Oh, baby, baby . . .

ohkphoto

Snow White
I would welcome some feedback. what works and what does not work.

Would appreciate a fresh set of eyes.

baby-1.jpg
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
I think the composition and subject are excellent, what a tender moment you've captured! And that means a lot coming from a non-mushy type. :p

The vignette is a little strong, and maybe isn't needed at all here. It's adding a touch of darkness where there need not be any. You might try going with a gaussian blur to simulate a soft focus, which I think would add to the tenderness of this shot. It would soften up the adult female hands as well. I might also clean up some the the baby skin...all little ones get some crustiness from time to time, but you can clean that up easily with your digital toolbox.
 

ohkphoto

Snow White
Anthony, thanks. I have issues with "dismemberment". if you know what I mean (LOL). You know how you can be looking at a photo with someone's body parts in there and suddenly that body part looks like it doesn't belong to anybody? (Maybe I spend too much time looking at the photo?) That's why I put the vignette there. Does the arm behind the baby not bother you?

I'll reprocess with your suggestions and repost. I appreciate your comments.
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
I understand what you're saying, Helene. Yes, sometimes it can appear as though body parts are "floating" in a sense if you can't see that they are attached to someone's body. Here though, I think the viewer would feel as though they are holding the baby themselves, as if these hands were their own.

The arm doesn't bother me. I wondered what it was, and thought it might be a leg or something. It's out of focus enough that it isn't distracting in my opinion.
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Well,,I was going to mention the arm, but...........I see you've already covered that. ;) It didn't bother me.....per se.....but, it doesn't belong in the shot. Also, a little too dark in the top right corner. Softening the whole shot would make a vast improvement, as Anthony has suggested.

Other than that......what a sweet shot of a little baby! So cute! :)
 

ohkphoto

Snow White
Anthony and Fotofack, I'm glad you both mentioned the arm because it bothered me, too, but I just thought I was weird or overcritical. OK. I remember now why I put the vignetting . . . to downplay the stark white tablecloth behind the baby's head. I decreased the clarity to created some softness, used a dynamic skin softener filter and the healing brush to take out the crustiness. (I need to clean up the arm thing but am having problems with the patch tool in PS but will post to that forum) Also lightened the picture overall.

Is this better?

baby-1-3.jpg
 
I like your latest version of this photo, but one thing really bothers me. Honestly, I think the hands are an integral part of the story here - the bonding of mother with child, and really the intimacy of this bond has been captured in this moment. I'd like to see the original (with the leg photoshopped out) with the hands lightened as well, as they tell the story of a nurturing and loving mother holding the precious gift of life.

Just my .02
 

garao

New member
Maybe I am the mushy type. I love this image. Brings me all the way back to when my daughter was born. I prefer the look with the vignette, because it takes my attention straight into the baby's tender face and the loving touch. Maybe try cropping where the mole of the forefinger is. The hairs on the fingers is pulling my attention away from the baby.
 

ohkphoto

Snow White
Thank you all so much. All of your comments have helped me get back on track with this image. When I was working on this, apparently I did not have a really clear vision. Did I want the eyes to go directly to the baby's face as the most important element or are the hands equally important, as EOI has said. This was a completely candid moment so there wasn't much time to set it up correctly.

This has been a tremendous help to me.

Best Regards
 

Oz1

New member
Helene:
The original post is the one that I enjoy the most. The vignette gives it subdue feel to the image. Composition wise I would also PS the leg out.
Regards,
 
Top