Cathy

Wow! Congratulations and what a fantastic portrait it is!

No not all I love criticism , how else can we improve without it Now where is the blue lol! Is it in all the picture or is it a skin thing as I want to try fix it . Thank you Chris glad you liked it.

Had another go with baby Rebecca on Monday she is only 4 weeks old bless her and was so good. I think i have better lighting not the best but better. I am going to take a while to get it right but Oh am I enjoying these little bundles of love.

Titanic :)

So much better Paul! I like it a lot I would maybe keep the wrap with more blue but the baby skin is loads better! And the background whiter than I got too. Well done!

If you are interested all my formal (posed) portaits are here, some with studio flash and some with natural light, feel free to ask questions. https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_silk_photography/sets/72157645195151231/

Chris thank you! I posted it because my lighting is so hard but even my last home studio shots were much like this. I just feel I am not getting it right Chris I tried the magneta sliders and the red but then baby looked green lol! Slide them all a little this way and that to be honest I am only learning how to work with skin tones so not great at it. Did try free powder room action it does help but not how I would like it. Goingbtomtryna creamy layer and try painting over baby today to see if that helps.

Baby Charlie 2days old taken with bounce flash.

Beautiful images of your granddaughter ! She is so pretty. Thank you so much for the advice I am very grateful I like both of these lighting set ups. Paul can I ask what camera settings you used for the studio shot ? I will be taking a 3week old baby but my lounge is not bright enough in this winter light. I have used my softbox on a baby before but my lighting was not great. Last week I took my sisters 2 day old grandchild for her and did use on camera flash but again not the best. They loved them but I know my lighting is not correct. This all came about after my daughter posted a friends baby I took, on facebook and now I get her friends calling for their friends to have a few pics done. I enjoy the challenge and the parents know I am an amateur and are happy just to get what I give them. I want to perfect the workflow and try to get it right!

Thank you for the advice I appreciate it a lot. I have two lights the other has a brolley which I have not used yet. Would it be better to use in camera flash bounced off ceiling or use both studio lights.

Hi all! Recently been snapping some of my daughters friends and also family newborns. Only learning and no cost to parents. However! I find I am editing for hours. Spot removal red/yellow skin etc this I can deal with but my lighting? I have a little one coming on Monday ( news travels lol!) question is I am setting up my Lencarta lights for this shoot as the weather is not looking great to allow natural light. I know you can't see the set up etc but I will be using my soft box along with background/ beanbag / reflector and props ( hats etc) I Is it best to have my light shining down babies head with slightly feathering or do I move it to the front and about 4-5 feet away. Have used a Google many many ways but hoping one of you take some babies and can give me some advice please. Settings would be helpful too.in the past I tend to use manual at f5.6 and low ISO I will be using my nifty 50 but also have kit lens and Sigma 24-70 for my Canon 700d Cathy

Paul what great news! This will be so exciting to follow up on and very well done to you! :)

Great! Photographs Congratulation to you both :)

Welcome to the forum James :)

Welcome Dougie! Quite new here too and enjoy this forum a lot! Cathy

Chris and Colin thank you. It is amazing what you find in these wonderful software packages but being on a forum such as this is one of the best ways to find out how to improve what you already know Cathy

What a difference! I have not tried these examples of colour correction and will have a play later this morning. I find I get mad at myself as I can use a lot of things in both programmes but there are times like this when no matter what I tried the image got worse. I was draining most of the colour out of the image Have googled the Lightroom way to save from the develop settings to copy to other pictures .I do spend ages doing each individual image so what a treat this is to learn and will now look at how to do it in photoshop. Thank you so very much this is really helpful and I like both images! Cathy :)

Hi everyone I took some snaps of a friends granddaughter and I am finding it hard to remove the yellow from the images. The room these were taken in has lots of gold furnishings etc and created the colour cast. Any help on using photoshop or Lightroom for this would be very welcome. Also I have three images I would like to print Is there a way I can make sure they are all the same colour? Thank you Cathy

Thank you, I am am trying to use Manual now and again when I can. For. LandscPes I mostly was using AP but will get it on manual soon. I also forgot to try exposing for the sky then doing a shot of the foreground. Will be first thing I try next time! Only ever use raw as I can fix most of my duff pics a little more lol! Actually tried it on manual all day during a shoot of a newborn for a friend and I am pleased to say it was good Can't say much about my lighting but hey! One thing at a time. I also signed up today for my local photography club only 17 members if front of me so not too long to wait I hope. Thank you everyone all this help and advice is most useful. Cathy

Jeremy I love these lol! How good would it be as I would be more likely to forget my meter but never my phone I would like to thank you for taking the time to give me this information and I have now been watching quite a few youtube vids on using a light meter it seems it would be a great item to add to my kit. Cathy

Age not a problem was just thinking maybe the new ones were easier to use that's all Not ever held one so really don't know anything about them Cathy

That's quite a collection Jeremy thank you an addiction of a light meter is a super idea. Chris thank you I will have a look at both of the items on ebay but think I might wait until I can get a modern meter. Are they not easier to use than the vintage ones ? Cathy

Thank you i appreciate this help. I am usually quie good with Photoshop but not with this lot omf images. Will try again this evening. Thank you got the link that looks like a good book to have ready to use I do have understanding exposure but never quite remember when I am in practise what I should be doing lol! Cathy

Thank you everyone this is all very helpful and I have taken down the notes to try next time. I was also trying to capture the beautiful colours of the sunset with Campbeltown as I sailed towards the pier. The sky was great and shows up well the town which already had lights on is dark and when trying to lighten it up a little in lightroom it just looks awful but I will try again and see if I can salvage one. Cathy

Hi all! I am struggling with my landscape settings mostly during sunsets and low light. How do you all decide which one is right for your scene? I know this will depend on the scene, light, time of day etc and not easy to answer. I am trying to use my camera on AP using the exposure meter inside to guide me and taking some shots on either side eg lighten or darken exposure but oh dear! when will I get it right? I tried a few on my ferry journey during sunset and I was just not getting anything that worked well Would you always need to use a tripod in this situation. I have managed a few that are presentable but keep hoping I can look at the scene and know what I should be using.