Newborn photography is so popular these days, I don't know if I have a leg to stand on yet. I've only photographed my own kids and a few relatives and have had zero help from anyone else in all sessions. Just me and the baby. Other parents were doing the dishes and watching the game on tv. Based on this photo, is it professional looking enough that I should feel good about charging for my services and asking parents to be present?
I would probably try to increase the contrast and make the baby stand out a little more from the background, but otherwise, if I had kids I would go for it :)
Are you asking if you should go into business? If that's the case, I'd say, no - not yet. Looking at your other photo's, which are fine by the way, but they do show me that you've got to completely master photography yet. This image is flat, and it shows the lack of understanding about lighting. I really hope that I haven't offended you, but its a tough world out there and if you get rep for being inconsistent then your business would be over in a flash. Excuse the pun.
This is a cute photo tho, and the one thing that's always good about doing photo's of people's kids is that they love the subject of the photo and do not always look at the technical side. My advice is if you really want to get into this, get to night school, learn the technical side, and keep shooting & learning until you're ready. The web is full of images to inspire you and I wouldn't charge yet.
I am in the same boat you are in. I have been taking classes and asking anyone who will pose for me if I can take their picture for free. I have worked with two newborns so far and they are probably the toughest subject to capture. I have yet to have an entire session when they are asleep which is key. I could never charge at this point and feel good about it. However, practice makes perfect! Plus a successful newborn shoot can take 4 hours or longer. I think if you are really serious about it, start asking everyone you know if you can photograph their babies. Everyone I have encountered has been thrilled to let me practice on their families since I am the right price... free!
@blightygal -Thank you for your input! I'm still in the "portfolio building" stage, but even some of the best I've selected for that are, like you said, flat. Some stand out, but I'm not always sure what I've done to accomplish this. Hence the inconsistency. I'm not sure one can actually master photography, but I totally understand what you mean, haha. I do struggle with lighting. And even though I feel I have a good grasp on the concepts of aperture, ISO and shutter speed, I still have a rough time adjusting them appropriately in different situations. Takes me a while to get the look I'm after. Thanks a lot!
@hollymays No worries, glad you didn't get cross! As I said, I think night classes are the way to go if you seriously want to do this kind of thing. They will cover lighting in those classes if any good. You'll reap in the rewards, plus its good fun - honest!
ps - mastering photography in my book is understanding how the camera works, how lighting works and knowing what is right instinctively for most situations and also how to bend the rules. Grins.
@sparrow You know what, though... the sleeping baby shots are so popular right now but I've seen great candid shots of the baby awake and even crying! The good thing about newborn shots as @blightygal said above, is that parents love anything with their wee one's little mug in it. :) Good luck to you! I'm so excited to do this again!
I think it is a sweet photo. I like that is doesn't have a lot of contrast, since it is a baby photo, the softness of it works for me. Always hard to break into the business. If it were me, and I wanted to do this, I might show my pics to people and mention you would be willing to do it for them for a price. Maybe not charge too much and let word of mouth work for you. Just a thought. In in case I like this photo and if i wasn't a photographer and had a baby, I'd love a shot like this and be willing to pay for it
@Holly, I agree! Everyone has been really open to letting me photography their babies and very glad for it. In my own mind I decided to do 10 shoots for free to get my feet wet and then will think about charging. It's a tough decision to make though. I just get to nervous to charge without more practice. i do charge for my family photo shoots, engagements, maternity shoots, etc. Just not newborns. This is a nice pic though! The above negative comment about contrast is more is a comment about personal taste than technique. : )
Sorry I'm late in commenting on this. I like the point of the shot but the light is strange. It seems very bright and harsh. Where is your light source coming from? is there a way to tone it down and make this sleeping baby look softer and the light subdued?
Hi, @hoppykins83 and thanks for commenting. My light source was a large window. Perhaps if the light was hitting her more straight on instead of from the side it would be less harsh. Also, check out this color version from the same series that I posted a week later for comparison... (I hope this copy and paste thing works). I'd love to hear your take!
I am by no means any kind of photographer or at this stage understand the technical side of photo. I can appreciate a nice picture and in my personal opinion I would happily pay for the photo, and my preference would be in colour. Hope things work out for you.
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This is a cute photo tho, and the one thing that's always good about doing photo's of people's kids is that they love the subject of the photo and do not always look at the technical side. My advice is if you really want to get into this, get to night school, learn the technical side, and keep shooting & learning until you're ready. The web is full of images to inspire you and I wouldn't charge yet.
ps - mastering photography in my book is understanding how the camera works, how lighting works and knowing what is right instinctively for most situations and also how to bend the rules. Grins.