Baby pics 8 - Halloween - Little Devil

[Dave Humphries]

This is another in my (very) occasional series shooting my grand-daughter Chloe.

The aim was to get some Halloween shots, we (Rebecca and I) knew this was going to be a tricky shoot as poor Chloe has been suffering with a persistent cold for weeks and her moments of smiling are currently very short-lived - and take a lot of 'work' by Mum to achieve. Rebecca coaxed one good smile (in #1) near the beginning of the second session, just after lunch. The first session; before lunch, was quickly determined to be a lost cause.

I knew I wanted to try a colour wash up the (pale blue painted) wall as a background, because a previous attempt to use a large white reflector as a background resulted in all the shots showing creased background.

I think the room is less than 12'/4m square, so using an umbrella as the key light was always going to result in a lot of multiple light bounces off walls and ceiling reducing contrast possible. At least I chose the reflective umbrella over the shoot-through, or things would have really got out of hand.

As I recall, Chloe was about 3' (1m) in front of the wall and I was about 4-5' (1.5m) in front of her. She was on a faux sheepskin rug on the floor, I was lying flat out with my back against the stairs, shooting sideways, which at least made the camera in portrait orientation. Unsurprisingly, I had problems, despite careful umbrella placement and angling of its light throw, with it washing out the magenta light I was chucking up the wall. Similarly, there was, despite snooting the magenta gelled flash and aiming that carefully, quite a bit of reflection of that on to the side of her face.

Focal length and aperture chosen to suit this situation, shutter speed set to 1/200s.

1

(439-6103)

2

(439-6142)

3

(439-6149)

Turns out the EXIF for all three was identical:
Nikon D7100 + Nikon 50mm, f/1.4 lens at f/4, 1/200s, iso 1000, Manual with Godox X1T-N RF trigger hotshoe mounted.
2 (manually set) speedlights:
Key: Godox TT685N firing @ 1/32 power in to a white 30" reflective umbrella
Background; Godox TT685N, magenta gelled firing @ 1/40 (aka 1/32 power, minus 1/3 stop) down a Rogue Flashbender curled in to snoot shape to prevent direct light hitting Chloe.

I made a list of lessons learnt after the shoot 17/10/2016, it is frankly appalling that I still make these stupid errors so often - read on while I weep (and hang my head in shame):
A) Check ISO before you start! (The 1000 iso was 'left over' from previously shooting fungi in woods)
B) Check the flash zoom setting when mounting in to modifier so it is appropriate (the flash was only illuminating part of the umbrella - which probably did me a favour in terms of narrowing the spill angles, but this was accidental)
C) Don't do the entire shoot at one aperture setting (in case you misjudge DoF requirements)
D) Try umbrella half collapsed to reduce spill next time*
E) The advantage of the 1000 iso was the flashes ran at 1/32, which meant they could shoot bursts of 3 or 4 shots in a second, this allowed 'fleeting expression selection' in PP
F) I struggled with enough light to Auto Focus with - we had the room light off (on a dull day), to avoid the risk of a tungsten 'contamination', this meant only the centre AF point worked reliably, but focus and recompose is risky with a moving subject at f/4 and close distances. In hindsight, I could have tried the Focus Assist light on the RF trigger, but that would have required switching out of burst mode
G) Another after-thought, seeing the loose fit of her T-shirt, should have been to try the old 'clothes peg' (or clamp) 'trick' behind the subject - to pull the clothes to a better fit. However, knowing kids, this might have proved quite a distraction
H) Yet another after thought; I probably could have reduced the visibility of the reflected BG light on the side of her face if I had only thought to put the BG light camera right (same side as key), so it was hitting the lit side of her face, not the side in shadow
I) Don't cut off parts of the subject! although, in my defence, that's tricky with a prime lens and limited manoeuvring distance for the photographer when an arm is suddenly thrust out where it wasn't a second before!

* I have since bought a small (24"/60cm) square soft box and grid to hopefully allow better aiming of the key in confined spaces.
I have also bought a stacking grid thingy for another flash, which will allow even better aiming of a small/hard light source for rim or background use in future shoots.


I had wanted to try a GoBo to cast a scary shadow in the magenta light behind Chloe, but space and time precluded giving this a try. I also wanted the magenta coloured wall to be more saturated, but this was all I could manage at the time. I must practice at home, so I know the 'formula' for a better result next time.


Thanks for stopping by to look and hopefully to pass comment too.
I hope anyone else shooting similar subjects can learn from my mistakes

Cheers, Dave

[Shadowman]

Hi Dave,

Exposures look fine and high ISO doesn't seem to have affected the captures, and chosen aperture shows good focus throughout the composition. Lessons learned but passing the exam.

[mknittle]

They look good to me Dave.

[Dave Humphries]

Exposures look fine and high ISO doesn't seem to have affected the captures, and chosen aperture shows good focus throughout the composition. Lessons learned but passing the exam.

Thanks John,

Yes, I am happy I nailed the exposure, with such a static shooting arrangement, once that was set (practice on a toy), it really didn't change. Looking back at ACR, I increased it by 0.4 stop on #1 in PP, but the others are 'as shot'.

Re: the high iso; I did noise reduce (NR) them all as one of the first PP steps though, because that BG colour (and smoothness) was pretty good at showing the noise when pixel peeping at 100%. I might not have bothered with NR (at 1000 iso) if just producing for web (because the downsizing would have reduced it), but I also knew prints were required, so to make those cleaner, I did the NR.

Yes, I'm slowly improving, I usually make different mistakes each time

e.g. My take away from this is that being able to burst shoot was useful, so I would probably set iso to say 500 next time to balance that against the noise, which would allow speedlights to work at 1/16 power and still retain 2-3 shots in very quick succession.

Thanks, Dave

[Dave Humphries]

They look good to me Dave.

Thanks Mark - yes, I'm happy with the results too.

Cheers, Dave

[Shadowman]

Thanks John,

Yes, I am happy I nailed the exposure, with such a static shooting arrangement, once that was set (practice on a toy), it really didn't change. Looking back at ACR, I increased it by 0.4 stop on #1 in PP, but the others are 'as shot'.

Re: the high iso; I did noise reduce (NR) them all as one of the first PP steps though, because that BG colour (and smoothness) was pretty good at showing the noise when pixel peeping at 100%. I might not have bothered with NR (at 1000 iso) if just producing for web (because the downsizing would have reduced it), but I also knew prints were required, so to make those cleaner, I did the NR.

Yes, I'm slowly improving, I usually make different mistakes each time

e.g. My take away from this is that being able to burst shoot was useful, so I would probably set iso to say 500 next time to balance that against the noise, which would allow speedlights to work at 1/16 power and still retain 2-3 shots in very quick succession.

Thanks, Dave

Dave,

I have a couple of flash units but rarely used, I started an experiment this summer using a Yungnuo flash and have been doing a bit of reading on the subject. My flash won't display subject distance or apertures but I read that in a pinch TTL flash will take some of the guess work out of decision making. I believe you were shooting manual for both flash and exposure so you handled the challenge very well.

[ionian]

I think these have come out really well - and I like the magenta highlight on Chloe, it works with the theme and gives your shoot a theatrical feel. Don't be too harsh on yourself with lessons you need to learn - it's a results orientated business, and you delivered the goods. I am still cutting off body parts by accident myself, but if there was one thing I suggest you make a concerted effort on it's this - I know I need to do the same. So many things can be fixed in post, by PS doesn't have a finger recovery tool (yet - are you listening adobe?).

She is adorable and the catch-lights in her eyes really give her character and make the images come alive.

[IzzieK]

Dave -- you survived! Was it hard to stand up after that session. I believe that with a 12'4m square room you will have to learn how to be a good contortionist by now with all your gears and the furniture in the room included...good size room too though difficult to imagine on my way of thinking. I should had asked Bill while he was here a while ago...anyway, you nailed those exposures very well indeed. Chloe had grown up a bit from your last shots too. Orange and red are analogous colours. Autumn? I like the look on her face in #2 and the smile on #1. She is a pretty little chick, grandpa...

[Dave Humphries]

... I read that in a pinch TTL flash will take some of the guess work out of decision making.

It's like the decision whether, in normal 'ambient only' photography, to shoot full Manual or semi-auto (e.g. either shutter speed, iso or aperture set by camera's meter) - there are times when TTL is the best option, but when learning particularly, I find full Manual is actually easier because there are less variables changing 'unseen' by you.

e.g. if you're (say) aperture priority and have the flash on TTL, you have two automatic exposure systems in play at once - further, one can potentially upset the other, but if it doesn't, what you find is that you're turning a control expecting 'the usual' to happen, but it doesn't, because the camera knows what you're asking for won't work, all you know is that the darn camera won't do as its told, resulting in much head scratching.

I believe you were shooting manual for both flash and exposure so you handled the challenge very well.

I just shoot by the 'suck it and see' method - shoot a frame and see how far off my initial (I like to think) educated guesses were.

If the shoot is indoors and you're not changing flash to subject distance between shots* (this is crucial), it all becomes so easy even I can do it

* i.e. if the camera is moving about; flash must not be mounted on camera, because that's another variable that will mess with exposure when in Manual flash mode.

Cheers, Dave

[Dave Humphries]

I think these have come out really well - and I like the magenta highlight on Chloe, it works with the theme and gives your shoot a theatrical feel. Don't be too harsh on yourself with lessons you need to learn - it's a results orientated business, and you delivered the goods. I am still cutting off body parts by accident myself, but if there was one thing I suggest you make a concerted effort on it's this - I know I need to do the same. So many things can be fixed in post, by PS doesn't have a finger recovery tool (yet - are you listening adobe?).

She is adorable and the catch-lights in her eyes really give her character and make the images come alive.

Thanks Simon, you're right in that I am pleased with the results, but I give myself a hard time because I know I should practice more between shoots - e.g. here at home, so things become second nature - until that time, I am threatening myself with the idea of checklists so I don't forget the blinking obvious.

I second the call for Adobe to create the finger recovery tool

[rpcrowe]

Dave,

Here's something I try to do as a habit. Before I put my camera away, I return my camera to ISO 320 (which gives me very good image quality but is usually fast enough to provide a decent shutter speed and f/stop combination), Camera on single shot mode and exposure on Programmed. I also have the flash attached and a fresh CF card installed.

That way, whenever I pick up the camera, I can be pretty sure of getting a decent focus and exposure - even if I don't reset the camera prior to shooting...

I will try to reset my camera to have the shooting parameters EXACTLY as I want them but, in case I neglect to do that for some reason, the setup I mentioned earlier will usually provide decent results...

[Dave Humphries]

Dave -- you survived! Was it hard to stand up after that session. I believe that with a 12'4m square room you will have to learn how to be a good contortionist by now with all your gears and the furniture in the room included..

I don't think I did myself any lasting damage and yes, it can get a bit crowded with equipment, props and all, in addition to the normal furniture.

.. you nailed those exposures very well indeed.

Yes, that's the advantage of everyone staying put during the shoot and manual camera and flash.

Chloe had grown up a bit from your last shots too. Orange and red are analogous colours. Autumn? I like the look on her face in #2 and the smile on #1. She is a pretty little chick

Yeah I guess she has grown a bit since the bubbles you saw last time here.

Chloe was red and pumpkins are orange - and they come in Autumn (or 'Fall')

The 'look' in #2 is mid-way between "I'm breathing through my mouth because my nose is all bunged up" and "Whassat you say Mum?" and yes, like most girls, when she smiles, it makes all the difference.

grandpa...

Yoo tryin' to make me feel olde?

[Dave Humphries]

Thanks Richard,

Yes, I suppose I could even use one of those User preset memories to get me to the 'default' quicker.

Cheers, Dave

[NorthernFocus]

Can't offer any useful comments photographically speaking. But that is one cute child.

[IzzieK]

Next time, do it outside for more room to move...is it cold already there?

[Dave Humphries]

Next time, do it outside for more room to move...is it cold already there?

Around zero (Centigrade/Celsius) this morning (after a somewhat warmer October), so not 'cold' by some members standards, but also not the temperature any of us would want to sit out in dressed in just a T-shirt and Tu-tu.

[Dave Humphries]

Can't offer any useful comments photographically speaking. But that is one cute child.

Thanks Dan;

I agree, of course

[madcrow]

The apple of granddad eye, has daddy wrapped around her little finger and will break some guys heart in the future. Love the first image, great expression and smiling eyes.

[ScoutR]

Very nice Dave: Chloe is growing so fast and she is a darling.
I love the beautiful expression of joy on her face in the first one and the pose and expression in the second.
Your daughter will have a wonderful album of professional quality photos to show now and in years to come.

[Dave Humphries]

Love the first image, great expression and smiling eyes.

Yes Maurice, if there's one shot that we can call a success from the shoot, #1 is it.

Thanks, Dave