reflector would help. As for catching children - up your ISO & shoot fast. =)

elru21

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/07/2007 07:37:43 PM · #9

I like your dramatic lighting here and I think you have great captures. I like the different angles that you used, and that you got nice and close and filled the frame with the little one.

I think the trick for shooting babies and toddlers is to anticipate their moves as much as possible. I find being patient and waiting and aniticapting when they will glance my way gives much more natural, candid images with better true eye contact then working hard to get their attention (whistling, squeaky toys, etc.) It gets easier, really it does.

Nice work.

Liza

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

01/07/2007 09:58:49 PM · #10

Thanks Laura and Liza, you guys both have some really cool kid shots...

off to look through your portfolios....

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

01/08/2007 01:07:39 PM · #11

Greetmir,

Did you really think I was being serious advocating using gaffer/duct tape for children? Nails or strait jackets?

Take a chill pill and don't take life so seriously. It was all a joke!

LeeD

Canon EOS-30D

01/08/2007 01:47:46 PM · #12

Originally posted by sodoff:

Greetmir,

Did you really think I was being serious advocating using gaffer/duct tape for children? Nails or strait jackets?

Take a chill pill and don't take life so seriously. It was all a joke!

Ahhh... go easy on him... he's new to the crowd and isn't necessarily familiar with our collectivce sick and twisted sense of humor.

Greetmir... welcome to DPC, browse around, enter challenges, voice an opinion, etc. I think you'll find we are a fun bunch of people. We kid around a lot in the forums and you can rest assured that no one is advocating the use of Duct Tape, Gaffing tape, or any other type of adhesive fabric to contain small children for a photo shoot. Babies drool too much and would probably weaken the adhesive and break through anyway.

Now superglue..... THAT'S a whole different story... bonds almost instantly to skin....

ETA... Amanda - Great shots BTW...

Message edited by author 2007-01-08 13:49:18.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/09/2007 01:02:40 AM · #13

yeah.... we don't break laws for photography here.... often....

_eug

Nikon D50

01/09/2007 01:07:23 AM · #14

Originally posted by amandalore:

yeah.... we don't break laws for photography here.... often....

There are LAWS? Ruh-roh.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/09/2007 09:57:47 PM · #15

Originally posted by _eug:

Originally posted by amandalore:
yeah.... we don't break laws for photography here.... often....

There are LAWS? Ruh-roh.

yeah, who knew?

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

01/09/2007 10:56:17 PM · #16

Left a few comments. Also, stumbled upon this web site. Take a look at the Miracles section. Not to take away from what you've done, but perhaps to inspire with even more ideas.