this is my sister and my new niece, lila nell. i don't think i've ever had such a tough time picking an entry.
this was shot raw, using only natural light through the window. handheld with my new 50mm f/1.8 lens.
i know there will be those who want the baby in focus, and who will complain about the dof. well, the focus of this image is on the mother-- she was actually looking at her wedding portrait hanging on the wall. to me, it was more important to capture my sister and how she felt at this moment.
post: minor adjustments for levels and curves, sized, and saved for web.
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Skip, I meant to comment on this the other day when I noticed it in your portfolio. I love this picture. I love that you chose to focus on the mother. As others have stated, it really changes the dynamics of the photo, placing the importance on her and her joyous, thankful and sentimental emotions. It's true beauty. ;-)
This is a precious image and I have to agree with you on the focus. It would totally change the photo if the focus was on the baby. The soft focus is complimented by the soft pastel colors and the feeling of tender love the mother is protraying. You have satified all of the classic rules (ie. rule of thirds) and at the same time, taken a cvutting edge photo. This is also an image that might have suffered a little from the 2 second rule. It takes a little time to see all of the little nuances.
I am sure this is a photo that will become a family heirloom and I hope you gave her a framed copy to put next to her wedding photo. Very well done and you should be very proud.
I would have never guessed this one was yours!
It's a beautiful image.
At first glance I thought the baby needed some more focus, but after another look I think the focus is great as it is.
The baby has completely different colors then the mother, completely different light and completely different meaning on the entire composition.
So she should have a different focus just as well.
The only thing that does bother a bit is that little red spot on the baby's cheek, between her ear and eye.
Other then that it's a great capture. Very emotive and personal.
Very intimate, lovely image! I hope this does well. With the baby out of focus like this, it puts the attention all on the mother and her feelings and thoughts. You can reduce the texture on her face by various means, but it's not really necessary--perhaps if she wants to look glamorous! 9
This is a really special moment. I like how you've used the lighting on the mother's face to give her depth and form. I've received criticism on my image for blowing the highlights but, similar to your image here, I think it adds to the form. I also like that you can see the mother's eyes, it makes her look thoughtful. And the angle of her head imparts a lot of interest to the image.
Beautiful lighting and comp. I would love to see more of the baby's face and the hightlight on the mother's cheek IMO is over bright. Tender reflective photo. Thanks.
this is maybe just me. but I would have liked to have seen and larger dof to encompass baby also. I think that the mother and the baby should have been in focus. 6
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