Contemplating the Moment

[Bobby Deal]

Maternity and Family photography is not one of my specialties, in fact I shoot it rarely but here are a pair from a recent shoot that I was pleased with

1

2

and one of the Happy couple

3

 

[Bobby Deal]

C&C welcome

 

[Abhijit Biswas]

Hi Bobby, I think I like the images. You got the poses right. But the lighting could be improved. I would not use the camera side light and use only the other light ( from the back). Too much of the figures are visible and I think that takes away the mystery. Just my 2 cents.


Abhijit Biswas
www.exposurebits.com

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

1st is my choice

The first is my choice of these.

I like high contrast of these. But maternity is a very intimate and soft moment. I like to have more emotion between the mother and her baby and her body. The silhouette is a beautiful thing but she is uncomfortable and it shows. Her poses are a bit ackward. I also like a full body image

 

[Asher Kelman]

Bobby,

This one is growing on me. It's the one with the most feeling. I kept returning to ask myself why I like it and what held me back from really enjoying it without reservations.

I think I haver the answer, and it might only be relevant to my way of seeing things. Most of the action and ideation is in the lower portion: her tummy, her hand and his posture towards her of affection. Consider perhaps what you might think of the image's power by cropping the top, just halfway through his ear. This seems to release the image and their feelings by removing distraction at the top. I most often am crying for wider shots.

It's your vision and not mine and it doesn't really need changing. Also the couple may not like that surgery! Still I thought I'd suggest my idea, focussed on presentation, as a variant to mull over.

Asher

 

[Bobby Deal]

Hi Bobby, I think I like the images. You got the poses right. But the lighting could be improved. I would not use the camera side light and use only the other light ( from the back). Too much of the figures are visible and I think that takes away the mystery. Just my 2 cents.


Abhijit Biswas
www.exposurebits.com

Thank you, I am grateful for the feedback. I understand why you would prefer it this way and of course you are correct it is the norm and things are the norm because they are popular across a wider audience. I get a chance to follow the norm all I can take in my day to day commercial work. So on the occasion I get to do something just for the fun of it well I have a real tendency to play. To break or at least bend the rules to my own purpose if you will. I agree the more open lighting limits the the potential audience of the shots and for some will remove the mystery but for this time I am OK with the mystery not being so mysterious. Maternity and Family photography are not a Normal topic for me, if I were shooting them to earn from them I would surely be bending toward the norm.

 

[Bobby Deal]

The first is my choice of these.

I like high contrast of these. But maternity is a very intimate and soft moment. I like to have more emotion between the mother and her baby and her body. The silhouette is a beautiful thing but she is uncomfortable and it shows. Her poses are a bit ackward. I also like a full body image

Thanks for the input #1 was my favorite of the 3 as well.

I think you are correct, she likely was uncomfortable, she was 10 days away from giving birth at this point but I actually thought she hid the discomfort well. The 1/2 and 3/4 body compositions were at the Mothers request but on my next opportunity to shoot maternity I will keep a closer eye to the poses and look for more emotion.

 

[Bobby Deal]

Bobby,

This one is growing on me. It's the one with the most feeling. I kept returning to ask myself why I like it and what held me back from really enjoying it without reservations.

I think I haver the answer, and it might only be relevant to my way of seeing things. Most of the action and ideation is in the lower portion: her tummy, her hand and his posture towards her of affection. Consider perhaps what you might think of the image's power by cropping the top, just halfway through his ear. This seems to release the image and their feelings by removing distraction at the top. I most often am crying for wider shots.

It's your vision and not mine and it doesn't really need changing. Also the couple may not like that surgery! Still I thought I'd suggest my idea, focussed on presentation, as a variant to mull over.

Asher

Thanks Asher, I will indeed mull it over, I think it is likely a viable variant for the shot.