Next lesson on Click Love Grow was to grab sharper images. Since baby is so active, I often have moving body parts, hands, head, legs, even her dress a blur as she moves around and I’m trying to capture a perfect shot.

First, light, light, light.  Then no lower than about f2.8-3.2 or better. I was shooting on a 50mm at f1.4 and that was giving me a lot of baby blur.

I had my 300mm for these shots and baby is swinging toward me, or back, her momma giving her really good swings and grandma struggling to get a focus on baby’s eyes as she’s in full swing mode. But as soon as I’d get it, she was swinging back and a blur. Normally, I would have had a blur of her hands, feet, and head, the way she was moving about, even on the slide where her mom was holding her. Same with her mom because she was moving and talking! lol If you saw a continuous group of pictures of the baby when she’s holding onto the slide with her foot and hand to avoid sliding, her foot and hand kept moving. But because of having faster shutter speed, it stopped that motion, so you can’t see it from picture to picture.

The photographer suggested going no lower than a shutter speed of 125s for people. And around 250s for kids playing. Now, that can mean upping the ISO to let in more light, and that brings in grain. In the pictures here, the baby in the sunlight had less grain. In the shadows, more grain. I had to denoise the pictures, too much grain, and that meant the features were softer. Sooooo…..light, light, light. The photographer said that you could overexpose a little bit to avoid this.

The problem was all we had to deal with was harsh sunlight and deep shadows. Normally, I would do this on an overcast day, somewhere that we didn’t have such deep shadows. Or earlier in the day or during the golden hour as the sun is setting and the sunlight isn’t as harsh on the subject. So lighting wasn’t optimal. But it was the only day I saw baby this week to take pictures and the park is so shadowed, it doesn’t make for the greatest lighting. But the action, and baby having a blast, was what was really important.

And that’s something to remember! The kids should be having fun. If they’re not, stop the picture taking!!!

Hobby Lobby is having a deal with post your pictures taken in their flower department. Great idea for marketing! And some kids, and adults, were having a great time. But one 18-month old boy wasn’t having a bit of it. It’s an adorable picture, but his mom said he threw a fit and had a temper tantrum right afterwards. lol So the kids should be having fun, or do something else.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about natural expression. Say cheese! And we can get wildly exaggerated, clenched-teeth smiles.

Besides having fun with photography! I’m working on the story. Wrote 4,000 words yesterday and reached my word goal! Now I have to wrap this baby up.

Have a great, smiley day in a natural, un-gritted teeth way!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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