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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 152 - Déjà vu >> Challenge 152- Eligible > Sleeping Beauty
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3-Feb-08 clairet

Sleeping Beauty

Introducing my daughter to the challenges.
See http://www.pbase.com/ctfchallenge/image/74065356 for the inspiration.
She has the longest lashes I have seen on a little girl.
And she uses them to great effect
(This new shot replaces the one which was in Eligible but was off topic. That has been moved to pending - hope you like the new version)


other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge12-Feb-2008 14:50
wonderful clarity and mood created!
Armin
ctfchallenge12-Feb-2008 08:57
Thanks Rod and Jano - your comments mean a lot. And your help has been invaluable...claire
ctfchallenge12-Feb-2008 04:10
Well done!!! Very nice. I'm proud of you :) jano
Rod 11-Feb-2008 07:09
This looks great Claire a big improvement. You did really well getting the Jano look in Pending into this picy. Well done megirl:-) Hoooooray.
ctfchallenge10-Feb-2008 20:40
This is beautiful and much more resemblant of the crop in the original.
-k2
ctfchallenge10-Feb-2008 20:26
This is my final offering (and the crowd went wild!). Its no better lighting/tone wise but does get rid of the nose probem and focus more on the stunning lashes. Other version is in pending so let me know if this is any better? ...claire
janewigginsphotography10-Feb-2008 04:19
I totally agree with Rod. (did I just say that?) lol but ya I do. jano
Rod 09-Feb-2008 08:19
I like this one better Clare, the other one looks worked on. Jano's one looks great. Don't get too hooked up on making a silk purse out of a sows ear megirl, getting it right in camera is the way for you to learn. Of course if a picy like this was irreplaceable then by all means learn how to do wot Jano did but it's not a good idea to learn Photoshop to keep fixing poor picys. Just take your time & learn some shooting techniques & you will be amazed how good you will be in a few months. If you rely on Photoshop your photography will be all the poorer. Good picy taking & good post processing is the combination needed. Also to become a great artiiiiiiiiist like wot I am you will have to start neglecting your kids, devote yourself to this great ahrt form. I'm sure your ole man will get up to feed the kids as you need to rest to get the creative juices flowing. That's wot I tell my missus:-)
ctfchallenge07-Feb-2008 22:40
I have done some "gausian blurring" or the shiny bits and played with tones a little - well enough that I am no longer sure what is good and what is bad! Please take a look athttp://www.pbase.com/ctfchallenge/image/92660104 in pending and let me know your thoughts. thanks for all your help!!! claire
Britt 07-Feb-2008 15:15
The eyelashes are to die for! You can tell this little person will be using them to their fullest capabilities when they know how! Jano is very good at helping and giving suggestions to improve images, so don't ever be afraid to ask her! She's quite the lady. :)
ctfchallenge07-Feb-2008 09:50
Jano thank you. Its the on camera flash and all I have at present. Tonight my reference guide and I will try out your blur ideas. I know I have seen "blur" is that different to glausian blur? (I have JASC paint shop pro). much appreciate the advice - esp as I can also try on the shot in pending if it works as she was 2yrs younger then and cant reshoot!...claire
janewigginsphotography07-Feb-2008 03:10
Claire - Beautiful eyelashes!!! So long and lush Q: Are you using the onboard flash or an off cam flash? It's hard to take very close close-ups of skin without some shine and imperfections even w/o a flash. In this case, I would make a duplicate layer and add some glausian blur to the face, then simply erase around the eyelashes, leaving the unshiny spots untouched. In other words, you will blur the harsh lighting and soften the skin. The blurring is often used in portrait shots for this very purpose. Also, it seems this may be a little oversharpened to make the eyelashes detailed, so the glausian blur again would help. With that said, I had loads of work on my image also dealing with skin tone. I like the tone here and it is imo excellent. Well done :) jano
Rod 06-Feb-2008 19:27
Don't ask me to write the forward for your book Claire, there will be no room left for the book:-)
Guest 06-Feb-2008 13:25
Rod (and everyone). My children are beautiful and I know that so dont feel that I will take it as an insult to them if my photos of them are criticised. They are likely to be my main subjects so its going to happen a lot. I'm more than happy to get a "this is good but.." comment (even if its just that you like my wallpaper!) and would far rather that than just a "great wallpaper" comment which doesnt tell me anything to work on(and obviously its better to get a "great wallpaper but..." comment than one where even the wallpaper is awful!!!)
Sorry to everyone that the comments are getting so huge for this shot! We'll be publishing the book soon!...claire
Rod 06-Feb-2008 08:20
Claire the comments can be a minefield if the subject is kids or pets. I know my comment on the first picy was a mixture of politeness & truth. The toning was good as it tended to offset the unflattering flash look but it's not easy to say the word unflattering under a picy of your loved one.
Every picy of your kids no matter how bad photographically will be a treasure to look at in years to come but here in the challenge we should not be overly polite in saying a picy of a child is terrific or priceless when we should be evaluting the photographic merits of the picy. Of course we need to keep in mind what stage of learning the photographer is at as there's really no point in telling a beginner to adopt some advanced technique.
Now you're learning that direct flash isn't very flattering in photography as it provides a very flat lighting & is too revealing for portraits. With an external flash attached to the camera you can bounce the flash light off the ceiling or walls to get a more flattering softer light. You can experiment with a piece of white cloth over your built in flash but you will have to adjust the exposure for the light you lose with the cloth. I think you would be far better off trying to take available light picys of your kids inside during the day time with your camera set on Iso 1600 & say F4 on your lens. I don't know if this will be too complicated for you but you can use your on board flash as a fill flash, you set your camera to expose on the available light but use a turned down flash just to create some highlights on the subject. I'm sure your Xti instruction book will have a page explaining fill flash so maybe you can give that a try.
The main thing is you don't get too frustrated as photography is a slow gradual improvement & you're doing just fine megirl:-)
Guest 05-Feb-2008 22:43
thanks. Will look for a hanky! Other version is in pending (and that was with flash on a p&s and all comments were v positive about the toning which is why it was so frustrating to be taking a step backwards with the new camera!) Its something I want to master though so please expect a fair few more on here before I get it right and keep letting me know what you think. thanks...claire
ctfchallenge05-Feb-2008 20:17
I just read a few articles on using flash on babies and the flash does NOT damage the eyes as the burst are short and not even as bright as when babies have eye exams, so go ahead and use flash (with something to diffuse it and soften it - plastic, tissue etc,) but you can get some nice shadows using natural light coming in from a window (but not blinding sunlight!) Keep experimenting - I'm sure you'll get some great pictures! :-) CJ
Rod 05-Feb-2008 19:37
I did say to Clair on this same shot she deleted with the comments about using a white cloth or sheet between the flash & the subject. I didn't want to repeat myself.
Guest 05-Feb-2008 18:46
I just have the kit lens (18-55mm) as I only got the camera at Xmas and am still trying to work out how to use the kit I have before investing in any more. As I want to take photos of my kids (as you may have noticed!!) then equipment to help this will be top of the list but will have to wait a bit.
Really appreciate any advice anyone! - thanks claire
ctfchallenge05-Feb-2008 16:46
One of the items I'd like to invest in which will take the glare off flash shots is a diffuser which can attach to the on-board flash. Something like this:http://www.lumiquest.com/softscreen.htm
It will soften the reflection we get when using our attached flash and prevent shiny skin, maybe help with the color of skin also. I'm sure there are some here that have used these diffusers so maybe they can chime in on the usefulness of it. I'm sure you know not to use the flash if baby's eyes are open so go with natural light then using high ISO to get as fast a shutter as you need for the lens you are using - it varies depending on whether it is an IS lens etc. What lens do you use? CJ
Guest 05-Feb-2008 15:14
Okay folks. What advice would you give to someone making this shot or a similar one like it? What camera settings do you suggest when not using the flash? If I'm not experienced or have knowledge with camera settings then what do you suggest? I don't feel comfortable to give this advice but someone here should. That is what I am looking for in comments.

J.V. gave me some excellent advice and I played around with his suggestions and it worked!

Any takers?
Guest 05-Feb-2008 12:10
sorry guys it wasnt a *sigh* at your comments - just at my inabilities!!. Please keep the comments coming they have been really helpful. Its just been one of those weeks...claire
Rod 05-Feb-2008 09:25
Maybe I will just say "nice shot" from now on. *sigh* *frown*:-)
Guest 05-Feb-2008 03:50
Yes Claire, she is beautiful and has very beautiful eyelashes. Don't be too discouraged by some of the comments. That's the way it is here. Just keep doing the best you know how for now and by doing so you will grow and learn from the experience (I hope).
ctfchallenge05-Feb-2008 02:58
I have yet to master my flash either so I try and avoid it. I do think that some of the harshness could be reduced with PP if you are so inclined. As it is works OK and it's better than anything I've come up with. -COAmature
Guest 04-Feb-2008 19:10
to quote Lydia... *sigh*. My daughter is now 2 so not so easy to capture asleep near windows etc - and not easy to get to shut her eyes on command- so yes I used flash. I need to get this indoor lighting thing sorted though as its becoming a recurring theme in comments on my shots...claire
Rod 04-Feb-2008 08:08
The lighting looks a bit harsh here Claire, I can't imagine you used a flash this close up but it has that flash look which isn't too flattering. A nice morning or afternoon light coming through the window may light this better. If you need to use the flash try getting someone to hold a white sheet or cloth between the baby & flash, this will give a more diffused light to make the baby's face look as smooth as her bum:-)
ctfchallenge03-Feb-2008 21:40
She's beautiful, Claire! Or at least her eye and lashes are! *smile* I can't wait to see the rest of her face... (next Challenge?) The clarity of the pores on her adorable nose is bothering me a bit. I wonder what can be done to make them show up less and still see the shape of her nose...
Those ARE long lashed. Beautiful. ~Lydia